When and where did you start dancing?
I started taking ballet lessons when I was 3.. when I was about 5 I started studying at the Ballet Academy of Texas in Coppell, TX with Lisa Slagle, Thomas Nicholson, and Jenny Johnston. When I was 15, I received a full scholarship to the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre where I studied with Franco DeVita, Raymond Lukens, Lupe Serrano, Kate Lydon, Susan Jaffe, Jessica Lang, Martine Van Hamel.

So have you always wanted to dance?
I've definitely always wanted to dance. It has been my passion ever since I was little and can't picture myself doing anything else. However, if I wasn't dancing, I would definitely be doing something that involved sports. Maybe I'd be a newscaster for espn! I'm obsessed with (American) football and all things sports, really. My favorite team: The Dallas Cowboys. 

Tell us a bit more about you ? What do you do when you are not dancing ?!
To relax I enjoy reading, watching movies, going to a yoga class, and playing with my kitty. I love music. Some favourite bands are The Civil Wars, Kings of Leon, Fleet Foxes, Haim, Cold War Kids, Grizzly Bear, Mumford and Sons, Muse, Walk the moon. I also loveee country music. . . Kenny Chesney, Luke Bryan, Eli young band, Eric Church (and tons more!)
My Favorite books are Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers, Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera, Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, and The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis.

Career highlight thus far?
It has to be have been performing in American Ballet Theatre's 2010 Opening Gala at the Metropolitan Opera House. I performed in Edwaard Liang's Ballo Per Sei, along with 5 other dancers. It was incredible to dance on such a large, stunning stage in front of a completely sold out house. It's an experience I will never forget.

What’s on the cards for next season?
Next season, I will be joining the Boston Ballet!

And of course the most important question?! Which is your favourite Designed by Alice ballet skirt ?
The medium wrap skirt in the lovely eisblume and bloom patterns!

If you would like to see more photos of Katie click here.
If you would like to buy a 'Stretch lace' Designed by Alice ballet skirt like Katie. Here

For those of you who have expressed an interest in 'how' I make my little beings .
Here are a few behind the scenes photos.
I hope they satisfy some of the intrigue!
Alice
x

I create my own patterns and cut then out of paper.

I use high quality  Mohair ( fur ), polyfill fibre ( Stuffing), Glass shot, ( weighting), Japanese beads ( eyes) . . . 

The patterns must be lain out  making sure the fur falls in the right direction for each body limb.

The parts are cut , and I go round each edge of raw seem with a fray stop. 
- Other wise when stuffed the seems will disintegrate.

Each stitch is carefully hand sewn.

'Stuffing' (perhaps surprising )is an equally time consuming part of the process.

The polyfill fibre must be added in tiny pieces, to create an even fill and prevent little creature from feeling and looking bumpy.

I stuff the parts fairly densely , particularly the head. 
This gives me a greater control over the structure of features.  As If  a part isn't stuff enough , it can be squished out of shape.
- I have to also make sure my stitching is strong and even , and that the fray stopped is distributed equally . . . other wise , the seams will literally disintegrate when stuffed.

I add weighted shot to the belly and paws , so that the being will feel cute to hold.

Faces are always my favourite part. 
You add the eyes , nose , ears , trim the fur and highlight the features ( with chalks / inks) . . . and you begin to establish a little character.

When all the limbs are stuffed I thread joint them together.
- Working out exactly where they should sit , to both suit the character of the being and help them stand and sit in an anatomically plausible way.

Once fully jointed  I spend time further trimming and highlighting the fur . . . pulling out bits that may still be stuck in the seems ( with a tiny needle ) and trimming away to reveal the mussel , paws and other parts that i think should be less furry!

Creating a little being is a time consuming process taking at least 10-16 hours, depending on the size of the creature.

They are made with much thought and attention!

If you are interested in adopting your own please visit the adoption gallery and see who is currently availible.

The little pink bunny above is also looking for a home,  the first of 2013!

Happy new Year!

"Since I purchased my first skirt less than a year ago, I have proceeded to buy another six.
There is something so addictive about the way the skirt enhances your lines, and the luxurious elastic that stays perfectly in place that keeps me coming back for more."
- Patricia Zhou (featured DBA Dancer ) Staatsballett Berlin.

Read more Dancer Testimonials here!

Introducing the NEW ...
Designed by Alice Ballet Skirt G i f t C e r t i f i c a te !

Now rather than agonising over what colour/fabric your friend would like you can let her do the choosing. 
E- Gift Certificates can be printed or forwarded to the lucky recipient. They also cover international postage costs, so there is no need for your friend to worry about any extra charges or redeeming difficulties. All they need to do is order exactly what they like and send me a postal address. 

A thoughtful, simple and special gift!

So how exactly will it work ?

When you have bought your gift certificate:
 - Enter a special message that you want included at the 'comment box' at the paypal checkout.  
- I will then contact you  via email to clarify any personalisations and further content requests for the certificate. 
- Your gift  certificate will be personally designed and turned into a PDF and Jepeg doc.
- E- certificate forwarded to final email address ( as discussed!)

NOTE - there are 3 different skirt certificates , one for each style . Make sure you choose the right one!

This month marks Designed By Alice's 2nd anniversary.
Reminiscing I looked back through the archives.

I couldn't believe just how many skirts  have been made : and how many fabrics that equates to ( in the spirit of keeping things 'special' for each dancer!)

They are not all pictured above , but I thought you'd like to try and spot yours ( and your friends!)

In Celebration I would like to offer you FREE INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING all weekend!

Happy Shopping

Love Alice
x

“There are shortcuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them.”
- Vicki Baum

You may have noticed some new additions to the blog sidebar. 
You can now follow like and tweet all things Designed by Alice on many social media platforms .  
And For those of you who would like to have the blog entries sent straight to your inbox you can do that too , just enter your email in the sidebar on the left!
Alice 
x

I had forgotten the joy of capturing movement on film. And what a wonderful time we had. I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I do.
Now to hear a bit more about the beautiful dancer within them, let me introduce the next 'featured dancer' Patricia Zhou.

When and where did you start dancing?
I started dancing at a local studio by my house when I was about 7 or 8. I didn't do much ballet back then, more jazz and tap.

So have you always wanted to dance?
Definitely not! The desire to become a ballerina kind of came out of nowhere when I was 13. It was quite a big shock to my whole family. 

If You weren’t a dancer what would you be?!
I definitely would be a food critic. Ever since I was little, whenever my family couldn't find me, they knew I was probably(literally) in the fridge. 
I've always had a passion for food. Cooking, baking... or eating, so I'm sure that contributed to my family's shock when I decided to become a dancer!!

Either that, or I'd be something uber artsy, like an interior designer.

With such a busy dancing schedule what do you do to relax?
There's nothing that helps me relax like an afternoon at a cafe reading a good book or a long walk when the weather's nice. I've recently been reintroduced to crocheting, which I'm also finding good to do after a long day.
I also Love Chopin, Foreign films(especially the ones with Audrey Tautou) and bookmarking recipes that I probably will never make. 

What can I say... I'm a walking cliché.

So , what have you got planned for this season?!
Well it is my first season here at Staatsballett Berlin, so everything is all new to me. I'm not quite sure what to expect... 
I am going on tour with the company to Bangkok this upcoming week to perform in Swan Lake, so I can't wait for that! 

Finally the most important question in this mini interview  ( ?!) Which DBA ballet skirts do you wear ?
Well I am a bit of a self-proclaimed DBA junkie.
I've got basically every length/style. My favourite has to be dots though. I couldn't decide whether to get short or long, so I just got both!! 
They are perfect for class and rehearsals and match everything!

To read more about Patricia and our shoot together please visit her blog. 
You can also follow her on twitter here!