Barre in classical ballet is a horizontal, often wooden or metal, bar that is fastened to the walls, or free-standing with supports on either side, in a rehearsal studio or class room. While doing barre exercises, a dancer will stand and hold on to the barre for additional support.
Every ballet class begins with exercises at the barre. Whether you’re a first time student or a seasoned professional dancer, taking a barre is essential to a ballet class, getting warm for a rehearsal or performance, and fine tuning your ballet technique.
While the ballet barre is there for suppport, it is not meant to completely support a ballet dancer’s weight. Proper technique enables a dancer to have very light pressure on the barre, almost as if it was an accessory rather than a necessity to do exercises at barre.
