Category: Strength for Dancers
The new dance rage at the moment seems to be the ballet turning board. This board also goes by other names like dance turn board, pirouette turning board or just plain TurnBoard. It seems like this is the must have for any dancer who wants to improve their turns. Training to do pirouettes in ballet requires focused …
Pirouettes are one of those things in ballet that take endless practice, and there are no shortcuts when it comes to how to pirouette in ballet. Here are some tips and tricks to improve your pirouettes How To Pirouette In Ballet Tips and Tricks From the Pros Learn to turn first – form and technique will …
Ballet strength exercises are really important if you are a dancer. Having a strong body is very important in your ballet dancing because a body without strength won’t be able to hold itself up, let alone move with grace. Having strength means more than the ability to pick up heavy weights. Strength in your body defines your …
Grand Battement Definition A grand battement definition in ballet is a controlled throwing up of the working leg to its full height, while keeping both legs straight, and then controlling the downward movement of the leg. The movement is usually done pretty quickly to music with a strong and brisk tempo. Grand battement can also be …
Most teachers dedicate a few minutes of class time to ballet barre stretches or stretching in general. Some leave you free to stretch yourself, and others give a combination of ballet barre stretches. It is very important for dancers to be both flexible and strong. If you want to read more about stretching exercises, you can click …
What is Rond de Jambe en L’Air? In the short video above, the dancer is demonstrating a single rond de jambe en l’air followed by a double rond de jambe en l’air. The dancer aims to touch her toe to the side of her leg at knee height each time her leg circles in. Rond de …
Do you ever wonder what do ballet dancers eat before a show to sustain their energy and have the stamina to finish the entire performance without fizzling out towards the end? Contrary to the belief that dancers eat nothing, they actually need to keep their stamina up and they cannot do this without something healthy and …
What is in ballet technique you may ask? Classical Ballet Technique The Classical Ballet Technique book on the left has some great tips on how to improve your ballet technique and is written by an ex-dancer and teacher. “An excellent, comprehensive guide to ballet pedagogy valuable to teachers and students alike. For many years, Gretchen’s has been …
Fixing bad posture is very important for the long-term health of your body. Apart from bad posture looking terrible, it is also detrimental to your health over the long term. It is easy to spot ballet dancers, they are the ones with the elegant and perfect postures, long necks, straight spines, beautifully positioned heads and they …
As in rond de jambe a terre, in grand rond de jambe the foot describes an arc from the front to the back or the back to the front, but now your foot is lifted off of the floor. The working leg could be anywhere from 45 to 90 degrees or higher, as long as the dancer can …
