So Danca Presents "Calling All Dancers!!"

        If you wear So'Dança dance wear or shoes, we want to hear from you! Send me an email at anne@sodanca.com and tell me a little bit about yourself. Are you a dance student? Professional dancer? Teacher? What product of ours do you use and how long have you been using it? Do you own a dance store and have a customer you are particularly proud of?

        So'Dança provides clothing and shoes to thousands of dancers in the U.S.A. alone. We are a very large family and would love to include you and your news on our Internet social network pages. Have you received an award, a scholarship? Taken any memorable dance trips? Do you have photos or a video of a performance you'd like to share? Send it on to us and we will be happy to include you in our So Dancer news.

        Bringing the world closer together, one dancer at a time! So'Dança is always there for you!

anne@sodanca.com

  --- Anne Polajenko

       Anne Polajenko is So Danca's (USA) personal pointe shoe expert, she is known around the world for her performances throughout the years. Mrs Polajenko gives pointe shoe seminars every year at different shows and at our HQ in Deerfield Beach, Florida. Anne has been a guest writer for our blog and is constantly reaching out to the public in order to grow our So Danca family. She is a mentor, a teacher and an overall blessing within our So Danca family. 
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  Thank you for everyone that already got in touch with us! Because of the positive response these last few months, we felt like we should re-post this entry every few months or so in order to let everyone that didn't get a chance to be involved a chance to participate. <3


      Love from your humble blogger,

Recalling Our Highlights: So Danca 2011

     With the closing of the year near us, we here at So Danca believe that it is important to look back unto the blessings that this past year brought, remembering all the good things that occurred in order to never forget them, and thus understand how fantastic this year really was. It is really easy to get bogged down on the bad, to only remember the bad things that happened, thus this exercise of looking back on the good is very important and is one we recommend to everyone. Here is a look at the highlights of this year for So Danca:

Growth

      The recession has hit us all pretty hard and we are no different than any other company out there when we say that it was a tough year full of heavy planning and sweat. Though this year was a tough one we braved the storm like champions and came out of this year not only in good standings but we also grew 25%, which is our company's all time record. Thus we at So Danca are very happy to see our sweat and hard work pay off, we look forward to this next year anticipating an even better year.

    New Product 

     This year we introduced  our new pointe shoes SD09 and SD40  in the market promising that they would not disappoint any who would wear them, and Oh did they do well. Our new pointe shoe line quickly was accepted in the market and began to win the hearts of the populace one foot at a time, quickly establishing itself as the best shoe in the market and one of our best selling items we have. If you love pointe and have not tried our shoes yet then do yourself a kindness, in fact do your feet a kindness and go to your nearest retailer and try one on, we promise your feet will be in bliss.

    Best Selling Line

      This came to no surprise to us, our tap shoe line has been the best in the market since its birth. We believe in having the best possible product in the market at all times, putting all our expert shoe makers together with professional dancers to provide you with the best tap shoes in the market, thus it came to no surprise that our tap shoes earned such great standings in the charts and in your hearts. We will continue to support the tap world with the best shoes in the market, the tap scene deserves nothing but the best, and we at So Danca only know how make perfection, you can always count on us.

     Workshops

     So Danca USA and So Danca Canada have both begun doing tap workshops all throughout their respective countries, within the USA branch So Danca has been hosting tap workshops taught by the great pair Aaron Tolson and Derrick Grant, be sure to stay tuned for upcoming tap shows at your nearest retail store, or request one from a retail store in order to bring Aaron and Derrick to your town, for more details stay tuned here as well, as we will always keep you In The Know. Our Canada branch is also hosting these workshops taught by the one and only Everett Smith, we've seen nothing but great things come from Everett and any time spent with him has always been a good time, a great teacher, a great dancer, a great guy, overall a fantastic addition to our So Danca family.

      Clothing Line

     This year So Danca's USA and Canada branches both wowed the North American market by introducing our European clothing line taking everyone by surprise and stealing the hearts of millions. So Danca's European branch produces the most beautiful styles in the world, with designers from Italy, France and surrounding countries we stand out above all competition, always providing you with the most exquisite clothing lines deserving your attention and admiration.

       Seminars 

     So Danca's USA branch has also begun having periodical pointe shoe seminars with our very own Anne Polajenko. These are held at our USA headquarters located over at Deerfield Beach, Florida, and will always be advertized here and on our main site, so be sure to keep a look out. We've had great success with these seminars and there has been high demand for them to happen more frequently so be sure to check with us for upcoming news, for they will surely be coming soon.

    Awards

     This year marks the 14th year in a roll where the So Danca customer service team has been rated the best in the world. This is something we take very seriously, since the birth of our company we have always fought to provide you with the best team we could find, we have no robots answering our phones, you'll always find someone on the other line with a smile ready to answer any and all of your questions, with honesty and respect. At So Danca we believe in old family virtues, and the need to always be respectful to anyone and everyone. You can always count on us, we are here for you.

    Net

    This year market the beginning of something beautiful, this was the year that So Danca went viral witnessing the birth of our ever growing blog "Be In The Know". We thank everyone that has been supporting our blog's growth, and promise to continue providing you with entertaining posts, informative posts, encouraging posts and more. So keep checking every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, for there is a lot more to come!!!

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    So Danca has had a fantastic year and we hope that you have had a glorious year as well. We hope you have a fantastic New Year and please make sure to be safe in your celebrations.

       "So Danca Fits Well, Feels Great, Is Always Available, And Very Comfortable, We Are The Best!
                                                                It's As Simple As that"

Love from your humble blogger, (and a Happy New Year to you all!)

An Evening With Anne Polajenko: A Trip To The Store

Purchasing Pointe shoes

     Some students try to cut corners by purchasing Pointe shoes online. While this may work when you already know your brand and fit, it is not a good idea in general. A trip to a professional fitter is always the best and may save you considerable expense in the long run. Here are a few reminders of things you should do:

•     Make a fitting appointment with the store. Some fitters are not there all the time or there could be other people ahead of you.

•  Be prepared for a fitting fee. Some stores will charge you for a fitting if you do not buy the shoes. This is to protect themselves from unscrupulous dancers who get fit in a store and then go buy the shoes online from someone else.

•    Fittings can take up to 45 minutes so leave plenty of time. Nothing worse than rushing a fitting. You may have to try on many brands and sizes to get the perfect fit.

•    Bring an open – to – suggestion attitude. The fitter is specialized in all the different brands and sizes and knows a lot more than you do.

•   Bring your tights and toe pads. You should always try shoes with your usual foot protection.

•  Try shoes on when your feet are rested. If you have been dancing all day, your feet will be slightly swollen. This could alter your shoe fit.

•  Give the fitter your undivided attention. Do not text or play games on your cell phone during the fitting.

•  To get the best fit you must have some knowledge of your foot construction. You will purchase a style of Box depending on the shape of your toes. The retailer will assess your foot and offer appropriate options.

• The most important thing is to get the right Box and width. Afterwards, you want to consider the Shank strength and length. Again, the fitter will help with this.

•  ¾ lengths are very popular today because they allow more flexibility on the demi-pointe. Always ask your teacher before buying ¾ shanks; some teachers prefer a Full Shank.

IF YOU MUST GET THE SHOES APPROVED BY THE TEACHER, REMEMBER NOT TO SEW RIBBONS NOR DIRTY THE SHOES IN ANY WAY IN CASE YOU NEED TO EXCHANGE THEM.

                      --- Anne Polajenko

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    We at So Danca wanted to wish everyone that is driving home for thanksgiving a safe trip home, and a glorious time with your loved ones and friends!

  Love from your humble blogger,

100th Post: Remembering The Top 5

     I wanted to thank everyone that has supported our blog since it's very beginning, we've come a long way so far and there is still a long road ahead of us. Look forward to more articles on culture, dance and what's new with So Danca. Within these 100 posts there were 5 posts that stood out the most, here is a highlight of the top 5 most viewed posts, just is case you missed them :)

#1 No surprise here, it was a great movie, and hopefully you all enjoyed the honest blunt review.

#2 Again another no surprise, So Danca has the best Pro Tap shoe in the market, and with the ability to customize your shoe however you want, there truly is no way the competition can handle it. There is just one word that can properly describe it and that is Swagger.

#3 One of the biggest releases we've had this year yet! Our now famous pointe shoes Claudia and Toshie, were first introduced on here! The place for all So Danca news :)

 #4 A lot of people focus on July 4th from all different angles, but very few people actually focus on America's favorite pass-time, watching movies. So I compiled a list of the top movies I found that people love to watch during July 4th, I of course am partial to Independence day, the presidential speech gets to me every time.

#5 And of course, the great announcement of Harid Conservatory now wearing exclusively So Danca ballet and pointe shoes. Great news :)

   It's been a good start so far, and there are plenty of other posts that received a lot of good feedback :)
Look forward to what we've got coming, there is a lot still to do, and a lot that is going on. So be sure to stay tuned! <3

   Love from your humble blogger,

October Events and Secret Projects!

   We at So Danca have a lot of things prepared for the month of October, here are a few things worth checking out, and few things worth keeping an eye out for:

 

     Be sure to keep coming back here for more details on anything and everything we are up to. There is also another section worth mentioning....

     But we can't go into full disclosure about them yet, what we can say is that one of these projects code name is Familia, stay tuned for more info is soon to follow, exciting things are afoot. 

  Love from your humble blogger,

Anne Polajenko Free Pointe Seminar!!

 

  Love from your humble blogger, 

Anne Polajenko Presents: "The Harid Conservatory Students Wear So Danca"

http://www.harid.edu/

      Students of The Harid Conservatory, located in Boca Raton, FL, are exclusively wearing the So’Dança ballet and pointe shoes for the 2011-12 school year. According to an agreement between the prestigious school and the dancewear company, all students will be provided with a monthly supply of shoes for classes and performances.

Russo Hall

       Harid Conservatory was founded 23 years ago as a not-for-profit, tuition free institution that would offer exceptional ballet training and academic schooling to talented students from the United States and abroad. Students are of high school age and must live on campus. They are selected through an annual audition process and must attend Harid’s summer intensive before being admitted to the school. Some graduates include Marcelo Gomez (Principal, American Ballet Theatre), James Sofranko (Principal, San Francisco Ballet), Isabella Boylston and Isadora Loyola (American Ballet Theatre) as well as Sara Webb (Principal, Houston Ballet).

For More Alumni Click Here

       So’Dança is very proud to associate its name with such a valuable organization as The Harid Conservatory and wishes all the students a wonderful school year!

Isadora Loyola (Harid class of 2007) in her So’Dança Pointe shoes.

Photo Bernardo Nogueira

                  --- Anne Polajenko

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     Take a deep breath my friends, it's Wednesday, half way done, the weekend is looking closer and more beautiful than ever, 

    Love from your humble blogger,  

Anne Polajenko's "In-House" Pointe Seminar!

      So Danca will be hosting a "in-house" pointe shoe seminar this coming sunday the 17th, presented by our very own Anne Polajenko, most of you know of Mrs. Polajenko but for education's sake here is a bio detailing her accomplishments and training. We will be having a series of events like this coming up at our home showroom in Deerfield Beach, Florida, these events are invite online and when a sign up is available it'll be for a limited number of people so be sure to keep your eyes open and sign up early!

        -----------Anne Polajenko Bio-----------   

           French born ballerina, Anne Polajenko, enjoyed a long professional  career with major European ballet companies, during which time she performed every classical ballet and had works created especially for her. She worked with such diverse choreographers as George Balanchine, Antony Tudor, Nicholas Beriosoff and Serge Golovine. The culmination of her career came when George Balanchine became Artistic Advisor to the Geneva Grand Theatre Ballet and for the next four years she had the privilege of dancing 14 of his ballets, most notably such master works as “Symphony in C”, “Serenade”, “4 Temperaments”, “Agon” and “Concerto Barocco”. At the same time, she became company Regisseur and, under Balanchine's expert tutelage, she learned the intricacies of company management. Retired from the stage in 1973, Mrs. Polajenko devoted herself to teaching and coaching future generations of dancers. Her teaching credits include Point Park College (Pittsburgh, PA), Houston Ballet (Principal Teacher and Ballet Mistress), Ballet Florida, Harid Conservatory and Miami City Ballet where she was appointed Children’s Ballet Mistress in charge of restaging Balanchine’s “The Nutcracker.” From 1976-88 she was the Artistic Director of Houston Dance Center, a school and company she helped found and whose students joined such companies as San Francisco Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Cleveland Ballet and Joffrey II. Mrs. Polajenko has been a guest teacher or choreographer for schools and companies throughout the Southeastern United States, as well as for Dance Masters of America. She has been honored by the City of Houston and the State of Texas for her commitment on behalf of the arts, and recognized by the National Foundation for the Arts as a Teacher of a Presidential Scholar. Her biography appears in the Cambridge Who’s Who.

 In 2002, Ms. Polajenko joined So’Dança, one of the world’s leading dancewear manufacturers, as Pointe Shoe Specialist and Public Relations officer for North American operations. In October 2002, she was invited to represent the United States on the jury of the 1^st International Cecilia Kerche Ballet Competition in Brazil and again, since 2006, as a Master Teacher and Jury member for the Passo de Arte competitions. For several years she has been a speaker at the Dance Retailer News Expo in Las Vegas and at the Dance Teacher Conference in New York. She works extensively with dancers,  teachers and retailers and conducts professional company shoe fittings throughout the United States and Canada.

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       We look forward to seeing those are will be attending this coming Sunday 7/17/2011 for it's sure to be a fantastic event, 

   We also hope you all have a fantastic weekend and a glorious Friday, 

    Love from your humble blogger,

An Evening with Anne Polajenko: "Pointe Shoe FAQ"

What's in a Pointe shoe?

Contrary to popular belief, a Pointe shoe has no wood nor steel in it!
The front portion of the shoe ( box) is made of fabric, canvas, glue and more glue.
The  sole of the shoe is made of leather and some type of cardboard. Different manufacturers use fibreboard or redboard.
Then the shoe is lined in cotton. The outer part of the shoe is always satin.
The hardness of the shoe comes from the amount of glue used. When the shoe is worn, the glue will soften or break down with the heat of the foot. It will harden again when the shoe is off. This is why it is so important to let shoes dry after use. A shoe that is used repeatedly without any drying time will have a much shorter life span. For this reason, many dancers buy shoes two pair at a time and alternate wearing them so that each pair may dry properly.
So'Dança uses only natural, biodegradable glue which is not harmful to the human body.
            --- Anne Polajenko


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      Hello everyone ^_^ we hope you all had a fantastic weekend and will have a glorious week ahead of you. Thank you for all the feedback on last weeks blogs, I will be posting more commentary blogs like I did last week, here is how you can help:
        Leave a comment bellow with a subject for an article you wish to see published and we'll try to make it happen :)


             Have a fantastic day,


   Love from your humble blogger,

An Evening With Anne Polajenko "The right time to Pointe"

When is the right time to begin Pointe?

        This is a somewhat controversial subject with two distinct schools of thought.
        One camp holds that Pointe work should not be started before the age of 11 when the growth spaces between bones of the feet are almost closed. They maintain that going up on the toes prematurely can and will distort the feet since the foot is so flexible at that point.
        The other side believes this very flexibility is an asset which should be exploited. These teachers will put children on Pointe at age nine or ten when the foot is still flexible enough to be shaped to the Pointe work. It should be noted though that these teachers are very careful and only do a limited amount of strengthening exercises at the barre and do so for a long time.
         Whatever the method, clearly the feet are only part of the issue. The student's overall technique must be sufficient to allow Pointe work. An average of three, 1 1/2 hour classes per week for three years should be required as a minimum. Then comes the individual's physique. Are the child's knees and back strong enough to withstand the effort? Does she have any anatomical problems such as severely swayed back or hyper-extended knees which can impact on her ability to perform exercises on Pointe? These, and may other physical factors, will weigh heavily in the decision. As always, common sense should be the guide.
So'Dança Pointe shoes are available only from size 1 ( Adult 4 in normal street size)
 
    ----- Anne Polajenko
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      We hope you all had a fantastic weekend, filled with excitement and loads of dance!
A few things to remember:
          1. So Danca Picture Contest is still up and going (for rules see last weds post)
          2. Lakers are no longer in the runner up teams in the nba, o.O I know, I was amazed as well.
          3. Thor was a pretty good movie, I recommend it. Not horrible like I had previously expected.
          4. Keep checking the blog and keep an eye on So Danca, we have a lot of new things coming out and you won't want to miss any of it :)

  love from your humble blogger,  

An Evening with Anne Polajenko: "What's in a name?"

            Pointe shoes are traditionally named after a ballet, a famous dancer of the past or sometimes manufacturers will use a ballet term, such as "relevé" or "équilibre" to describe their shoe.
Recently, So'Dança named some of their  Pointe shoes in honor of current teachers and ballerinas. Such is the case with Toshie ( the new SD40 with a no pleat platform). So who is Toshie?
            Toshie Kobayashi is a Brazilian teacher of Japanese descent. She is one of the most recognized and popular teachers and coaches in her country. Toshie teaches at her own school and at the Municipal school in Sao Paulo. A great deal of her time is spent traveling to companies and dance festivals across the country. She is also a member of the Royal Academy of Dance in London, England.
              Toshie is a great favorite among dancers because of the enthusiasm she brings to her craft as well as the loving and supportive attitude she has toward all who work with her.
       ----------  Anne Polajenko


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          Hello Dance World, hope you guys are having a good beginning of the week. So some things to catch up on. Thank you for all the feedback on the latest segment "So Danca Reviews", glad a lot of you liked it, and we'll keep making those as time progresses. Also our Blog Quiz results are in and the sequels you guys are looking forward to the most were:
                   1. The last "Harry Potter" movie (I'm also looking forward to this one)
                   2. The Hangover Part2 (this one I'm skeptical about, can't help but be)
                   3. A tie between "Fast Five" and "Xmen: Origins" (both of which I also am looking forward to)


        Be sure to place your votes for this weeks' poll, and keep giving us feedback, we do love hearing from you guys :)


                 Love from your humble blogger,

An Evening with Anne Polajenko: "To pad or not to pad (your feet)"

Pointe shoe discussion:
To pad or not to pad (your feet)

There was a time when dancers did not pad their toes inside the Pointe shoes. At most they used lambswool or got creative with tissues or toilet paper. Actually, this was not a bad idea since paper is disposable, was changed every time and hence could not provide a home to millions of little creatures which just love to multiply in moisture and heat!

Fifty years ago, the theory was that feet had to toughen. If you were prone to blisters, taping the toes was considered an ample solution. Anything that prevented you from feeling what your feet were doing inside the shoe was simply out of the question.

Those days are long gone, of course, and makeshift toe protection has been replaced with pads of all shapes and especially sizes. There are cotton pads, lambswool pads, silicone and gel pads. Some are so thin they are useless, others are so thick as to change the fit of the shoe.

When selecting a padding dancers should remember a couple of things: they still need to be able to feel the floor and should not have to get shoes too big for their feet just because they want to fit toe pads inside. That is a serious problem and dancers need to listen to their retailer's recommendation carefully.

The choice of padding is a personal preference. Some dancers love the squishy feel of the gel pads, others hate it. Others yet will wear only cotton. In either case, So' Dança has developed reasonably sized pads for everyone. from the Nylon/Cotton toe protectors to the silicone pads that cover the bunion as well and can be cut down to size.

So whatever your choice, unless you use a disposable paper product, just remember to wash your foot pads frequently!  


                                                                  ----- Anne Polajenko
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Question of the week results!


    Thank you for your responses, and I appreciated the kind words about my work of art, maybe I'll draw some more this week. Here are the top three musicals according to you guys:
                    1. Chicago
                    2. Hairspray
                    3. Singing in the Rain


     I know, I know, I had a tough time as well accepting that a classic would come in third place, but votes are votes and opinions are opinions.
     Thanks for all the participation, and make sure to read the blog on thursday for the next question of the week.


                      Love from your humble blogger,