Get top industry tricks and ballet hacks from Bianca Bulle; professional dancer with Miami City Ballet. Bianca works with So Danca and she has put together a ballet tutorial video with some stellar ballerina hacks. Bianca danced with Los Angeles Ballet for 7 years and moved to the Miami City Ballet in 2019.
Check out the video below to learn her secrets.
Ballet Hack 1: The Perfect Knot
Bianca demonstrates for us how to tie the perfect knot in your stitching thread. This will prevent your ribbons from detaching from your pointe shoes mid-class or performance. If you find your ribbons come off your pointe shoes, maybe you should check out the ballet tutorial and try Bianca's foolproof securing knot when you stitch your next pair of pointe shoes.
Our Follow-up Hack
Try using dental floss instead of thread when stitching ribbons and elastics to pointe shoes. Dental floss is super strong and doesn't snap easily. It's thin enough to use interchangeably with thread and pale in colour so you won't notice the difference when looking at your shoes.
Ballerina Hack 2: No More Fray
If you want to stop your ribbons from fraying away Bianca says we should cut the ends of our ribbons on a long diagonal. She swears by it! Check out the video to see exactly how she does it.
Our Follow-up Hack
If you've cut your ribbons a little short, as can easily happen, you can be reluctant to take any more length off your ribbon. If they're cut too short you won't be able to tie them around your ankle securely. Then all your sewing will have been in vain and you'll have to start all over again! We don't want this to happen to you so our no-fray tip won't reduce the length of your ribbon at all. All you need is to paint the ends of the ribbon thoroughly in some clear nail polish. This will keep your ribbon ends neat, without any shortening.
Ballerina Hacks 3: Run-no-more
We have to hand it to her on this one, there's nothing worse than getting a run in a pair of tights! It's a sad fact that dance tights get holes and runs. If you want to prolong the life of your tights a bit then it's time to grab that trusty bottle of clear nail polish again and get painting. Maybe you should just keep a bottle of clear polish in your dance bag for emergencies; you're 100% going to need it at some point!
Our Follow-up Hack
There's no way to completely and always prevent your tights from running. Tights can snag during floor-work, on the zip of your bag, on the ring you wear, and even on your own nails sometimes. The best you can do is try and purchase good quality tights that are durable and designed for dancers. Cheaper and poorer quality tights; not intended for use by dancers, will tear far more easily. They are just not engineered to withstand the stretch, duress and extension we dancers put our tights through. Shop So Danca's tights collection here and know that you're wearing some of the top-quality tights in the industry!
Ballet Hacks 4: Snip those tights
Sometimes during dance class, you want to be able to reach your toes. And no, I don't mean to stretch! I mean to put on toe tape or blister plasters, to adjust your toe pads or add some lambswool. When you're wearing fully-footed tights that's not possible though is it? You've got to take off your tights completely to access your foot! This seems a little unnecessary, so Bianca explains how she gets around this obstacle: by converting her tights into thongs!
Our Follow-up Hack
We find that when you cut tights it can sometimes start long ladders that'll quickly stretch right up your legs. If you want to be able to get to your tootsies quickly during class we highly recommend using convertible tights. These can be worn both fully-footed or footless and the conversion hole under the ball of the foot is soft and barely noticeable. So many dancers swear by these convertible tights that they are often known simply as "pointe-tights" because they have become such an essential for pointe dancing!
Ballet Hacks 5: Speedy Leotard Alteration
Bianca understands that you can easily get bored with your same old ballet wardrobe. When you wear the same leotards to the studio day in, day-out it's easy to dream of a more stylish, glamorous leotard you wish you had. Using Bianca's easy-peasy trick you can transform a boring leotard into something a little more eye-catching. Watch the ballet tutorial closely to copy her customising method.
Our Follow-up Hack
At So Danca, we don't think there's ever a need to be bored with your dance outfits. We know that you can always mix and match what you've got in your dance bag to come up with an exciting and fresh look. Try a different skirt, or maybe thigh-high legwarmers as arm cosies. Why not wear your tights over your leotard once in a while (all the pros do it)! If in doubt, explore the So Dança Store for inspiration; you might even discover your new favourite leotard, just waiting for you!
We love this video that Bianca made for us and we hope you enjoyed Bianca's ballet tutorial and ballerina hacks as much as we did. Let us know if you've got any more ballet hacks to share with the dance community.
