the best dancers.

It looks like my blog has been revived lately, thanks to my new phone, which has a considerably good camera that snaps pictures of my life that gives me the urge to blog. Anyway, this was actually my ballet homework; to figure out what the quote, "The best dancers are not forcing themselves, they are indulging themselves" meant. I actually started thinking about it, and well, here's my homework. Hope you don't get too bored by reading it. :)

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I spend an incredible amount of time curled up in a sofa watching dance video after dance video on Youtube. Many a time, as I watch captivating routines, I question myself; “What makes a dancer great?” And that very question has many answers. Amazing stage presence, breathtaking performing qualities, beautiful lines, flawless technique - just to name a major few. Yes, a dancer is great because of all these qualities they possess, but I rarely question why. Why is it a great dancer has all these qualities?

When I finally came down to it, after watching numerous interviews, I finally stuck to a single answer. Its not because there’s someone shoving them into dance class every week as a form of exercise. Its not because they have an excellent teacher that forces them to dance in a specific way. The best dancers have a passion for dance. Its because these dancers want to dance and it is something they love to do. These are those with drive and dedication, that are completely involved in every step they take, with thought put into each one. These dancers don’t just “dance the steps” because they have to.

Some dancers have natural talents such as coordination, musicality, flexibility and physique. I do believe that some dancers are naturally gifted. However, I also believe the best dancers are not just those born with natural talents. The best are really those whom strive to be better, seeking improvement voluntarily every time they take a simple jump or an extension. Natural talents mean and contribute nothing without self-driven determination. The best dancers are intelligent; seeing and understanding what truly needs to be done, and coordinating their muscles in that manner to improve in everything they do. They are willing to learn and make changes (for the better!) that does, no matter how small, lead to improvements.

And it is with this mindset, all the qualities of a great dancer are developed. To me, the best dancers aren’t those who have someone to continuously spew out instructions that they follow blindly, simply because it helps them along the way.

The best dancers are not forcing themselves, they are indulging themselves.

LoFro; SYTYCD S6; Amazing.

scribble me.

I've just discovered this drawing programme on my phone, called Scribble. I did these while waiting for the van to arrive at UPM. Yes, be ready to mock my non-existant artistic skills. ;)




I like the first one best. :)

equine park stables.

*I edited this post over a period of time from Thursday to Sunday*

This is a summary of my entire voluntary work placement at some stables at Equine Park, Akademi Ekuestrian Diraja Selangor. And thankfully all the horses I've worked with are all good tempered and haven't kicked me in the face, although they're bitten my clothes and nudged me really hard once in a while. :)

I went into the stables with one major goal, to learn how to handle horses. I began work at about 9.30 am each morning. My job? To take care of all the vet cases. Minor problems that have already been diagnosed by the vet, but I handle the ongoing treatments. *Makes me sound so important. :P*

On my first day, my supervisor who allowed me to volunteer here, Ms. Gerry, showed me the basics, from the cleaning of stalls, to the leading and cleaning of horses, to tips and tricks to handling them. This is her showing me how to lead out Cricket, one of the bad tempered ponies at the stable. She's amazing with horses, there's never a horse I've seen she can't handle. :D

She owns her own gray horse there as well, completely well-behaved all the time. Before I left on my last day there, she had the opportunity to show me some bursting cancerous cells on her horse's tail. Almost 99% of gray horses develop a skin cancer called melanoma, either under the tail, or inside the sheath. The tumours are the bumps at the bottom of the tail.

And this, is some face cream she applied to the bottom of his softening hoof. No, its not because its hoof has the same texture as human skin. Its high in zinc oxide, a pretty good drying agent - just the common remedy to dry up and harden the hoof.

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Anyway, the first thing I did every morning was to go to Danny's stall. A really good tempered, easy to handle pony. :) It's sad he's a little unkept because of the hot and humid Malaysian weather.

Of course, being me, I couldn't leave a little pony neglected. I think I spent half an hour brushing, shampooing, combing, applying oil and removing dandruff from his mane everyday. His mane is very much like my hair, super thick, dry and frizzy, except, I don't have dandruff. :P And here's his cleaned/oiled mane. :)

And then came the cleaning of his sheath and the application of iodine based antiseptic. His sheath was so terribly injured and inflamed. That probably came from biting or kicking it; thanks to the houseflies that settled there, irritating him. I repeated the same procedure with 3 other horses with the same problem. The stablemen were really nice, thank goodness I can speak a bit of Bahasa Melayu.

Working with horses can be summed up into one word: challenging. Being alert is a mandatory precautionary attribute because its dangerous - its easy for them to step on you, or whip you with their tail, or kick you. But its extremely fun too, and the little things that they do to acknowledge you are just so adorable. Of course not all horses are the same, but the thought of relieving them of their misery and pain makes the job all the better!

Until then,
Izzie. :)