Back To Ballet With An Adult Ballet Class

Who wants to 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.

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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.

In an adult ballet class - you're not alone!

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 from attending adult ballet classes.

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.

You will reach 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 who perhaps feels disadvantaged 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 about 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 (use The Perfect Pointe Book for extra practise), 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.

Ballet Movies - Like Steampunk Movies?

I love ballet movies. The abundance of movies available now is of great interest to me, and I'm sure it is for most dancers.

It is not possible to get around the world, see all the dance festivals, or travel to catch all the ballet touring companies every year. Yet, while collecting ballet movies, I feel like I just lucked out.

I bought a "deal" package of 4 ballet movies recently. Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, The Nutcracker and The Sleeping Beauty. I only bought it because The Nutcracker is Maurice Bejart's production, which I had not seen. The others...well I can always watch another one, whoever.

The "Swan Lake" was special because Evelyn Hart danced Odette/Odile. I had not seen her in that role, so it was a nice surprise for me.

Secondly, I watched "Romeo and Juliet", choreography by Angelin Preljocaj, with the Opera National De Lyon, filmed in 1992. Cool. That's a company that has not graced my neighborhood. I knew it was a neoclassical style.

Steam punk movies? I may have seen three before - "Dune" designed by Tony Masters and Carlo Rimbaldi; City of Lost Children" designed by set designer Jean Rabasse and artistic director Caro (and coincidentally both scores were by Angelo Badalamenti); and "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" with set designer Andy Thomson - all steam punky designers...

Well, this "Romeo and Juliet" has the flavor of steam punk movies and it is moody and powerful. None of the lush Italian wealth of the power families, but very strong emotionally. I did not think I would like the modern choreography - having been partial to John Cranko's - yet with the Prokofiev score, it was captivating.

I did not assimilate what I was looking at immediately. This production re-invents some of the characterization, trimming down the cast and events.

When I realized I was watching a Steam Punk Movie I sat back and enjoyed it. The wall guards with the German Shepherd were a chilling touch.

I love old movies - probably all ballet movies!

National Ballet School Grows Own Organic Vegetable Garden

"Simon and Jack's Garden
Simon Hill, NBS' Manager of Food Service Operations and Jack Sobocinski, NBS' Chef de Cuisine, have planted an organic herb & vegetable garden behind NBS' Residence! The herb variety is extensive, including lemongrass, thyme, basil, chives & tarragon amongst others. The vegetables include heirloom tomatoes, English runner beans & cucumbers! Many of NBS' menus have featured our very own herbs & produce."

posted at:http://www.nbs-enb.ca/media/enews2011/enewsAug11.htm

I applaud!

How To Relieve Muscle Pain That Has Become Chronic In Ballet, Dance And Cheerleading

Dancers and cheerleaders need to know how to relieve muscle pain that has become chronic. Often, some area of the hips in particular can become imbalanced because of a postural misalignment. It seems like nothing gives those sore muscles relief.

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In many cases, you will see a dancer's or cheerleader's postural habit when they are not dancing or practicing. There are variations on the lack of the postural plumb line, which is a line going straight down through the body, through the natural curves of the neck and spine.

 Ideally, the ankles, knees, hips, waist, and shoulders are all stacked neatly.

A tight area in the psoas, one of the large muscles that lifts the legs to the front, will pull the low back out of alignment. The back will look swayed, and the thighs will turn inward.

This is one way that leads to imbalance in the development of the hip muscles. A dancer or cheerleader will try to resolve this with more and more stretching.

Yet, one muscle or another will get tighter and tighter, and others may get over-stretched.

Some students will feel a clicking, a snapping, or a clunky movement for a long time before it starts to hurt. Please tell your teacher or coach immediately if you feel these things.

You can correct your posture and how you use your core and hip muscles, before you get the inflammation and pain that is so hard to get rid of.

Misalignment in the basic posture, and in the basic ballet positions (used everywhere in dance), will develop one muscle or area of muscles too much.

Consequently, other muscles in the same group remain underdeveloped and weak.

Understanding the muscles around the hips, and how they work in connection with the deep low core muscles, will help students or dance team members prevent injuries.

Can you stand sideways to a mirror and check your posture? Can you see the natural curves of your spine and visualize the plumb line going straight through the curves?

Can you pull up the very low abdominal muscles? Sometimes they can be harder to feel than the higher stomach muscles.

If you are not sure that you are using these low ab muscles properly, try this:

* lie down on the floor, and make sure you have your natural curve at the small of your back
* you should be able to slide your hand under the curve there
* first do this wrong - suck in your stomach so that the small of your back pushes into your hand
* release the stomach muscles
* now do it right - pull your very low ab muscles straight up from your pubic bone and away from your hip bones
* keep the curve in the small of your back

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 Your belly button will move UP toward your ribs. Up not IN. This action, when you are doing barre exercises, or routines to warm up for your cheer leading, will support the right activity in the hip muscles. It is going to help you develop long lean muscles.

If you take contemporary dance classes and study the Martha Graham technique, you know that the contraction movement actually elongates - even though it changes the shape of the spine and DOES push out the curve at the small of the back, it requires that you pull UP the lower core muscles and maintain length in the spine.

The stronger your low ab muscles are, the more fluidity you will have in your ballet movements. For cheer leading too, your core control will be so much better.

Make sure you get the instructional DVD Flexibility Exercises For Athletes. It includes a whole section on sore muscles relief.

Pointe Shoe Pain - Do I Have A Bunion?

A ballet student describes her pointe pain as being at the side of the big toe joint. The foot pain is bad that she cannot releve onto that leg, although the other foot is fine.

She does not see any bump on the painful big toe joint, but she wonders if she has a bunion.

If you find yourself in this predicament, it is best to see a health practitioner to determine if there is a hairline, or stress fracture in the toe bone.

Without a fracture, inflammation by itself can cause enough pain to result in you not being able to do a releve. The pointe shoe fit seemed correct at the ballet store, yet - is the painful foot just a tad bigger? Or a tad wider?

Has the painful foot ever been injured in any way?

Is the painful foot weaker? Those are good tests for any ballet student in toe shoes to check regularly. Most people do have a stronger foot, and foot exercises will help you even up the foot muscle strength.

Your health practitioner can help you figure out what is causing the pain, and advise some home care. Icing decreases inflammation. Be sure the ice pack is wrapped, and such a small spot would not need more than a few minutes. The frequency of icing will help as well, perhaps two or three times a day.

You may have a bunion forming. If so, you can learn how to prevent it continuing. Just be sure to get professional help, and you'll become a truly professional student who knows how to care of her feet!

Summer Dance Intensive At The National Ballet of Canada - Their First

The National Ballet (company) of Canada announces a new summer dance intensive.

"New this year The National Ballet of Canada will offer a 10 day Summer Dance Intensive that will give young ballet students the opportunity to learn from professional dancers right in the National Ballet’s studios. Ballet students ages 14 to 18, who have an Intermediate or higher level of ballet training, will participate in Ballet, Pointe, Jazz, Repertoire and Hip Hop classes taught by professional artists from the National Ballet and others."

Beginner Dance Classes - Adults

Ballet barre routines are wonderfully configured full body workouts.

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 If this were not so, you would not see so many trade marked workouts for Pilates, core muscle training, "booty" trimming, and many more, with "ballet barre" in the name.

A fast track dancers' guide would be The Perfect Pointe Book, a comprehensive manual covering basic ballet technique. It is invaluable whether women and men in ballet get into pointe shoes or not.

If you are in beginner dance classes for adults both for exercise and your artistic needs, here are a few tips for getting the most out of your work at the barre.

If you are doing some other, non-ballet academy barre-ish workout, you may get some tips also.

First Tip - Warm Up Before Class

The barre exercises will warm you up, completely. Yet you will get much more out of the first few exercises if you can manage at least a five minute warming up time before class starts.

At the very least, two to three minutes of walking on the spot, executing large easy arm movements, will increase your heart rate a little and get your circulation going.

Gentle Stretches

Stretches before class are good for simply "getting out the kinks". If you sit down all day before a dance class, or if the class is first thing in the morning, doing some barre exercise-related stretches will ease you into the class gently.

These would not be deep stretches, but more like movements to remind your body of what is about to happen.

Doing a few rotations both inwards and outwards of each ankle, and then doing a few demi plies, either with turnout or parallel, will stretch the calves out.

If you are not so flexible in the ankles, you can sit down, sitting back on your heels, and gently pull up one knee at a time, to stretch the front of the ankle joint.

Easing Out The Hip Flexors, Or Front Of The Hip Joint

This is easily done with a runner's lunge. Standing parallel, move one foot behind you about three feet, or where ever you need to place the foot to feel the stretch from the upper thigh, over the hip bone, and into the abdominal area above the extended leg.

Pull up the lowest core abdominal muscles, and allow the pelvis to relax into its neutral (no tip forward or back) position.

If you are too tight in the hip joint to get the pelvis straight, don't worry. You are just getting the alignment that you can here, with no need for heavy pressure.

Repeat on the other side.

Easing Out The Hamstrings

Most ballet studios have a lower barre. For a light hamstring stretch, place one leg on the low barre. Flex the foot and make sure the leg is straight.

Also, keep a straight back, and you are going to bend from the hips, not curving in the low back. This keeps the stretchy part in the hamstring, or back of your thigh muscle.

It doesn't matter if you hardly move at all. You can do a deeper stretch in the break before center work when you are well warmed up.

Side Bends Lengthen the Large Quadratus Lumborum, Or Spinal Support Muscles

Standing with the feet apart, comfortably, reach up with the right arm, keeping the shoulders and neck relaxed, and bend toward your left.

Get a long pulled out stretch, keeping the left side of your torso lengthened.

Repeat other side.

The Turnout Muscles Need Stretching Too

The easiest way to do a brief low pressure stretch out of the rotator muscles is to sit on a chair, and bring up one leg, bent, with your foot resting above the opposite knee.

You can hold the bent knee up with your hand if you feel ANY strain in the knee joint. This is not about having the bent knee level like a table top, or stretching in the hip socket area.

Now you will bend forward, back straight, and you will feel a stretch in the back of the pelvis, and around the side of the hip.

Use very gentle pressure, just to alert your body that ballet class is about to start.

The "Swan Lake" Stretch

This stretch will give you a nice pull across the chest. Stand with your back to the barre, and reach behind you with both arms, grasping the barre.

Then lean away, not arching very much, but stretching out the arms and you will feel a delicious elastic feeling at some point, in this small movement.

 Muscle stretching exercises done before class are very gentle. They are part of your warm up. Deeper stretches can be later in the class, or afterwards.

The Perfect Pointe Book shows you all the details of ballet barre routines for posture, turn out and gaining foot strength. I highly recommend it if you're in beginner dance classes  for adults.