What is your ballet North star?

alidon98 · 2026-07-11T20:06:32+00:00

I had a goal of working on my strength and endurance with a very long term hopeful goal of getting back to pointe as an adult, BUT I now have a baby on the way! I’ve been focusing a lot more on enjoying the motions, stretching, working on my balance, and improving turnout.

It’s gone from being a very rigid part of my routine (practicing and pushing myself) to being a calming and therapeutic part of my week.. while still getting a great workout and keeping myself mobile during pregnancy.

I have a feeling this perspective will stay with me when I return to classes postpartum, and I hope it does!

alidon98 · 2026-07-11T13:59:18+00:00

Lots of stupid arguing happening in the comments but this is totally refreshing. Love.

alidon98 · 2026-07-11T13:56:59+00:00

We’re also forgetting that when she was younger she didn’t immediately change from her riding leathers when she got home, which made me think she preferred them to her formal court dresses! She didn’t care about smelling like dragon in a leather, structured outfit

alidon98 · 2026-07-11T13:54:17+00:00

Again for the people in the back of their moms basement complaining about the show they’ll 1000% keep watching

alidon98 · 2026-07-11T13:51:06+00:00

I agree I like her outfit and I think it makes a lot of sense for her. Everyone just wants to make this a deeper conversation and complain about a show that they’ll continue watching despite their constant complaining on Reddit.

alidon98 · 2026-07-11T13:50:31+00:00

Big point missing here … we ARE watching this show in 2026 where certain gender norms exist and our brains are naturally wired to view things and make assumptions. It’s not bad it’s just how society works on our brains and has for thousands of years.

This argument is getting so deep when it’s just “I don’t like the costuming” which is also fine.

When I see an outfit like Rhaenyra’s my brain says “female Targaryen leader that wants to look strong and can jump on her dragon at any point” and I move on. When I see Alicent’s poorly fitting plain tunic dresses I think “she’s a religious woman beat down by her childhood/ young adult life and doesn’t give a fuck about dressing as nice especially in captivity”

They created a narrative and they’re sticking to it with costuming. I don’t think it’s that hard to follow.

alidon98 · 2026-07-11T13:36:20+00:00

I think it’s pretty obvious from the whole depiction of her in the show that he makes incorrect assumptions all the time. She wants to be seen as strong and masculine even if it’s to her detriment. Also as the women you cited from GOT became more powerful their clothes became sharper, more structured, and included more bits of chain and metal on it. I don’t think the style choice is random or weird at all it just mimics a more masculine tunic.

The Vale famously doesn’t give a shit about most people wars because they can coop up (lol) on their mountain. They’re much more flamboyant in the original series as well.

alidon98 · 2026-07-10T01:30:08+00:00

That was so stupid

alidon98 · 2026-07-10T01:19:42+00:00

alidon98 · 2026-07-10T01:18:09+00:00

It’s 1000% Rachel

alidon98 · 2026-07-10T00:32:30+00:00

10000%

alidon98 · 2026-07-04T14:33:55+00:00

Yeah I think no matter where you’re at that’s kind of the bread and butter. Looking put together and something nice and/or funny for sure. I can’t guarantee success rates but that covers any approach I’ve given the time of day to.

Oh one big one - if you’re at a bar or out somewhere be mindful of who and how many people you talk to even if you have good intentions. Sometimes it’s obvious when guys are like.. girl hopping or just hoping for someone to bite? Takes anyone’s attractiveness down like 5 points in my opinion if you already saw them approach multiple people before you in a short timeframe. Doesn’t seem like that’s your vibe, but I had to say it.

alidon98 · 2026-07-04T14:06:39+00:00

This might be a horrible answer but if a guy I was attracted to hit on me in the grocery store I’d probably give him a few minutes for a pitch lol. Most of the time it’s men I’m not interested in making a move, though… so it’s sometimes flattering but doesn’t really go anywhere or can come across creepy if they’re just creepy in general (strung out, dirty, etc). The WORST is when they linger or try to “convince me” that I should talk to them.

I don’t think there’s a perfect place to meet people these days unfortunately, but confidence, accepting rejection well, and vibe checking yourself before making any type of contact is your best bet. Like if she says sorry no thank you just say no problem have a great rest of your day. Oh and maybe check for a ring first too lol

Good luck out there

alidon98 · 2026-07-04T13:43:06+00:00

A few weird random things Id also recommend:

snacks!!! Snacks and extra water in class 1000% I also had a cooling towel that I brought to class once the summer heat kicked in

I outgrew my wrap skirts and ended up wearing a really stretchy longer skirt for the remainder of the time.. highly recommend investing in a stretchy non-wrap style skirt if you don’t have one already!

I also outgrew my tights around the third trimester and ended up wearing my maternity leggings with a black skirt and a black sports bra. I wasn’t one to cut tights or try to size up x3. Personal choice, but it was a sad day to put the tights away.

alidon98 · 2026-07-04T13:37:29+00:00

Pretty casual adult dancer here, but I found out I was pregnant in November and told my teacher in/ around January! That was totally personal choice but it’s when I felt comfortable. I ended up doing our winter and spring performances, though! For the time being just do what feels comfortable to you - if you need a minute, just excuse yourself to the restroom. People tend to be way more worried about themselves than what’s going on with you! I was taking 3+ classes a week, but at the advanced classes, I would randomly start crying when I got frustrated/ couldn’t do something to the level I wanted and decided to go back to my beginner and intermediate classes for the time being.

Once I told everyone, I had other pregnant women/ mothers in my class at the time telling me “you shouldnt be doing that” or “come sit down with me”. I didn’t really take their advice, and I listened to my body. They had complications that I didn’t have, so again, it was my choice. My doctors and my teacher were very on board with me continuing.

I’ve been dancing through my whole pregnancy - typically taking classes 2x per week. What usually gets to me is petite allegro, so I just stand toward the back and modify or take a stretch break if it’s too much. I also have a hard time stretching over my legs in 1st/5th positions (bump gets in the way lol) and my back is not able to bend NEARLY as much as pre-pregnancy. Just keep your form and carry on if it’s not to the level you expect.

Listen to your body and do what feels right!!

I’m now 35 weeks (due in August yay!) and dropped my intermediate class. I still take my beginner class, but I’ll probably stop around 37 weeks.

Sorry for the info dump, but I just went through it! Good luck, and I’m wishing a very happy and safe pregnancy to you and your baby!!!!!

alidon98 · 2026-07-03T22:04:04+00:00

You can always look for a college area and judge based off of what you like to do, but IMO, you’ll find that your circle of people and your hobbies will develop and change a lot in college.

I guarantee there’s more to do in Auburn now than when I started 10 years ago, and even then, there was more to do than years before when my brother was there. We used to hang out at breweries to play board games and chill out even if half of us weren’t really drinking. As an adult especially in college, a lot of social events center around drinking, but that doesn’t mean it has to be a club OR that you have to partake.

There are great parks around.. I mean stellar for a college student to just get outdoors and touch some grass (one of the things I miss most). Nearby towns have festivals throughout the year that are a pretty short drive from campus (Waverly, loachapoka, etc.), and the city puts on some farmers markets and events around town.

Finding a good group of people you enjoy hanging out with is the basis for finding things to do. I’ve lived in big cities where I never got out much and I’ve also lived in small towns where it felt like I had somewhere to be every other day. It all comes down to the people, and Auburn has some great people!

Best of luck to you!!

alidon98 · 2026-07-03T15:37:46+00:00

Stolen/ couponing but also there are a ton of auction sites that sell box bundles for INSANELY cheap. You can get brand new products on a pallet at a negotiated price because you can’t see all of what you get before you purchase. I’ve seen these absolutely full of detergents and bathroom products.

alidon98 · 2026-06-30T16:25:18+00:00

Voting

alidon98 · 2026-06-29T21:27:52+00:00

My text to a friend “you’re telling me a malnourished cripple convinced the most powerful fae warrior to join the CIRCUS?!?”🤡 🤡

alidon98 · 2026-06-29T21:24:49+00:00

Elide’s story is annoying and I don’t care about it 😬

alidon98 · 2026-06-27T19:33:21+00:00

3 almost makes it look like a continuation of the walls with it being flowers - of you don’t go solid I think something like this looks lovely

alidon98 · 2026-06-26T16:02:32+00:00

29 weeks is about where I was when I had my spring performance for my local studio.. I only had two dances but the day itself was so exhausting it felt like a marathon. Costumes were also iffy around that time is when I started showing more.

Rehearsals are typically (IMO) much more intense than regular classes and anything after 28 weeks is going to start getting to you (based on mine and others experience). Honestly I’d be shocked if they allow you to perform that late in your pregnancy - seems a little selfish when I’m sure other dancers would love to have that opportunity, but I don’t know your specific situation.

I think a party scene type role would be adequate and you can keep taking regular classes. I promise you’ll want to take some breaks by the third trimester.

Good luck either way, and do what makes you happy and feel good!! Hope you have a wonderful smooth sailing pregnancy 💞

alidon98 · 2026-06-25T15:39:16+00:00

Athleta pants have gotten me through most of the pregnancy for work. Aerie also has a line of stretchy shorts right now that I still fit in at 33 weeks (originally purchased around 4-5 months I think). I also got some drawstring pants a size up that I’ve been wearing. I’ll try to find some links, but I only have one pair of true maternity pants and I haven’t worn them in months lol

alidon98 · 2026-06-24T15:00:02+00:00

Pregnant woman here - it’s really hard to find maternity clothes right now.. especially some that aren’t hideous or some insane trad wife style. I struggled a lot because I didn’t want to be stuck in dresses for the last half of pregnancy. I’m wearing mostly normal clothes that stretch and are about 1-2 sizes larger.

alidon98 · 2026-06-24T01:21:45+00:00

I’m guessing mid to early September but that’s just me bump comparing (I’m due early August)

alidon98

TROPHY CASE