The Ballet Bible

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

Arabesques and extensions

Are there any specific stretches I can do to improve my arabesques (as in getting them higher) and my extensions. I want to be able to do high extensions and hold them there.

Ballet Bible

I’m wondering if The Ballet Bible is still in the market for $47? If not, is there going to be a 3rd edition of The Ballet Bible?

Switching Studios

I do ballet, tap, jazz, and modern and am switching to a different studio in the fall with more prestige and more qualified teachers. The only problem is (and I know the point is to dance, not to socialize) I know everyone where I am right now, and everyone will know everyone at my new place, and I’m afraid I won’t feel accepted by my classmates.

Gaynor Minden Shoes

I’ve got a pair of GMs. They are great, but the only problem is that whenever I do a deep plie or a grand plie, the heel starts to slip off. Should I buy Heel Grippers of sew elastics?

Any tips?

Fouetté en tournant

I would be the happiest person in the world if I could learn a Fouetté en tournant turns. My dance studio dose not take beginning dancers seriously at all. I feel like they think I can never make it to company or pointe. I asked if I could learn this turn and they said no :* ( i think i could learn to do it as a beginning dancer.)

Help me please

Pointe

I’ve never done a day of ballet in my life, I am 15 years old and have only just fell in love with dance. I have done jazz with my friend for one month. I was at my friends house messing round and I was standing on pointe with bare feet, my friend (who does ballet) was amazed that I could stand on pointe effortlessly for about 15 seconds in bare feet. I know it’s not good for my feet so I don’t do it but does this mean it’ll be easier for me to get on pointe once I start ballet?

Starting late …

I know that a lot of other posts like this one have been put up but …
I’m thirteen y/o and I started ballet around four months ago.  For three months I’ve been taking two 1hr30-minute long classes per week.  I really love ballet and the studio I attend is really nice, but it doesn’t seem serious enough.  I think that may be because I’m in the Adult Beginners class.  Do you know if there’s any way I could sort of get to the level most serious ballet students are at my age? I know that it would take a lot of hard work! Thank-you!