Things to Know Before Starting Ballet Class
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. Does your ballet school have a strict dress code? You need to find this out before you turn up for your first class! If you wear the wrong type of clothing, even if it’s the wrong color your ballet instructor may not allow you in the room – ballet is very strict on rules! Spare money and embarrassment by doing your homework and ensuring you have exactly the right style and color of ballet clothing that your ballet school requires.
6. To be more successful in ballet, find out if other dance classes are available. Classes such as jazz, hip hop, modern etc. Taking other classes will expand your dancing abilities. If you have made the decision to become a ballet dancer, all of your dance classes have to be ballet. If you are a beginner at ballet, do not mix all of the dance classes and your ballet classes together. Those dance styles will clash with your ballet and you do not want to look like a fool.
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.
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