If you love ballet do you wonder if you have the talent for it? Kids ask me "how do I know if I can get into ballet"? If you are nine or ten years old, audition for a professional ballet school - if you are accepted, you can assume that you have been recognized as having some talent for ballet.
Professional ballet teachers who select potential ballet dancers at the auditions are looking for a combination of a physique - close to the ideal ballet body - and the spark of love for dance and presence, or magnetism, that they feel will develop you into a successful performer.
If it seems that you do not qualify for a professional dance career (sometimes you are not accepted because there are not enough places in a program), you can still get into ballet and love it. Find the best local studio with the highest credentials. If a specific studio has been able to send any of their students to a professional school, they will be advertising that fact. Read everything in their web site, and check the teachers' credentials.
If you do get into ballet, take advantage of the current dance education that is available for home practice. There are books and DVD's, put together to enhance your ballet training. You can learn a lot about ballet stretches, professional footwork, and anatomy.
These topics may not be covered in depth in your ballet classes, but it will help you get stronger and more flexible as needed, to practice safely and correctly at home. Understanding proper stretching and relaxation techniques will add to your muscle strength.
All ballet dancers want to dance in pointe shoes as soon as they can. If you get correct training, every ballet class you do will contribute to this. After all, ballet in pointe shoes is the same as ballet in soft shoes. If you know how to take advantage of every ballet barre exercise, you will develop the following technique:
* correct natural posture
* ballet foot muscles and ballet footwork
* correct alignment
* high leg extensions
* strong ballet turnout
Talent for ballet involves the ability to concentrate, in other words, a maturity to ignore all the distractions delivered to you by your culture. Television shows dictating your self image, fashion demands, and the accepted requirements to tweet and talk on your mobile devices in all your spare moments.
Keeping up good grades is also a need for your time and energy, as well as healthy nutrition and quality sleep. So if you want to get into ballet and have a professional dance career, you are taking on a lot of responsibility. Yet, many children do this and accept it, because that is what they want more than anything.
I do not believe there is a dead end to studying dance, even if you do not have a professional dance career. If your body type simply cannot do ballet, you will nevertheless gain abilities to excel wherever your heart takes you.
So if you're constantly thinking "can I get into ballet", get some kind of feedback about your talent for ballet.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Saturday, September 17, 2011
The Best Stretching Exercises - What's My Best Program
The ballet beginner and the adult going into ballet class both want to learn and understand the best stretching exercises. Each wonders "what's my best program"? Those in love with, and already watching ballet closely, can see that high leg extensions, long curving back bends, elastic knee bends and cat-like jump landings, and high leaps in the splits, are the mere norm in classical dancing. A tall order for most!
After training hundreds of ballet students, I tell you, everyone is different, and almost each one wished they had just one more physical attribute, the one that everyone but they, had. You may be a ballet student with high arches, flexible hips, and yet - you have lousy turnout.
You may be a dance student with a long neck, elastic shoulders, a willowy upper back, and high arches, yet have a tight pelvic area. Believe me, it seems like even the most gifted ballerina has one area that needs a lot of stretching exercises, just to catch up with the rest of their physique.
Ballet is easy for practically no one, just in this regards. Yet, if you learn some functional anatomy, and if you KNOW what your least flexible muscle group is, you can get it up to par with your more flexible muscles.
Don't despair if you do not have the easy flexible ankle joints, but you have a deep, elastic, demi plie. Your long and stretchy calf muscles will provide you with a range of motion from the depth of your plie, to your highest point of foot, giving you a strong jump upwards.
If you have a shallow demi plie, but more motion in the ankle joint, that movement will give you a strong push off from the feet. Either way, you can work on the other, to get more movement, as well as more of a fashionable look in the result, which as we all know, ballet is very picky about.
If you have a small range of motion in both the ankle and demi plie (calf muscles), then you will have to patiently work on both areas. The good news is, no matter how slowly, you will improve, with understanding of your muscles and joints, and not with just forceful pushing on them.
The essential arabesque - you need to be flexible in the hips, psoas, or long postural muscle going from the thigh to the anterior of the spine, and through the upper back into the shoulder girdle, for a really fluid motion. Some dancers find themselves tighter in one spot, which is very annoying...but can still be corrected.
Understanding Myofascial Release
Releasing tension in the fascia, the wrap-around tissue that surrounds and joins all your muscles from head to toe, will release tension and elongate the muscles as well. Referring back to the lower legs and ankle joint flexibility, a relaxation technique for myofascial releasae of the shin muscles can be done BEFORE you stretch the ankle joint. You will feel more flexibility if you do it in this order.
Effective Stretching - The Ultimate Stretching Guide, and Ballwork Releasing Muscular Tension are both wonderful dancers guides to help you with the best stretching exercises. You will be able to implement whatever is 'my best program'.
After training hundreds of ballet students, I tell you, everyone is different, and almost each one wished they had just one more physical attribute, the one that everyone but they, had. You may be a ballet student with high arches, flexible hips, and yet - you have lousy turnout.
You may be a dance student with a long neck, elastic shoulders, a willowy upper back, and high arches, yet have a tight pelvic area. Believe me, it seems like even the most gifted ballerina has one area that needs a lot of stretching exercises, just to catch up with the rest of their physique.
Ballet is easy for practically no one, just in this regards. Yet, if you learn some functional anatomy, and if you KNOW what your least flexible muscle group is, you can get it up to par with your more flexible muscles.
Don't despair if you do not have the easy flexible ankle joints, but you have a deep, elastic, demi plie. Your long and stretchy calf muscles will provide you with a range of motion from the depth of your plie, to your highest point of foot, giving you a strong jump upwards.
If you have a shallow demi plie, but more motion in the ankle joint, that movement will give you a strong push off from the feet. Either way, you can work on the other, to get more movement, as well as more of a fashionable look in the result, which as we all know, ballet is very picky about.
If you have a small range of motion in both the ankle and demi plie (calf muscles), then you will have to patiently work on both areas. The good news is, no matter how slowly, you will improve, with understanding of your muscles and joints, and not with just forceful pushing on them.
The essential arabesque - you need to be flexible in the hips, psoas, or long postural muscle going from the thigh to the anterior of the spine, and through the upper back into the shoulder girdle, for a really fluid motion. Some dancers find themselves tighter in one spot, which is very annoying...but can still be corrected.
Understanding Myofascial Release
Releasing tension in the fascia, the wrap-around tissue that surrounds and joins all your muscles from head to toe, will release tension and elongate the muscles as well. Referring back to the lower legs and ankle joint flexibility, a relaxation technique for myofascial releasae of the shin muscles can be done BEFORE you stretch the ankle joint. You will feel more flexibility if you do it in this order.
Effective Stretching - The Ultimate Stretching Guide, and Ballwork Releasing Muscular Tension are both wonderful dancers guides to help you with the best stretching exercises. You will be able to implement whatever is 'my best program'.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Back To Ballet With An Adult Ballet Class
I talk to many adults who ask if they should try and get back to ballet class. Depending on how many years it has been since you have done ballet, or any kind of dance related exercise, I always say go for it. You may have to call several local studios to find an adult ballet class that is right for you. You may worry about the dance wear dress codes and if you will want to comply. If you are overweight, or have lost your flexibility, you probably feel very self conscious.
Most dance academies that offer adult ballet class level work will offer a one-class-pay for a new dancer, and after that you will be asked to pay by the month. There are usually other types of class packaging that are further discounted, depending on the amount of classes purchased.
Will You Get Injured In An Adult Ballet Class?
There is always a possibility of injury, with ballet and most sports too, if you are out of shape. But bear in mind that every single ballet barre exercise is designed to train your muscles so that you prevent dance injuries. The basic ballet posture, for example, is a natural posture. It may not feel or look that way, since most people slouch and are slowly injuring themselves just by that bad habit.
Standing up straight is not an exaggerated military posture, but maintains the natural spinal curves, placement of the shoulders under the ears, and is completed with a relaxed and curved neck.
Ballet turnout is the main technique that prevents knee injuries. The feet should not be forced out more than the knees can match the rotation. You may never get into the performance standard fifth position - toes to heels - and yet over time you can still gain elegance and control in your adult ballet class.
You will achieve your artistic fulfillment with careful, patient hard work. You will feel the exhilaration of the air borne leaps and spinning pirouettes all the more, having the confidence that you can land from jumps safely, and reaching your ballet position after turning, well grounded, without the room spinning on without you.
Control And Perfectionism
Ballet classes truly give an ongoing sense of control and mastery, through repetition, and slow increase of strength. Yet, the affliction of perfectionism is a dead end for any dancer, especially a self critical individual in an adult ballet class. If there is any quest in your mind/heart for a perfect kind of control and a harsh way to discipline yourself, you will be the dancer to most likely injure her/himself in class.
I caution this because, a drive to be perfect usually entails over-working, not resting enough in between classes, and maybe not eating enough to achieve any muscle building. I don't mean muscle shape or bulk, but just strength, and a normal recovery. Dancing ballet, you can always get better, so there is no perfect.
The real control comes with practice, developing better foot control, and knowing how to do ballet stretches and relaxation techniques correctly.
I hope you DO get back to ballet, and find an adult ballet class that you love.
Most dance academies that offer adult ballet class level work will offer a one-class-pay for a new dancer, and after that you will be asked to pay by the month. There are usually other types of class packaging that are further discounted, depending on the amount of classes purchased.
Will You Get Injured In An Adult Ballet Class?
There is always a possibility of injury, with ballet and most sports too, if you are out of shape. But bear in mind that every single ballet barre exercise is designed to train your muscles so that you prevent dance injuries. The basic ballet posture, for example, is a natural posture. It may not feel or look that way, since most people slouch and are slowly injuring themselves just by that bad habit.
Standing up straight is not an exaggerated military posture, but maintains the natural spinal curves, placement of the shoulders under the ears, and is completed with a relaxed and curved neck.
Ballet turnout is the main technique that prevents knee injuries. The feet should not be forced out more than the knees can match the rotation. You may never get into the performance standard fifth position - toes to heels - and yet over time you can still gain elegance and control in your adult ballet class.
You will achieve your artistic fulfillment with careful, patient hard work. You will feel the exhilaration of the air borne leaps and spinning pirouettes all the more, having the confidence that you can land from jumps safely, and reaching your ballet position after turning, well grounded, without the room spinning on without you.
Control And Perfectionism
Ballet classes truly give an ongoing sense of control and mastery, through repetition, and slow increase of strength. Yet, the affliction of perfectionism is a dead end for any dancer, especially a self critical individual in an adult ballet class. If there is any quest in your mind/heart for a perfect kind of control and a harsh way to discipline yourself, you will be the dancer to most likely injure her/himself in class.
I caution this because, a drive to be perfect usually entails over-working, not resting enough in between classes, and maybe not eating enough to achieve any muscle building. I don't mean muscle shape or bulk, but just strength, and a normal recovery. Dancing ballet, you can always get better, so there is no perfect.
The real control comes with practice, developing better foot control, and knowing how to do ballet stretches and relaxation techniques correctly.
I hope you DO get back to ballet, and find an adult ballet class that you love.
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