Saturday, July 4, 2009

Things to Know Before Starting Ballet Class

By Sarah Wilkiamson

1. Stretching is the major warm-up exercise in ballet. It's how every ballet dancer in the world starts their dance session. Stretching will help you develop good posture and build your strength and it's of vital importance if you hope to achieve any level of ballet dancing skill. Ballet looks very graceful but it puts a lot of stress on your joints, the stretching exercises help your body warm up ready for this stress so that you are less likely to overstrain any muscles.

2. Ballet steps have names, and these names are in French! Unless you speak French you might find these difficult to say at first, but if you repeat them over and over to yourself as you perform the steps, you'll find it becomes easier. These steps will be the same throughout your ballet career so if you are serious about your dancing you could buy a ballet dictionary or download and print a ballet glossary from the Internet so you can learn some names before you even get to the steps! Beginners classes are usually slow-paced so don't worry about having too many names to learn at once, your ballet vocabulary will build over time.

3. When you are choosing your ballet slippers, make sure they fit tightly like a glove. Do not have them fit too tight. Your ballet slippers' drawstring should be tied loose.

4. Don't even think about skipping the barre work! It might not be your idea of ballet dancing but it's crucial to preparing your body for the activity ahead. Barre work aids your balance, your flexibility, your posture and of course your strength. All ballet dancers do barre work, so if you want to do ballet - take your place at the barre!

5. Ask your ballet instructor about the ballet school's policy on dress code. Some ballet schools have you wear just tights and a leotard, some will have you wear tutus. Remember that your ballet instructor has to see what you are doing at all times and you have to be comfortable when wearing your attire. If you cannot find the ballet schools' dress code, wear pink tights, a black leotard and pink ballet shoes.

6. If you're just starting to learn ballet, don't mix your ballet with other styles of dance as this can be confusing as ballet is very rigid with elongated lines and flowing movement, while other types of dance are not. Once you are familiar with what ballet expects from you, then you should be able to take other dance classes at the same time if you wish.

7. Ballet is a very formal dance form. It is very strict about using the correct etiquette at all times. You will learn this as you learn your ballet steps, but if in doubt, always follow what your ballet teacher tells you. Even the best ballet dancers in the world respect and follow their ballet teacher's advice. - 16887

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