Ballet for Everybody: The Basics of Ballet for Beginners of all Ages

It is a Good Idea to Practice at Home

Especially,

if you dream of taking ballet classes but hesitate for some reason. You will learn what kind of exercises a ballet class consists of. You can experiment in practice and find out if this is your thing.

if you have been dancing ballet in your youth. This book is a memory help – especially when some of the rules are a bit difficult and therefore easy to forget.

if you practice ice skating, gymnastics, aerobic, or any other training form and want to make progress.

if you are already taking ballet classes. Then it is a good idea to go back to basics from time to time. You have now the possibility to concentrate on things that are especially difficult for just you.

if you only have the possibility to take classes only once or twice a week, and want more.

if you study some other dance form (or forms) and don’t have the possibility to take ballet classes as well.

if you are a beginner and perhaps not so fit. The basic barre exercises are good for everybody, just follow the instructions carefully. Additional pilates exercises can help you to understand the basic posture, if there is a problem. Stretching is also recommended; better mobility is always an advantage.

General Instructions

At home, you can train with socks on, if the floor is not too slippery. Gymnastics or jogging shoes are not good for ballet.

If you decide to go on with ballet training, the first thing to buy is a pair of soft ballet slippers. They are made of cloth or leather. Bend the heel of the slipper as in the picture: this shows the place where you must sew a rubber band.

Silk ribbons round the ankle are for pointes ballet shoes, they are not necessary with soft slippers. (Dancing on point is a thing that requires a live instructor and a few years of ballet studies. It is not something you can learn from a book at home.)

Next, you need a barre. A steady couch or arm chair is fine. Sport shops also sell different kinds of barres – for ballet, for push ups or chin-ups.

Anyway, you should not lean on the barre or couch with all your weight – your hand on the barre should be light, relaxed. Preferably, you should hold the fingers, the thumb included, on top of the barre.

A mirror helps a lot, at least occasionally.

Your hair should be tied so that it is out of the way. Otherwise it is not so important what you are wearing. But you should keep yourself warm in the beginning of the training session. And of course, tights and leotards are good when testing postures in front of a mirror.

Music is an essential part of ballet training. I recommend dancemelody.com where you can download music especially designed for ballet practice. It’s free. (See page →.)

The Basic Posture

"A dancer must maintain the correct posture through the entire performance, otherwise the whole movement collapses. The strength required in this upward striving posture comes from the muscles in the belly, buttocks and back.

A good, upward striving posture makes it possible for the upper body, neck and head to move freely without any sign of muscle strain, and for the arms to move smoothly and effortlessly from the shoulder blades."

Birgitta Kiviniemi-Cheremeteff

A former principal ballerina in the Finnish National Ballet and a ballet teacher

In the following, the basic posture is described in a somewhat pedantic manner.

You should not underrate these rules. Only when your posture – from the tip of the toes to the fingertips – is controlled and becomes a conscious habit, you will have an almost meditative experience from your ballet training. It is not gymnastics anymore, but a comprehensive practice of body and mind. This makes you relaxed, refreshed, and gives you profound satisfaction.

Remember that all barre workout is, at the same time, exercise in learning the basic posture. Your posture, balance, and control of your body improve if you do these exercises in a conscious way – and only then.

Basic Posture on the Floor

In this position, it is easier to concentrate on essential things: pulling the belly button inward and finding the neutral position of the lower spine – this means maintaining the natural curve of the spine. Your buttocks are not in the way, you need not worry about the balance and your joints are at rest. To find and activate the muscles of your lower stomach is the foundation of a good posture.

All movement starts in the center. This is also true in classical ballet, even if it looks like only your legs and arms are