The Ballet Bible
Discover the Secrets to Conquering Some of The Most Common Pitfalls You Face When Learning Ballet
Beginner’s Problems: Releve, turn, warm-upI just started ballet classes (adult beginners) and last week I had some problems doing releves without the barre. It doesn’t feel like I rely heavily on the barre, but I must be doing something wrong. Also, I get dizzy instantly while doing turns. Any tips here would be greatly appreciated. And finally: what do you recommend as warm-up while practicing at home or before class? Thanks for any advice given. Kaat October 11, 2006 | In Questions | 10 Comments10 Comments »RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI Leave a comment |
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Hold your core when you’re on releve. Keep your stomach muscles engaged and look straight ahead. Make sure that all your toes are on the floor – not just your first or last toes. Engage turn-out as well and you’ll feel more stable.
For turns – spot, spot, spot! I know you’ve probably been told this a hundred thousand times, but it’s the secret to stopping dizziness. Start off slowly – walk in a circle (on the spot) and practice flicking your head around. Because you’re not confident on your releve, you’re probably spinning rather than turning in a controlled fashion, making it harder to spot and avoid dizziness. HTH!
Comment by Andrea — October 11, 2006 #
Hi, you need to work on your core for your ballance, do core strengthening excercises like crunches/sit-ups, and prectise staning on demi-pointe really pull up, and make sure your posture is correct.
For turns, you need to spot, focus on a point on the wall, and whilst your spinning focus on that spot for as long as you can then whip your head around, and find the spot on the wall again, this stops the fluid in your ear from spinning, so you don’t get dizzy.
Abbie
Comment by Abbie Etheridge — October 11, 2006 #
first of all, check with your teacher. There may be some point that you’re missing in the instruction on how to do these exercises without falling over.
For the turning thing, have you been shown yet how to “spot”? It’s an essential part of turns in ballet, particularly in pirouettes (which I have trouble doing after 2 years of adult ballet, once or twice a week)!
For warming up at home, try learning and remembering some of the plies exercises that most classes start with at the barre. Get a copy of some ballet class music and practise to that (it really does help to put you in the right frame of mind). Someone once told me that the point of barrework before centre work is to help you find your centre (as well as warm up), so this may also help with your releve problems?
Comment by Jen — October 11, 2006 #
It sounds as if you need more strength in your abdomen and back, as well as possibly your thigh muscles. If you can find a pilates instructor or classes it would be very helpful. For warm ups at home, start with small things like sitting on the floor, doing circles with your feet (ankle), pointing and flexing many times, stretch on the floor, bicycle in the air, leg scissors, sit ups, arm circles. Warm up should be general, for your whole body, to get your blood flowing, so that you are ready to do plies and releves, doing plies and releves are not really a good warm up to do more plies and releves in class. A plie, done properly, is not an easy exercise because you have to use your stomach and back muscles to support the weight of your body on your legs, which are meant to stretch in a plie, not grab.
Comment by Zoe — October 12, 2006 #
You say you don’t think you rely on the bar much, how much of your weight would you say you put on it?
Perhaps try gradually getting off. One way to assure you’re probably using it less for balance is to switch from a whole hand to the tips of your fingers, then down to one finger. If you’re using it to balance yourself a lot, it will be apparent in what you feel in your finger’s sense of touch.
Comment by Tyciol — October 13, 2006 #
To start with your last point: before class, for us adults it is important to start warm. Regarding spoting: I also have problems and this still after 5 years of ballet. I can not find myself again when doing a turn. I know there is a method of picturing a spot in your orientation (re: Franklin Methode) but I have not found out how this can work for me. I have not much strengh in my ankles but I found that I can keep my balance best if I strech myself and hold myself in my lower back. This took me 4 years to find how to hold myself – keep on dancing and be pationed with yourself
Comment by Smart — October 13, 2006 #
Thanks everyone.
I just found out that I don’t shake if I don’t drink coffee in the afternoon before class…
And that it helps to look up in stead of down, while balancing without barre.
Ok, ok, stating the obvious here, but I kinda forgot.
It’s in the small things, right?
Kaat
Comment by Kaat — October 17, 2006 #
Kudos to you for being an “adult ballerina”:) I too, am an adult beginner (lol@35:) and am absolutely in LOVE with the art!!!
Good call on the “no coffee” before class:) Also, what may help is if you practice “calf raises” against the wall. (placing your hands on the wall for balance) Also, as mentioned above, make sure “ALL 10 TOES” are on the floor and your weight is over your ankles. (Make sure your ankles are not “leaning out” I used to do that:) This kind of practice has helped me quite a bit and I’ve found that releves are becoming easier:)
As for the spins…. Yeah, still working that out too:) From what I hear, if we practice “spotting” it will get easier:)
DANCE ON, GIRL!!
Comment by Marie — October 18, 2006 #
For balance on releves, pull in your core and imagine yourself as being attatched to a string which in turn is attatched to the ceiling and pulling you up. This helps me quite a bit.
Spotting will help you SO MUCH with turns/pirouettes. Actually, it gives you a lot of the needed momentum. Go slow to fast when you practice.
Finally…Stretching and warming up are intirely different things. So first – warm up. Warming up is like doing small low-strain excercises just to get you moving and, well, warm! =) After your muscles are warm, stretch slowly and carefully. If you do this right it should take you fifteen to thirty minutes just to get warm and limber.
I hope this helps and remember- dance dance dance! We ballerinas (even you slightly wiser ones ^_^) are an elite class of artists. We are special and remember that everytime you step on the floor.
Love, Audry!
Comment by Audry — October 21, 2006 #
It’s awesome that you’re doing ballet now. If it’s your goal to become a proficient dancer, don’t let anyone patronize you and say that you can’t improve just because you aren’t 13!
I just had to say that somewhere. About your balance doing releves: make sure you are engaging your butt muscles and abs. Also, you might have weak ankles which puts you off balance. Try practicing releves every day at home on the edge of the stairs. This also helps your calves look nicer
Spot, spot, spot when you’re doing turns!
Comment by Amy — November 4, 2006 #