In this episode, I'm sharing some of my favorite ballet hacks — the tips, tricks, and discoveries that have made my life as an adult dancer easier and more comfortable.

Some I figured out on my own, some were passed along by teachers or fellow dancers, and all of them are things I actually do/use and swear by, like:

- The nipple cover situation no one talks about (and the product that finally solved it for me)

- Using toe spacers in your ballet slippers (NOT just for pointe shoes) to reduce bunion discomfort

- The waistband modifications that will change how you feel in your tights

- How to turn convertible tights into stirrup tights so you can wear the brands you actually love

- A simple spray that fixes heel slippage in pointe shoe (plus a bonus tip that makes it even more effective)

- A hack for healthier, happier hair (while you dance)

PRODUCTS MENTIONED 🔗

Nipple Covers by Cakes (grippy version)

Toe Spacers by Russian Pointe (size medium)

Spray Rosin by Bloch

Hair Mask by RCA Skincare (use code AFTERCLASS10 for 10% off your order!)

EPISODE SPONSOR ✨

Frenchies Hairpins
The official brand for ballerinas who love a good hair moment! Shop premium hairpins and new luxury scrunchies in real silk and luxurious velvet.
https://frenchieshairpins.com | Code AFTERCLASS10 for 10% off!

Follow Hannah on Instagram @thebusybunhead

Explore blog posts, merchandise & resources for adult ballet dancers like you at thebusybunhead.com

Podcast produced by Mission Bridge Media.
www.MissionBridgeMedia.com

If you have hyperextended knees, you've probably spent a lot of time in class feeling like your body is working against you. You get corrections like "straighten your legs" and no matter how hard you try, nothing seems to change. Closing in fifth without bending your knees feels impossible, your standing leg feels unstable, and nobody has ever actually explained why.

In this episode, I'm joined by Shane Wuerthner, a former professional ballet dancer, who is now a ballet coach and the founder of Athletistry. And as someone with significant hypermobility in his own knees, Shane is not just talking theory here... He's lived it!

We cover:

• What's actually happening in your body when you have hypermobile knees
• The proprioception piece, and why you might not be able to feel when your leg is actually straight
• Closing in fifth position: what's realistic, what's not, and how to find your version of it
• Stability in your standing leg and what your foot connection has to do with it
• Why cues like "pull up" and "engage your quads" often don't translate for hypermobile dancers
• How to work with your hypermobility and maintain a healthy mindset!

If you've ever felt frustrated or discouraged by your hypermobility, this episode is for you.

CONNECT WITH SHANE👇🏼
Instagram: @athletistry
YouTube: @athletistryofficial
Website: www.athletistry.au
Workshops: www.athletistry.au/workshops

EPISODE SPONSOR ✨
ORZA - Ballet Slippers
Designed by a professional dancer, ORZA slippers feature patented shock-absorbing technology to help reduce fatigue, improve stamina, and prevent injuries. Shop at orzabrand.com | Use code AFTERCLASS5 for $5 off your order!

Follow Hannah on Instagram @thebusybunhead

Explore blog posts, merchandise & resources for adult ballet dancers like you at thebusybunhead.com

Podcast produced by Mission Bridge Media.
www.MissionBridgeMedia.com

For a lot of adult dancers, a professional photoshoot feels exciting and overwhelming in equal measure. You want beautiful images that capture how far you've come. But knowing how to actually prepare and show up confidently in front of the camera? That part can feel pretty daunting.

I sat down with professional dance photographer Katie Ging, who has photographed dancers of every level and has a real gift for making everyone look and feel their absolute best. We talk about how to choose the right photographer, what to wear (including whether you need to be flexible to get good photos — spoiler: you don't), and how to prep your body and mind before your shoot.

We also get into the most common posing mistakes and how to work around them, why arabesques are basically everyone's nemesis on camera, the simple poses that photograph beautifully every time, and how to keep your facial expression relaxed and natural even when you're thinking about 25 different things (i.e. turnout more, pointe your feet, relax your shoulders, engage your core, lift your elbows, soften your hands, and oh yeah.... SMILE!) 😆

But fear not, whether you're getting your photos taken at a retreat or booking your own session, this conversation will leave you feeling prepared and ready to shine! 📸

👇🏼 CONNECT WITH KATIE:

Website: www.katiegingphotography.com

Instagram: @katiegingphotography

✨ EPISODE SPONSOR:
Frenchies Hairpins
The official brand for ballerinas who love a good hair moment! Shop premium hairpins and new luxury scrunchies in real silk and luxurious velvet.
https://frenchieshairpins.com | Code AFTERCLASS10 for 10% off!

Follow Hannah on Instagram @thebusybunhead

Explore blog posts, merchandise & resources for adult ballet dancers like you at thebusybunhead.com

Podcast produced by Mission Bridge Media.
www.MissionBridgeMedia.com

You know it when you see it. That effortless, magnetic quality professional dancers have, the way their bodies seem to cut through space with clarity and length. But do you know what you're actually looking at?

In this episode, we're back with Chelsea Weidmann, aka The Geeky Ballerina, as part of our ongoing series unpacking the elements of artistry as she identified and explored them in her thesis on artistry in ballet. Today's topic: LINE. One of the most foundational and most misunderstood elements of all.

In this episode we cover:
- What line actually is (and what it's NOT)
- The different categories of line in ballet
- How your body's planes of action inform and improve your technique
- How to shape the lines between your movements
- How to create the illusion of length like a professional
- How to start training your lines no matter your current level

If you've ever watched yourself in the mirror and known something was off but couldn't name it, this episode will give you the tools to find your best lines and start enhancing your artistry. ☺️

CONNECT WITH CHELSEA 👇🏼
Website: www.geekyballerina.com
Artistry Inside Ballet Technique, Vol 1 (Amazon affiliate link)

EPISODE SPONSOR ✨
ORZA - Ballet Slippers
Designed by a professional dancer, ORZA slippers feature patented shock-absorbing technology to help reduce fatigue, improve stamina, and prevent injuries. Shop at orzabrand.com | Use code AFTERCLASS5 for $5 off your order!

Follow Hannah on Instagram @thebusybunhead

Explore blog posts, merchandise & resources for adult ballet dancers like you at thebusybunhead.com

Podcast produced by Mission Bridge Media.
www.MissionBridgeMedia.com

If you've ever walked into a dance store and been completely overwhelmed (Canvas or leather? Split sole or full sole? What size? What width? Ahhhh!!) fret no more! This episode is for you.☺️

In this episode, I'm diving deep into everything you need to know about buying ballet slippers as an adult dancer. Whether you're brand new or you've been dancing for years and still haven't found your perfect shoe, this one covers it all.

In this episode:
- Canvas vs. leather: the key differences and when each makes sense
- Split sole vs. full sole: what teachers recommend and why it matters for your level
- How to choose the right color for a long leg line
- The truth about ballet slipper sizing (hint: it is NOT your street shoe size)
- How to determine your width and what to look for in a proper fit
- Recommendations by foot type: narrow, wide, high arch, flat feet, etc.
- My personal favorites!

👟 BRANDS MENTIONED + LINKS:
So Dança Bliss
Capezio Hanami
Bloch Performa
Gaynor Minden Liberty
ORZA Pro 2.0 | Use code AFTERCLASS5 for $5 off your order!
*A note on ORZA: This episode was created before Orza became a sponsor. My recommendation of the Pro 2.0 is entirely my own. I loved them so much that I reached out to ask if they'd like to partner with the show. The discount code is a perk that came after — the obsession came first. 😄

✨ EPISODE SPONSOR:
Frenchies Hairpins
The official brand for ballerinas who love a good hair moment! Shop premium hairpins and new luxury scrunchies in real silk and luxurious velvet.
https://frenchieshairpins.com | Code AFTERCLASS10 for 10% off!

Follow Hannah on Instagram @thebusybunhead

Explore blog posts, merchandise & resources for adult ballet dancers like you at thebusybunhead.com

Podcast produced by Mission Bridge Media.
www.MissionBridgeMedia.com

What does it take to bring ballet to a place where it doesn't exist yet? Today's guest, Lauren, found herself living in Islamabad, Pakistan — a city of over a million people with no ballet studio — and decided to build one herself.

In this episode, Lauren shares how a love story brought her from Fargo, North Dakota to the capital of Pakistan, and how her lifelong connection to ballet eventually led her to found the Islamabad School of Ballet. We talk about how she got started teaching out of a converted storage room, the seminar she put together to introduce ballet to an unfamiliar audience (and the overwhelming response she didn't expect), the logistical challenges of building a school without the infrastructure most of us take for granted, and how she navigated it all with creativity, persistence, and a willingness to start imperfectly.

We also talk about her school's very first performance — a 30-minute adaptation of Swan Lake — the moment her students stepped onstage, and the way ballet is transforming confidence in dancers who are discovering it for the very first time.

In this episode, we cover:

• Her non-linear ballet journey: from childhood classes in North Dakota to returning as an adult
• The spark that led her to start the Islamabad School of Ballet
• How she introduced ballet in a community where it doesn't really exist
• The logistical challenges of building a studio without existing infrastructure
• How word of mouth and Instagram grew the school to 45–50 students in less than a year!
• The school's first performance: a 30-minute adaptation of Swan Lake
• How ballet is impacting students who are discovering it for the first time
• How she adapted classical ballets to suit her students
• What she would tell anyone who wants to start something new but is held back by imposter syndrome
• How she's giving back through monthly donations to children's organizations in Pakistan

👉🏼 Connect with Lauren: @islamabadschoolofballet

✨ This Episode is Sponsored By:

ORZA - Ballet Slippers
Designed by a professional dancer, ORZA slippers feature patented shock-absorbing technology to help reduce fatigue, improve stamina, and prevent injuries.

Shop at orzabrand.com

Use code AFTERCLASS5 for $5 off your order!

LABL Active
Hosts of the 2026 Adult Ballet Retreat. Come dance with us in Seattle from June 21–26!
Learn more here: lablactive.com

Use code AFTERCLASS100 for $100 off your registration!

**The deadline to register is April 15th.

Follow Hannah on Instagram @thebusybunhead

Explore blog posts, merchandise & resources for adult ballet dancers like you at thebusybunhead.com

Podcast produced by Mission Bridge Media.
www.MissionBridgeMedia.com

Makeup in ballet can feel a bit complicated as an adult dancer. Should you wear makeup to class at all? If you do, what actually works when you're sweating through a full barre? And when it comes to performing, what does it actually take to make your face read under bright stage lights and from a distance?

In this episode, I'm joined by Suzanne Jolie, my ballet teacher and one half of the creative duo behind Models Doing Ballet, to demystify ballet makeup for both class and the stage. Suzanne brings years of experience as a dancer, teacher, and theater professional, and she holds nothing back.

We cover class makeup first: the best lightweight formulas for sweaty studio conditions, how to even out redness or breakouts without looking cakey, and Suzanne's go-to product recommendations.

Then we dive into stage makeup: why it needs to be so much heavier than everyday makeup, the non-negotiables for a classic ballet stage look, the iconic ballerina eye technique, and Suzanne's secret weapon for making it all pop (hint: white "grease" pencil) 😉

💄Grab your Complete Stage Make Up Guide here: https://canva.link/zsrxuv9zy6j3x6a

In this episode, we cover:
- Is it normal to wear makeup to ballet class?
- The best class-friendly product swaps for face, lips, and eyes
- How to even out redness and breakouts without heavy coverage
- The non-negotiables for classic ballet stage makeup
- False lashes 101: how to fit, trim, apply, and reuse them
- How to scale your look for studio showcases vs. full theater productions
- How to remove stage makeup without wrecking your skin
- Why you should always practice your stage makeup before the big day

Whether you're heading to your first ballet class or stepping onto a stage for the very first time, this episode will leave you feeling prepared and confident!

👉🏼 Connect with Suzanne:
Instagram (personal): @suzannejolie
Instagram (Models Doing Ballet): @modelsdoingballet
Podcast: @whodithistoher_podcast

✨ This Episode is Sponsored By:
LABL Active
Hosts of the 2026 Adult Ballet Retreat. Come dance with us in Seattle from June 21–26!
Learn more here: lablactive.com
Use code AFTERCLASS100 for $100 off your registration!
The deadline to register is April 15th.

Follow Hannah on Instagram @thebusybunhead

Explore blog posts, merchandise & resources for adult ballet dancers like you at thebusybunhead.com

Podcast produced by Mission Bridge Media.
www.MissionBridgeMedia.com

In ballet, we spend a lot of time thinking about what our dancing looks like, our lines, our placement, what we see in the mirror. But artistry isn't just visual. It's also deeply connected to what we're actually feeling and sensing inside our bodies while we move.

This episode is part of an ongoing series with Chelsea Weidmann, also known as The Geeky Ballerina, where we unpack the nine specific elements of artistry that Chelsea identified and explored in her thesis, and later her book, on artistry in ballet. In today's conversation, we're diving into somatic awareness: what it actually is, why it's a critical element of artistry, and how adult dancers can start developing it right away.

Chelsea walks us through her three-step process for somatic awareness, noticing what's happening in your body, making meaning of it, and using that awareness to make decisions, and why adults are actually better positioned to develop it than younger dancers. We also get into the real impact the mirror has on our ability to tune inward, how to work with (or around) it, and the most common places adult dancers hold tension without even realizing it.

In this episode, we cover:

• What somatic awareness is and why it's one of the nine elements of artistry in ballet
• Why the technique should serve YOU, not the other way around
• Chelsea's three-step process: notice, make meaning, make a decision
• How somatic awareness develops over time (and why adult dancers aren't behind)
• The mirror's impact on body awareness and practical ways to reduce over-dependence on it
• Where adult dancers most commonly hold tension (shoulders and hip flexors, sound familiar?)
• How to release habitual tension you might not even know you're carrying
• Simple exercises and in-class cues to start building somatic awareness today

Whether you're a beginner just learning to feel your body in space, or an experienced dancer trying to move with more intention and artistry, this conversation will give you a completely new lens through which to experience your training.

👉🏼 Connect with Chelsea:
Website: geekyballerina.com
Instagram: @thegeekyballerina
Chelsea's book: Artistry Inside Ballet Technique, vol. 1 (Amazon affiliate link)

✨ This Episode is Sponsored By:

LABL Active
Hosts of the 2026 Adult Ballet Retreat. Come dance with us in Seattle from June 21–26!
Learn more here: lablactive.com
Use code AFTERCLASS100 for $100 off your registration!
The deadline to register is April 15th.

Frenchies Hairpins
Velvet-coated hair pins for ballet buns and French twists that don't budge!
Shop here: frenchieshairpins.com
Use code AFTERCLASS10 for 10% off your order!

Follow Hannah on Instagram @thebusybunhead

Explore blog posts, merchandise & resources for adult ballet dancers like you at thebusybunhead.com

Podcast produced by Mission Bridge Media.
www.MissionBridgeMedia.com