How to become a ballet dancer at home

Training at home – The Ballet Blog

Over the last few years, millions of people's lives have been turned upside down due to the global COVID-19 outbreak. Valuable measures are being implemented in many countries to help contain the outbreak, so chances are your life is probably looking and feeling very different at the moment. While many people are loving the chance to be at home, many dancers and dance teachers are missing their studios desperately. Dance is and will always be an important outlet for us, and being unable to participate in our regular classes can be really tough.

However, it does not have to be all doom and gloom. Try choosing to use this time as a wonderful opportunity to really get to know your body, to focus on improving so much technically and to learn more about the art and science of dance so that when you do return to regular classes your "time off" has been a blessing rather than a curse.

We have collected together some of our most popular areas of focus, and exercises that can easily be done at home, as well as some helpful ideas on how to analyse your technique, make goals and chart your progress. Many of these are drawn from our online courses and our Level One Teacher Training Workshop, however at this point in time I wanted to give something special to the dance community.

DOWNLOAD the PDF that will help you as you work through these suggestions HERE.

As a general rule, we recommend that for every 5 hours of dancing you are doing regularly you do at least 30 mins of additional cardio, 30 mins of self release/massage/mobilisation work, and at least an hour of focused dance conditioning/dance physio type exercises, targeting the areas that need attention. You can most certainly do more than this, especially when you are working in a confined space, and it is often a great time to brush up on your repertoire of supplementary exercises. Make sure to keep in touch with your regular teachers and share your progress with them, as well as incorporating all of their suggestions into your daily program.

You can access all of the videos for free by clicking on the first "Self-Assessment" image and then navigating through the pages using the red "next" buttons.

Make sure to tag us in @theballetblogofficial with any photos of you #trainingathome so that we can keep in touch!

PDF in English

PDF in Norwegian

PDF in Spanish

Self Assessment and Goals Planning

Before getting started on creating your home program it is a good idea to take some specific videos of yourself and your technique, so that you can be very specific about what you need to focus on. Use our ideas to get you started, and add in any specific techniques that you want to improve on.

Creating a Program & Tracking Progress

If you have been dancing for a while, chances are that you know hundreds of exercises to help you improve. However, deciding what to do each day can be a bit overwhelming! This article helps outline how to organise your ideas and track your progress for maximal effect!

Sun Salutations

This simple yoga-based routine is a great way to wake up all areas of the body and can be used in the mornings or evenings, especially during intense periods of dance. Always remember that this routine is not about stretching as far as you can go, it is about mobilising all areas of the body in alignment with your breath.

Standing Leg Turnout

Understanding how turnout works in each position is essential to any dancer, no matter what style you do. Discover where your true turnout muscles really are and how to use them "as little as possible, as much as necessary" to gain awesome control of rotation yet maintain your mobility too.

Articulating the Foot

Mastering the articulation of the foot and ankle in a tendu is quite possibly one of the most effective ways of preventing foot injuries in dancers. Use this great training sequence to perfect the subtle nuances that will transform your dancing!

Improving Core Stability

This "Adult Crawling" exercise is wonderful for challenging the deepest segmental stabilisers of your spine as well as the cross patterned slings that help stability with movement enormously! Plus, upload a video of you doing the sequence to be in with a chance to win a free book!

How to Get More Flexible

Pushing in the direction you want to go is often the slowest and most dangerous way of getting there. .. So what do we do instead? Understanding the order of priority in unravelling your restrictions is paramount in safely improving your flexibility long-term.

How to Get Your Leg Higher in a Developpé

Achieving a beautifully held developpé devant seems like a far off dream for so many dancers. If you struggle with gripping in the front of your thigh, and tension in the front of your hips then this sequence is for you!

How to Improve Your Pointe Range

Many dancers are desperate to improve their pointe range. Having that coverted, beautiful line seems to be high on the list of dancers' personal aims, and many wonder whether using a Foot Stretcher is a good way to improve pointe range. Unfortunately, these devices can be dangerous to use in some dancers, and may encourage Posterior Impingement.

Beginner Ballet for Adults — Broche Ballet

Quickstart Guide for Adult Ballet Beginners

Beginning ballet as an adult can be an intimidating experience. Ballet can feel unattainable and like it is only for the young and thin. But that’s no longer true! Adult ballet is growing in popularity and more and more adults are pursuing their dreams of ballet every day.

There are so many reasons to learn ballet as an adult, whether that’s discipline, gracefulness, coordination, balance, artistry, self-expression, strength, or flexibility. Or, even being a part of carrying on a traditional art form. (And, on a fun note, the outfits are so magical!)

You can take it as far as you want, including performing on stage, going en pointe, partnering, and more. Like any new skill, it takes hard work and dedication, but it is possible to learn as an adult!

Keep reading for all of the details!

Finding a local studio

This can be a challenging process, as adult ballet is still on its way into the mainstream. It’s perfectly valid to learn ballet entirely at home, and Broche Ballet’s online program and YouTube channel help you do just that.

But, most of us desire to also find a local community of like-minded adults to enjoy the journey with!

Some of us are lucky to have an adult-only ballet studio near us, but most need to venture into a traditional ballet school for children where they might have what’s called an “Adult open drop-in program.” The word “open” means that the program is open to the public, and you don’t have to audition to get in (as opposed to “pre-professional” programs that are by audition or invitation only). And “drop-in” means that you can join class whenever you want without having to register for a full semester of committed classes.

In a typical case, an Adult Open Program might offer a “beginner” level class, but this “beginner” class can have everyone from people like you, all the way up to advanced dancers who enjoy the slower pace of a beginner class. An “absolute beginner” level class is typically closer to the actual beginning of ballet.

This can be an intimidating environment for someone who is completely new to ballet, because there is a lot that is assumed that you already know. Watch the video below for an in-depth look at the challenging structure of the Open Program.

(But, don’t worry, the videos on this page will help you feel confident if/when you do go to class!)

What is ballet class like?

Ballet training looks much different than what you see on stage. We train our muscles with a set of 8 main exercises holding onto the barre and then we apply that technique when dancing away from the barre (called “Center”). A standard class is 90 minutes, with about 60 minutes at the barre and 30 in the center. Sometimes, the classes may be shorter. Watch the videos below to get an idea of what to expect in class!

Download the Beginner Ballet Vocabulary Checklist

Do I need to be young, thin, and flexible to start ballet?

No! Ballet itself will help you reach your fitness and flexibility goals, and dancers of all ages can learn ballet. Within the Broche Ballet community alone, we have dancers who are tall, short, in their 80s, have multiple kids, grandkids, and all shapes and sizes. Get inspired with the videos below!

Is ballet dangerous?

Not necessarily. If you use the correct technique, you can safely dance ballet for many many years. Our knees and backs are often the most at-risk of injury if we dance with incorrect technique. Watch the videos below to learn more about how to keep your body safe in ballet class!

What to wear?

In general, you can wear tight-fitting exercise clothes and socks to class, but you may want to look the part with leotard tights and skirt for ladies, or tights and t-shirt for men and ballet slippers.

Many people think that you must wear pointe shoes right off the bat, but in reality, we start in soft ballet slippers and wear pointe shoes later in our journey. Click here for more information on pointe readiness for adults. (And yes, adults can go en pointe!)

Check out the videos below for all the details on what to wear!

Class and Studio Etiquette

Ballet Class Etiquette has a lot of unspoken rules. Where to stand at the barre, where to put your water bottle, bag, and any sweaters you might wear for the beginning and take off after warming up. Watch the video below for all the details about what to expect once you get into the studio.

I danced as a child, will I have to start from the beginning?

It depends! Sometimes our body remembers a lot of the movements, but other times (especially if we stopped dancing before age 12), much of it is forgotten. But, in all cases, we’ll need to work back up the ballet strength and flexibility. Returning to ballet as an adult can be an intense experience, bringing up old memories, and sometimes also frustration with our adult body compared with how we remember our youthful body.

Watch the videos below for more about what to expect when you return to ballet.

Get a Jumpstart at Home with Broche Ballet Online

Learn ballet at home with the Broche Ballet Overture Program and On-Demand Library. The Overture Program is an 18-hour program that follows 3 dancers through from their first class all the way to learning the Sugar Plum Fairy dance. The On-Demand Library takes you even further, with access to the Overture Program AND thousands of videos to learn ballet technique, stretch, and strength follow-alongs, and more.

Whether you have access to a local studio near you or not, practicing at home is an important part of your ballet journey to develop consistent practicing habits and train your body frequently.

How to become a ballerina at home? Body Ballet and Tips for Beginners

Ballet is not only a wonderful form of performing art, but also a very worthy hobby. If children's dreams of ballet do not go away after many years, then you should not despair and think about lost time and opportunities. After all, you can always do self-study! How to become a ballerina at home? The answer to this question can be found in this article.

Professional ballet or ballet at home?

Let's start with the fact that it is necessary to study professional ballet in special educational institutions. If it seems that the question of how to become a ballerina at home implies subsequent professional training, and then getting a real job in the theater, then you will have to be a little disappointed. Why? The fact is that the ballet market is a very competitive place. Ballet is practiced from an early age. Moreover, modern troupes consider only those candidates who fit certain physical parameters.

However, this does not mean at all that those who have not attended special training since childhood can say goodbye to the dream of ballet forever. After all, the main thing is not only ballet shoes, but also skills and abilities that you can learn on your own. You can dance for your own pleasure, engage in non-professional groups, and even record and upload videos with your own performances for general viewing!

How to become a ballerina at home

Doing ballet on your own means mastering body ballet. What is it? Body ballet is one of the areas of fitness that has appeared relatively recently. Most of the movements studied repeat classical ballet. However, in this case, they were greatly simplified and adapted for ordinary people (that is, without many years of training).

Benefits of body ballet

Body ballet not only helps to become a ballerina at home, as most dancers want, but also has a number of other undeniable advantages.

Here's what you can achieve with regular exercise:

Weight recovery and weight loss. During training, the pulse of the student jumps up to 100-139 beats per 1 minute, and it is this mode that starts the process in which excess fats begin to be actively burned.
You can do muscle strengthening and relief. One of the main advantages of body ballet is that it does not contribute to an increase in muscle mass, while the body of the practitioner is gradually tightened. Classes are aimed at training all major muscle groups.
Strengthening of the joints. Very often, body ballet is advised to people who have suffered injuries and are now on their way to restoring physical activity.
With regular exercise, breathing and the functioning of the cardiovascular system begin to improve. Along with this, the improvements will also affect the circulatory system, and the tissues will receive an additional supply of oxygen.
Among the many exercises for ballerinas in body ballet, there are many that emphasize stretching. So the practitioner has every opportunity to improve his flexibility.
Many ballet lovers love this art form for its grace and elegance. After just a few choreography lessons, you can feel the improvement in your own gait and posture, and the desired gracefulness will be traced in all movements.

Necessary conditions and attributes for practicing at home

Having dealt with the question of how to become a ballerina at home, you can move on to the next question - what is required for this.

Firstly, it is the availability of free time. Each workout will take at least 1 hour.
Secondly, these are comfortable clothes. It is not necessary to run for a tutu, it is enough to have a comfortable tracksuit or any other clothes that do not hinder movement.
Third, there are shoes. Ballet shoes are for those who know how to use them. For beginners, ordinary Czech shoes or light sports shoes are suitable. It will be possible to switch to pointe shoes after special training.

Where to start?

You can do body ballet both independently, at home, and under the supervision of special trainers in a fitness club. If the first option seems much more attractive to you, you should choose special programs for beginners. Usually these are detailed instructions and tips that will help you properly tune in to the right direction and teach you how to avoid the most common mistakes.

Practice at home is best done in front of a large mirror, and the barre can be replaced with an ordinary chair. It is worth noting that the chair, although it is a good analogue of the machine, still cannot always provide the necessary support. If there is a sofa / chair / table or any other strong surface nearby, then it is better to lean on it sometimes.

So, if you want, start practicing body ballet as soon as possible and experience all the joys of this art for yourself!

ᐅ How to become a ballerina? | Is it possible to become a ballerina at home?

What girl hasn't thought about becoming a ballerina. But how realistic is it? How do they become ballerinas, is it possible for her to become at home? Let's find out!

Ballet is one of the performing arts with many fans around the world.

Fragile, graceful ballerinas and strong dancers attract the attention of thousands of spectators in theaters.

  Content:

How do you become a ballerina?
How to become a ballerina - the way to a profession
How to become a successful ballerina?
How to become a ballerina at home?
Tips for becoming a ballerina at home

How do you become a ballerina?

It is clear that many girls dream of one day performing this beautiful dance to the applause of the public, but it is important to understand that becoming a ballerina is not so easy. This, like any other work, is work, but in this case it is also a huge work.

I want to become a ballerina. What needs to be done to start your creative path in this genre? How to become a ballerina from scratch?

First of all, it is necessary to determine how inclined a person is to this profession, whether he has enough diligence and willpower to master it. The path to fame for dancers begins from early childhood - at the age of 4, little girls are invited to preparatory classes in schools and sections, where they can learn the basics of dance, develop a sense of rhythm and stage skills.

At this age, the selection is not particularly strict, since most of the students are unlikely to continue to dance professionally. But for a smaller part, this is the best chance to become a ballerina, starting immersion in the profession of a ballerina from childhood.

How to become a ballerina - the way to a profession

If, at a more conscious age, a child understands that he likes ballet and is ready to work hard, then he can enter a school. It is here that a serious commission of professionals decides which applicants are suitable for a career in ballet.

They often draw conclusions by looking at their parents, because children are likely to be like them, which means they will have a similar physique, and only short, thin girls who are distinguished by flexibility become ballerinas. At the entrance exams, you need to demonstrate not only dance skills, but also your hard work and love for this art form.

Starting from the age of 9-11 years, future artists are waiting for heavy physical activity and diet.

The girl must remain slim, flexible and meet a special standard - with a height of 163 centimeters, weigh no more than 44 kilograms.

If she is growing rapidly or gaining weight, then with a set of height and weight, the chances of becoming a ballerina are greatly reduced. So this is a reason not only to remove her from performances, but also to expel her from the team.

In addition to becoming a ballerina, you need to attend all the training sessions, which can take from 3 to 9 hours a day, depending on the level of training. Classes begin with developing muscle flexibility and coordination of gymnastics, and then teach more complex elements of dance.

During 8 years of studying at the school, the ballerina studies the history of ballet, work with a choreographer and a partner, develops an ear for music and the skill of impersonation, fully comprehends professional terminology. At the same time, general subjects are practically not paid attention to here.

How to become a successful ballerina?

It is worth noting that their teachers play an important role in the formation of dancers. It is choreographers who can often show by their own example how to become a famous prima ballerina.

However, teachers can both inspire girls to continue their path in ballet, and completely discourage them from doing it.

To become a successful ballerina, you need to be both physically and morally strong person, to be able to reach the top.

Not infrequently, in schools, female students are insulted because of their weight or lack of skill in order to develop their willpower.

After receiving a basic education with good graduation marks, it is possible to be invited to a popular school or even an academy, where an even more serious stage begins. Those who have fully mastered the training settle into the corpses of large theaters and delight the audience with their talent.

How to become a ballerina at home?

What to do if you didn’t manage to become a beginner ballerina in your childhood, but the craving for dance remained, and now there is nothing left but to do at home?

It is important to understand that becoming a professional ballerina is unlikely to succeed, since the competition is huge and theaters give preference to those who have been practicing for almost their entire lives. But do not despair, because you can participate in amateur groups, film your performances and post them on social networks and just dance for yourself.

First of all, you need to assess your level of physical development. Some diseases do not allow you to engage in such a difficult type of choreography. Legs experience a huge load, so arthrosis, arthritis, flat feet and acquired injuries do not imply ballet training. General health also matters, as with any physical activity.

To become a ballerina for yourself, for home practice, you can buy a comfortable suit that does not hinder movement and allows you to train flexibility. A tutu is not required, but lovers of aesthetics may come in handy.

Both at home and in the gym, the ballerina must eventually become pointe shoes. However, it must be done at the right time and in consultation with a professional so as not to cause health problems.

If you dance in this genre at home, then it is equivalent to doing body ballet, that is, a special fitness with classical, but adapted elements of choreography. In addition to developing graceful movements and a sense of rhythm, you can lose weight, strengthen muscles and joints. Particular attention is paid to stretching and acquiring grace.

Tips for becoming a ballerina at home

Under the supervision of experienced fitness trainers, success will definitely not be long in coming, but there is an opportunity to become a body-ballerina at home. Having picked up a good program for beginners, having prepared the room for the start of classes, you can proceed.

It is better to put a large mirror, and in the absence of a machine, use a chair. It is important to carefully follow the instructions in the video tutorials and listen to your body, then the initial level will be reached soon.

Well, if you have been dancing ballet since childhood, then how to become a prima ballerina?

Natural industriousness, perseverance and focus on success play a huge role. It is necessary, in addition to dancing qualities, to develop leadership in oneself. Competitors can be bypassed with their charisma and artistry. Also, throughout the whole time you need to follow the strictest diet and control weight and body quality.