The Ballet Bible

Cannot find a ballet class for RAD

I am a Singaporean and I am 13 this year. I wanted to join ballet but no classes accept 13 year olds for RAD lessons. Is there anything i can do to learn RAD ballet?

Ballet Classes

how many hrs of ballet should 13-15 yrs old teens do in a week?

how long till I can get toe shoes?

I did ballet for two years and then stopped for a year.

I just started back up and i still remember most of it.

BIG thighs are no good for Ballet

How can I obtain small thighs?

inner thighs and outer thighs.

HELP!!

Soft ballet shoes

I’ve been dancing for a long time now and i’ve always used single shole soft ballet slippers but i dont think that these show off the point in my foot very well!! Alot of the girls in my class have just started wearing split shole shoes and i have noticed how nice there feet look in them, but a few days ago a friend of mine told me they weren’t very good for your feet does any one no if its true?

Meg

Problem with falling out of pirouettes

I’ve been dancing for about 11 years and I’ve always had the same problem in all my pirouettes.

I always end up falling out of them. Usually I do it with my arms.

I do it all the time even in singles and it means I hardly ever manage a double which im really supposed to be doing.

I really need some help, my teacher is on at me to take my next exam and I know I’ll never pass if I cant get this sorted!!

Diet

Do you think that a fruits & vegies diet is a good idea? I’m pressured to lose weight.

Pointe Problem

My pointe shoe is already broken in, however, I still can’t go onto full pointe without forcing it what should I do?

Developpe A La Seconde

Hi,

I’m now pushed to the limits because my ballet teacher said that i have a very bad turn out when i do developpe a la seconde (90 degrees). Is there any tips for me so that i can have a better turn out and so that i won’t have to lift from my hips?

Choosing a Good Ballet Teacher/Good Posture

In choosing a good ballet teacher pay careful attention to the postures you see in the students you observe. While the teacher is not responsible for posture acquired before a student begins training with her or him, she/he is responsible for establishing correct posture at the beginning of every exercise in the class.

The spine has a natural curve. The back should not be swayed with relaxed abdominal muscles, nor should it pulled into a straight line with the pelvis tucked under and the abdominal muscles bunched. The correct support of a natural curve in the spine will develop the whole body correctly.

Abdominal muscles should be pulled UP and flattened. The diaphram should be firm but not pulled in and down. The sides of the ribs should expand for breathing. This way the chest will lift to breathe, but not noticeably. If the chest is held properly, the shoulders can relax. Shoulders should never be pressed downward, or a fluid use of the arms will not be achieved.

The head floats. It is a feeling of one’s vision reaching for the horizon, not a chin lift. This allows for free and natural head movement even though the body is working hard below.

The arms move easily from the shoulder joints, the fingers are placed in an easy manner, not tense and spikey looking. The thumbs relax parallel to the index finger, not clenched against it, or sticking out away from the hand.

Each individual has imperfections, or say differences, of physique and posture compared to the ballet ideal. A good teacher will take care to correct what the student is doing, as opposed to commenting on what the student innately has (or is stuck with, as the less ideally formed usually think). Although from an instructional viewpoint, a teacher could point out to a student who has very wide shoulders, that a high 5th position of the arms (5th en haut) could be elongated, to detract from the wideness of the shoulders.

After all, this is about theater, and the arts of illusion. (In the advanced classes when the body is strong.)

Starting every exercise in the correct posture of the spine is essential to developing strength and grace, and preventing sprain, strain, and unnatural mannerisms.

It is also wise to have your skeletal alignment checked with a chiropractor periodically, especially if you experience joint pain or severe muscle spasms. Muscle spasms can also be due to dehydration and exhaustion of your electrolytes, or a calcium/magnesium deficiency. Please don’t reach for a popular sports drink. You need full mineral salts as in from ‘all 12′ cell salts, a homeopathic tablet, good sea salt on your food, and cayenne pepper is great for replenishing minerals. But all that really is another article.

It’s always best to check out a beginning level and a more advanced level class in any given studio, to watch and listen to how a teacher instructs, and to see how persistent she or he is in demanding good basic technique.

All the best.