Ballet Tips

In a world of arabesques and pirouettes, where do Downward Facing Dogs fit in? While Sun Salutations may not have a place at the barre, with cross-training and questions surrounding it remaining a hot topic in the ballet world, yoga can benefit dancers in a multitude of ways. Pilates is usually touted as being the…

Finesse Finesse is required in ballet to look fluid, strong and in control all at the same time.  It also allows a ballet dancer to use their muscles efficiently.  Think of finesse as taking the quick route back home from work… Why take the longer way when you can get home using half the time…

For enterprising ballet students, the beginning of the new year is a particularly exciting and nerve-wracking time.  January is the start of audition season and serious ballet students set their sights on getting accepted into a prestigious summer dance program. Summer intensives provide the opportunity for students to improve significantly in a short period of…

Dancers can get nervous on stage.  No matter how many times or years you’ve been performing, you may find yourself with butterflies right before the curtain comes up, or maybe even hours before! Often times, a dancer may get even more nervous than usual if he or she feels unprepared.  This unprepared feeling can stem…

Stretching and strengthening your feet have many benefits to your overall technique and presentation as a ballet dancer.  Dancers have found all sorts of ways to stretch feet over the years using all sorts of techniques like cramming their feet under a piano or couch, using tools built specifically to stretch feet, or even asking…

When most people hear the word “sickle” they likely think of a useful tool for harvesting grain.  While there may be a sickle appearing in a classical ballet or two (La Fille Mal Gardee, for example), when it comes to a dancer’s technique, they should always try to avoid it as it’s considered a mistake….