The Ballet Bible

how to be better

i’m a new dancer and i am constantly reminded of how im not as good as everyone in my class’, so i woul like to know some ways on how i can make my exensions better, how i can get higher, and how i could get my extension better, also how i can get better arches?? please please help me!!

Can I still get into the School of American Ballet (SAB)?

Hi!

I am a 12 year old girl who will soon be en pointe. When I started ballet (at age 3), I did it for fun and never really thought of it professionally. However, I took some interest in a professional career about 2 years ago. My dream ballet company is NYCB and consequently I would like to go to SAB.

I have 2 questions concerning this. Firstly, I do four 1-hour classes a week at my dance school and practice for about 2 hours a day at home. Of these four classes, I do an intermediate one (RAD syllabus). Recently, I visited SAB’s site and browsed through everything. I know I have roughly the same technique as the girls i have seen, but I am still unsure and tentative as to whether I should apply to SAB. I’m not even en pointe yet, and the girls there went en pointe earlier! Is intermediate level good enough for SAB?
Apart from this, I would say I’m quite flexible (I’ve got my front splits down and my side splits about an inch from the ground, and I have warm up and stretch routines which I do each morning). I weigh about 102 lbs, and I am 5 6″ (is that too tall?), and I seem to have stopped growing (in terms of weight, height, shoe size etc.)
I used to aim for the Royal Ballet School but my teacher said they wanted high arches (I have what I call half arches, because my feet are not highly arched but they aren’t flat either) and their students went en pointe around 9 or 10. I know it seems silly, but the only school I would really like to go to is SAB.
Everyone must think I talk a lot because I’m sure this post is very long! In addition to all the problems I have, my teacher just resigned with very short notice to the school. Apart from the fact that we all miss her, it means the school now has to get a new teacher and they don’t know when they will get one. Our end of school year performance has been postponed as well. I have done pre-pointe work and would have probably been en pointe this week or the next. I have tons of book on pointework, so i was wondering if I should use these carefully to break my pointe shoes and do rises and releves?

Your help would be much appreciated!

What should I do?

I am sixteen and a Junior in High School. I took a beginning ballet class for a half a year when i was a freshman but i quit because the studio closed and i didnt know where to go. I have just started beginning ballet again at another studio and am taking an hour of jazz and an hour of ballet a week. I really love ballet and I want to do pointe someday. I exercise and stretch everyday at home to help build my muscle and get more flexible, but i dont think its enough to have only one hour of ballet a week. My studio doesnt offer anymore ballet classes to my age group during the week.

I am really serious and dedicated to progressing in ballet, should i find more classes at another studio? I dont know how to achieve my goal! Any advise?

Late starter -Can I ever be good?

Hi everyone,

Im looking to start ballet but Im a very late starter (just about to turn 19). Obviously I know theres no chance of being a professional, and I dont think Im cut out for the life anyway(performances stress me out!!), but I want to be good at ballet, not just mediocre. I have a musical background (piano and violin from 5 years old) and Ive always loved dance, but the terrible thing is that I was always too self conscious to take classes! Basically I felt like everyone else had been doing it for ages and I felt too fat!! Now I realize that Ive just got to go for it while I can, and I guess Im just asking if you think I could be good. Ive been doing pilates and yoga and also sheilas kellys s factor (look it up if you dont know what it is NB im not advertising!!) for a couple of years so Im quite strong like that, and I have excellent posture (people in the business have asked if Im a dancer because of the way I walk). Once I know the exercises I will practise every day without fail, the same as professionals do - I put my all into everything I do. I just couldnt bear it if I worked and worked with no hope of ever being any good, even if no one ever sees me dance. Anyone know what I mean?

Anyway, if you think its worth it, Ill buy the ballet bible and practise as much as I can while Im away travelling, and then start classes at university. I know other dance forms are easier to learn and you can start much later, but Ive tried several, for example bellydance, and they just dont seem to be expressive enough. Im not really emotional in public, but I watched romeo and juliet with tamara rojo and carlos acosta (the first ballet ive seen) and it moved me to tears! Since then Ive been addicted and its practically all I can think about! Please tell me what you think, and Im really sorry this got so long!!

Thanks so much!

Helena

Is the ballet bible for real or is it some scam?

It sounds good but i don’t know if it is a scam or not…

WHAT IS THE BALLET BIBLE!?!?

What is the ballet bible? What is so cool about it? Is it worth investing in?

Gamba 93 Pointe Shoes

Hello everyone,

I am 16 years old and have been doing ballet since i was 4 or so years old.

I am now at grade 6, although I don’t just stick to exam practise and lessons.

My ballet teacher has said I am ready for my first pair of pointe shoes, and I have been researching the Gamba93 shoes, has anyone had any past experience with the shoes, or know whether they are good for fairly narrow feet and fairly long toes?

I read that they are more comfortable and softer than others, do you think these would make good first shoes?

Obviously, I will get them fitted and see what they think at the shop, I just wondered what you thought.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thank-you

Sarah F

Port de Bras versus Arabesque

When I’m at the barre in a port de bras back in tendu en arriere, I’m told to only bend the upper back. But then my teacher tells me to keep that shape in an arabesque. But it looks to me like in the ideal arabesque, you would be bending at the waist as well as the upper back, or else the lower back would be parallel to the floor. Can someone clear this up for me?

Grand jete en tournant and a tour Jete

What’s the difference between a grand jete en tournant and a tour jete? Thanks.

Here we go again… en pointé

Hi girls!

First of all, I really love this site and all of the advice I get from you
My question: I’ve been through 1st class when I was 12 and now I’ve been again through the same class (I’m 21 now). So, I want to keep going and continue in September, but since I’ve already had 2 years of ballet class, I’m really eager to start en pointé. The problem is, I’m in a “hobby ballet class”, not a professional one, so I’m kinda shy about asking my new teacher if she could teach me en pointe, or at least put me into a class where they do it. I’m afraid she’d just laugh at me and remind me that we’re not training to become professional dancers…

But I’m really dying to learn it, ballet is my everything.

Please help!

Sabina, 21, from Slovenia