All Articles by BalletHub

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Grande battements are an essential step in ballet technique that form a base for more advanced steps including grande allegro.  Ballet students will typically learn how to do a grande battement in a beginner level ballet class.  Learn how to properly do a grande battement with our tutorial below. How to do a Grande Battement…

Turnout is an essential part of classical ballet technique and like many other aspects of technique is worked on every day!  You may say it is one of the more difficult qualities to master, considering how unnatural it is to the human body.  However, with proper training, care, and repetition, you can be on your…

It’s that wonderful time of the year!  And when we often find ourselves shopping for friends and family.  If one of your friends or family members is a dancer, and you’re not quite sure what to get them, you’re in luck!  We’ve assembled a list of some great gift ideas for dancers this holiday season. …

Have you been wondering how to get splits for ballet?  Or maybe how to become more flexible for ballet class?  Check out our video that shows you how to safely get your splits with easy stretches that you can do after class or at home!  This stretching method is very easy and basic, but provides…

The art of ballet has been loved for centuries, taking on various forms as the decades pass.  What started as a dance for the nobles, ballet would eventually become an art for audiences all over the world to see and be entertained by. The history of ballet spans several centuries, so let’s take a look…

There are thousands of dancers in the world but only a handful of famous male ballet dancers.  While famous ballerinas may often have the spotlight, let’s take a look at the men who’ve helped shape ballet into what it is today. Mikhail Baryshnikov When you talk about famous male ballet dancers, there is always one…

There are many amazing ballerinas in the world, but there’s only a handful of truly famous ballerinas.  Here’s BalletHub’s list of famous ballerinas, in no particular order because they’re all amazing in their own right: Margot Fonteyn Margot Fonteyn may be the all-time most famous ballerina in the world; the Babe Ruth of ballet. Fonteyn…

Turnout describes when a dancer rotates their legs outwards and is a major key aspect to the look and function of a ballet dancer’s technique. One of the first things a beginner might learn is how to stand in first position and how the toes should be facing outwards with the knees should be pointing…

Stretch If you’re trying to improve your penché, the first thing you will want to do is look at your flexibility. To achieve a 180 degree penché (where your arabesque leg is pointing absolutely straight to the ceiling), you have to be able to sit in a split and then some. If your split is…

Ballet dancers use their feet to make positions, jump, turn, and do just about every step in classical ballet. They are also a key to having great, balletic lines. No matter a dancer’s natural foot flexibility, it is important for all dancers to do exercises to increase the strength in their arch, toes and ankles….