#ballet tips

* Ongoing list

♡ Professional workout

♡ My own routine

♡ Ballet Misfit Classes

♡ Practice Ballet at Home by Nationale Opera & Ballet Classes Playlist

♡ Ballet Secret Code (YT Documentary)

Use your arms to help you jump. As you jump, lift the elbow like you're bouncing a ball off of it. Timing is key here--do it at the same moment you push off the ground. It should look barely noticeable, but you'll feel a difference.

One of my more usual corrections is also stretch the knees. I find that conditioning exercises help, but the most important thing is to constantly remind yourself to use the thing you learn in conditioning within ballet class.

First exercise: put on ankle weights, sit at the edge of the bed so your leg is on the bed only from the knee and up. Stretch one leg, hold for 6sec, relax, repeat with the other leg. Focus especially on pulling the kneecaps towards the hip, not jamming the knee to the stretched position. Do at least 20-30 for each leg, more if you can take it.

Second exercise: make sure your hips are warm for this. Stand in a deep forward lunge with the back knee touching the floor, like you would if you wanted to stretch your hip flexor. You might want to put a pillow or t-shirt or something for your knee to be on. Place the back foot on demi pointe, stretch the back knee, and hold for 6sec. Your hips should stay at the same distance from the floor, you should feel the hip flexor and quad stretching, work up to doing it without holding onto anything. Repeat 10 times each leg. This teaches the muscles to stretch the knee while the hip is in extension aka arabesque.

The 6sec hold is for you to understand the sensation of stretching the knee, and remember (or make your brain memorize) which muscles need to work, to really focus on that, don't do the exercises passively.

°°°

Other corrections I get personally:

-don't sit/fall back in the lower back

-point your feet/higher demi pointe

-turnout the standing leg especially, I tend to forget and focus only on th working leg

-don't rush/fill up the music

dance instructor mood board🩰✨

Here’s my workout routine (mainly cardio+ Pilates) that I use to make my body look lean and graceful for my companies upcoming Swan Lake ballet.

Goals: the goal of this schedule isn’t to lose weight but to lean out my muscles to give a more swan like appearance.

For weak turnout, having good mobility in the hips is useless without the strength to support your range. So while yes stretching your hips is important, I find doing strengthening exercises to be even more

Stretching

Lunges in multiple directions

Frog pose + 2nd position while lying on stomach

Straddle, rolling from straddle to frog

#4 Hip flexor stretch (on your back and standing up)

Pigeon Pose (hate it but it's good for you)

The stretch where you sit and cross one knee on top of the other? I think some people call it a seated twist?

Strengthening

GLUTE EXERCISES

Bridges, one-legged bridges, holding, and multiple repetitions

Clamshells (add resistance and harder variations when you can)

Side-lying hip adduction and abduction

Floor barre, (Evgenia Obratsova has a great video series with exercises from the legendary Boris Knyazev. It helps you to work your muscles correctly, it's way harder to cheat!)

Back flexibility is something I struggle with too, I find it's important to be patient with yourself and do the most 'demanding' stretches when your body is already warm. Don't just plop yourself into a studio and try to do a crazy backbend, your spine is fragile and it will be very angry with you soon.

Warm-Up Stretches

Arm Circles, Shoulder rotations, gentle twists

Spinal waves+ contraction

Supine Twists

Sun Salutations ( starting with some baby cobra poses before working up to an upward dog)

Cat+ Cow

PLANKS (best singular exercise for warming up IMO)

Parallel 2nd position, bend forward with arms linked and stretched behind, opens the shoulders and hamstrings

Back-ups/ Superman

FOAM ROLLING

Deep Stretches

Backbends + variations

Camel/Wheel pose

More back ups, pushing further in your upward dog but try to do with your arms above your head, the goal is to do a 'bow pose' and grab your feet and pull them as close to your head as possible

Scorpion/Needle/Backscales

1. practice A LOT

2. if you’re going to do pointe, be sure to do at least three classes a week. (at least one of them should be a technique or strengthening class)