#ballet beginner

[wonderingtemples]

How to start ballet when you're in your late teens and 20s

Hey everyone, I started ballet at the age of 22 so I wanted to make a how to start ballet post for people who didn't start doing ballet when they're younger.

My story: I wanted to do ballet since I was a child and had a poor upbringing so any social activity that required constant money was out of consideration. My passion for ballet ignited when I started watching ballet shows regularly and I wanted to try it. I first started on Ballet for Absolute Beginner series by Ballet Misfit and I did ballet with the help of it for 6 months. Then I graduated from college and got into a real ballet class for adult beginners after finding a job and getting my financial freedom. So I have been doing ballet for 2 years now consistently.

What to expect:

Passion and determination: you're an adult beginner in a dance that requires perfectionism. You'll feel like a duck during the first months, even the the first year until you get the hang of it. You need to enjoy the process and love doing ballet to survive the first months. Ballet is not a gate for slimming down or looking aesthetic ™ it's a near God damn sport and you need patience to get better at it.

Slow progress of flexibility: you're going to get flexible in time but you'll probably won't be able to do splits or an attitude in a month if you haven't been able to do them before. Flexibility is a slow process and it requires consistent effort. If you force yourself to get flexible immediately during the first months you'll sprain yourself and your progress will be even slower.

Muscle gains: doing ballet makes you gain serious muscles and you need to gain serious muscles to do ballet. You'll need core strength for that balances and calf strength for relevés. I recommend consistent practice targeting the leg and core muscles to be able to hold the balances longer.

Vocabulary: First thing first, you'll need to learn the names of the poses because it's a universal language in ballet. It's French and it's chic but learning the names of the poses is not that hard. You'll get the hang of it by time.

Online learning: Ballet Beginner series by Ballet Misfit is great to begin if you just like doing ballet don't have any ambitions to be dancer, be on Pointe or do the turns. However, it has some cons because you're most likely learn the poses wrong because there's no ballet teacher to fix your stance.

Finding a class: it's better tho find a class if you have the ambition to learn ballet. The most important thing is your teacher. You do not want a perfectionist Russian Ballet teacher when you're an adult learner. You'll need someone who is kind and patient. Also finding a class that is near you is a huge con.

Proper gear: it's everywhere and it's expensive. You can do ballet with usual tights and socks or proper Ballet clothes. The difference is that having proper Ballet shoes etc will give you more motivation to continue. The con is that it's expensive.

Caution: I am reminding again, Ballet is not an inherently pro-*na dance it's a damn near sport and an amazing dance form. Get your treatments if you have any Ed history.

Consistent practice: as always, practice makes perfect. Make sure to practice what you've learned in the class at home if you have time.

So this is all there's to expect as a adult ballet beginner. You can add anything if you're a pro or you have came across something else, I'm open to feedback.

Make sure to enjoy the process and don't hurt yourself. Have fun ����🩰

[beforeiread-studies]

Ballet as an adult beginner - first 6 months

I'm 22 and I signed up for an adult beginner ballet class in September 2023. It is now February 2024 and I have Things To Say.

My background

I've played Just Dance. That's the full amount of my dancing experience. Nor do I have any natural talent. My idea of dancing is jumping in place while throwing my arms around. If I can do ballet, you can too.

My experience

I take beginner adult lessons at a dance studio (no drop-in classes).

After the first lesson, I didn't want to sign up. We did what I can now recognize as extremely extremely EXTREMELY basic barre exercises, floor barre and arm movements. They are the building blocks of ballet and a precursor to everything else, but as an absolute beginner you don't know that and it can feel very boring & underwhelming.

But I realized: the worst that can happen if I sign up is being bored 2 times a week + some muscle gain and an improved posture. I decided to commit to one trimester and reevaluate after Christmas.

GOSH I'M SO GLAD I DID.

At the beginning, it's boring. It's ok. It's normal. Just keep going! In just a couple of lessons, the difficulty level increased and everything started to make sense too.

Our teacher is great. Those first simple exercises slowly built up our strength and coordination and each class became a little bit more challenging, a little more rewarding.

Soon, I found myself smiling broadly every time I walked home after a lesson. I became excited about every little improvement. I realized that I could do it, and more easily than I would have ever expected. Most importantly, I realized that I had always secretly wished to dance but I had never acknowledged it to myself.

And I'm very glad I've finally started.

Class structure

I do 2 1-hour classes a week. We start every lesson with barre exercises ie moving one leg and arm at a time while the other foot stands firmly on the ground and the other hand is on the barre to help with balance (at first, you will probably start with both hands gripping the barre).

Then we might do centre or diagonal exercises or both if there is enough time.

Centre is basically the barre exercises, but without any barre to lean on. You might think you've mastered an exercise at the barre, then get thrown in the centre and find yourself completely out of your depth again. That's ok, it's normal and you will get better. We also do jumps and various pas/ways to walk towards left/right.

Diagonal exercises is walking in diagonal from one corner of the room to another, but you are going to walk in weird ways. So far we've done things like pas de polonaise and preparation exercises for pirouettes.

During the first few lessons, we only did barre and floor barre, so don't worry about centre and diagonal just yet.

Before enrolling I had this idea that we'd do the same exercises over and over again for hours, with no breaks. But it's not like that. There is a "routine" at the barre that we do every lesson, yes, but every exercise is repeated only 1 time per lesson (per leg). That still allows you to improve quite quickly. You'll be amazed at your progress from just one week to the next.

Also, at first, the classes were very light but now they are a full-on workout so don't be deceived.

Other stuff to know

Can I learn ballet on my own? I don't recommend it, especially if you are a complete newbie like me. There are so many things I do wrong that I never even notice until my teacher points them out to me, again and again. If you don't know what you are doing you'll end up in weird positions that will just make the exercises harder + possibly injure yourself. A good teacher is also going to tailor the lesson plan to your needs and goals. If you can, go to live lessons, either in person or online.

What should I wear? Every school has its own rules but they shouldn't be too strict. I simply throw on some leggings, a tight-ish t-shirt and a zipped-up hoodie. It's important that the clothes more or less adhere to your body, so your teacher will be able to correct your posture more easily ie no oversized t-shirts. The only thing you really need are ballet shoes and your teacher will be able to direct you to a shop. Mine cost around 25€.

Will I lose weight? Maybe. I didn't lose weight according to the scale but that's probably because the little I lost became muscle. My arms are certainly stronger and in general I feel better in my own skin.

Will I become more flexible? Yes. We do a lot of stretching exercises.

Will it improve my posture? Yes. Or at least, you'll become more aware of your posture, which is a start.

Do I need to learn the terminology? Depends on your teacher. I didn't, because my teacher is willing to explain again and again what the various French words mean. Perhaps yours will be more strict.

Am I too old/too young/too fat/ too something else to start ballet? No. In my class, I'm the youngest at 22, while the oldest student is 52. We all have different body types. Some of us had previous dancing experiences (as children) and some didn't. Most of us were absolutely inflexible at the start and are slowly improving. And frankly, if anyone gives you shit about your age or body type or skill level, that's not good people and you should get out of there ASAP.

Just go for it!

*check the weblogs for updates*

[anthropologistfromentropy]

Had fun at my first ballet lesson :) I seemed to be the only guy there tho lol, I had expected there to be 1 or 2 others. It seemed very casual and nonjudgemental tho.

I think I did ok, though my memory for choreography sucks. It's probably a dyspraxia thing.

[beriadanwenlavaneth]

took 1 ballet class after not doing any whatsoever for 10 years, almost threw up, what a lovely start

[vskitty]

daily check-in: november 20th

workouts:

workout 1: full body barre workout 1 hour

workout 2: 5km walk

posture & flexibility exercises:

exercises/stretches: stretches in workout vid^^

step count: 11,126 steps

fasting:

stuck to my fasting window (12 pm - 8 pm): yes

notes: changing back to 16:8

water intake: 3 litres

what i ate:

lunch: tofu banh mi

snack: 2 dried apricots

dinner: quinoa salad with chickpeas and tahini sauce

notes/photo description or recipe:

weight: scales battery died

zone minutes: 119 minutes

supplements:

supplements taken today: b12

sleep quality:

hours of sleep: 9 hours

quality: good

[wispstalk]

I think Orcish societies would have a dance form like ballet. I know the typical image of the wispy ballerina but every ballet dancer I've ever known IRL has been jacked. The precise control in balancing on toes and leaping smoothly and holding arms upright in sweeping postures. The movements that emphasize the line of the muscles. Young warrior-dancers putting on beautiful displays of athleticism on holidays, choreographed to relay clan folklore and history through the language of gesture. Grace & flexibility are the philosophical and artistic high callings of Orcish culture because strength is useless without those things

[spirit-fingers22]

Part 1 of @halfalix 's request done!

Sorry this took so long. I hope you like it.

[divorcedwife]

it makes me so mad that people are actually right about physical exercise being good for the body and the mind. damn it

[imyoursiren]

Sitting out yet another class tonight because of my injury 😢

[rosenbraut]

🌹Utena inspired🌹 - loving and moving my body this week

Monday. rise and shine yoga [13 mins] // fencing footwork at home practice [16 mins]

Tuesday. power pilates [15 mins]

Wednesday. neighbour-friendly ballet cardio [12 mins]

Thursday. Yoga sculpt [14 mins] // pilates for balance [13 mins]

Friday. beginner ballet cardio [10 mins] // deep stretch for beginners [24 mins]

Saturday. ballet pilates workout [20 mins]

Sunday. pilates for strength & flexibility [24 mins]

___

This week (24.06.-30.06.), I felt inspired to try something new: A selection of workouts inspired by the masterpiece that is Shōjo Kakumei Utena. The inspiration here wasn't the body image of 90s Shōjo, but rather the ways the characters move. The idea was to pretend that I was preparing to fight those hyper mannerist duels. Since I'm very limited in what I can do at home (no kendo, no fencing, not even basketball...) AND since the duels themselves are metaphorical kaleidoscopes of dance, fencing and freudian shenanigans, I picked a selection that combines factors that would go into this way: focusing on strength, flexibility and endurance, as well as balance, grace and control.

[thesecretstoriesofme]

🎀 Beginner Ballet dancer update 🎀

Next week I start with two ballet classes a week. I am really excited. I feel out of shape after vacation. Hopefully these classes will help my body recover from traveling and too much holiday food.

This term I want to challenge myself.

• Remember the choreography. Don’t depend on the teacher or other students all the time

• Middle split straddle

• Get comfortable in split with both legs

• See improvement in strength and technique

I wish you much luck on your journey. I send angels to you. Accept any improvement with love.

If I suck during class it is okay. The time will pass anyways. At least I tried and will keep trying.

xoxo

Amanda

🩰❄️

[rhymeswithorange]

Met an older woman while coming into the studio today. Says she started studying ballet at seventy years old. Absolute legend.

[truciolidicuore]

Dancing frog 🐸🩰

[silly-spore]

Welcome!

Hi! I'm a beginner artist who creates by hand, whether that be by paint, pencils, or any other medium! Feedback is always welcome.

At the moment, I'm currently into several different Fandom including Star Wars, Minecraft, Booktok, Wings of Fire, Dance and others! If you have and art request I'm open as long as I'm comfortable with the subject!

If you read all of this, you have my deepest thanks and I look forward to creating for you in the future!

[potatoes642020]

Giselle, outfit 2 and 1

[imyoursiren]

What my day looked like with the ballet girlies <3