Snack time at the ballet:)

I have always said that the worst place to be is in between a dancer and their food...especially after a performance! But what of a regular rehearsal day? How do dancers keep up their strength for up to 7 and a half hours of gruelling physical activity?

Like most people, we have an hour for lunch in the middle of our day, but we need way more than this and little snacks here and there really do the trick.

I have compiled a small sample of some types of snacks that take us from one rehearsal to the next.

Here we have some 'Power of Fruit Bars'.  They are like popsicles, made with nothing but real, frozen fruit.  All-natural, these little guys are perfect for a quick and refreshing burst of energy in between rehearsals. 

We were very happy to get a few different flavors to try out courtesy of Power of Fruit...and they really did not last long! My personal favorite was their ,Orange Tango'...yum!

Dancers usually have some kind of crunchy snack on the go, whether its chips, pretzels or trail mix.  One type of chip that has been gaining in popularity since last season is Popchips - a light, popped take on a potato chip that comes in many flavors..

Above we have Sarah, a member of the Corps de Ballet showing some distinct dancer/food rigor...luckily we received a generous shipment with more than enough for everyone to share:)

Oh and you can tell Brittany needs her popchips - for more than eating! Physical therapy is an integral part of our days and although massage sounds nice...Heather has a way of getting right into the deep of you muscle belly...ouch!

Finally, Nutrition bars are a great way of getting calories and energy quickly.  They are convenient and usually packed with good stuff.  These days, the amount of all -natural energy bars out there is quite impressive.  Luna Bars and Clif Bars are some of my favorite, recently however, two dancers from Pittsburg Ballet decided to come up with their own product, designed for dancers, enjoyed by everyone. 'Barres', are fun for us because they have some clever packaging and wording.  For instance, their Cinnamon Crunch flavor is called the 'Pirouette', and they have a 'Black Swan' coming out soon:)

I only tried the cinnamon flavor, and found it a little dry, I would love to try some other flavors to compare.  There is definitely a lot of potential behind this project!

At the end of the day, we need our snacks - these are just a few examples of some popular ones we enjoy at the studios.  I would never get in the way of a dancer and their sustenance, nor would I leave any food unattended...look away and you may just loose a bite or two...