Ballet is a superb workout, great for toning and developing long, sleek muscles. So put on those ballet shoes and dance the blues away
WHILE THE majority of us are happy to appreciate ballet from the comfort of a theatre seat, the past two years have seen a spike in interest in adult beginners’ ballet lessons.
Classes have long been available for children, but rarely for adults. There was a perception that unless you took classes as a child there was no place for you in ballet, but it can be taken up later in life and has a lot to offer both physically and artistically.
Several ballet schools spotted this niche in the market and now see packed adult classes, both with people returning to ballet after several years and complete beginners. Anyone harbouring a desire to dance can take advantage of the beginners’ classes springing up around the country and see if this graceful form of exercise is for them.
Think ballet is a lot of prancing around and not terribly athletic? A prima ballerina can execute 32 fouette turns while staying in the same spot on the floor. The tips of her pointe shoes will be hot to the touch when she is finished.
A 2008 study led by Prof Tim Watson and Dr Andrew Garrett of the University of Hertfordshire, found that ballet dancers are fitter and up to 25 per cent stronger than international swimmers. Ballet has been used by American Footballers since the 1970s to improve balance, footwork and agility. While sports like rugby or weight lifting build and bulk out the body, ballet develops long, sleek muscles – giving that graceful dancer’s physique. Anyone practising regularly will notice this lengthening of muscle as they develop a “ballet line”.
It gives a cardiovascular work out, will burn excess fat as well as delivering great all-round body toning. The stomach and leg muscles in particular firm up fast. Regularly practising greatly increases suppleness of the joints and muscles, one of the best benefits of ballet.
Dancing is a very enjoyable way to exercise. It is sociable, expressive, a great stress buster and brings benefits to the mind as well as the body.
A study published in The New England Journal of Medicinelooked at 11 forms of exercise and found that dance was the only one which decreased the risk of dementia in older people by 63 per cent.
Ballet evolved out of 17th century court dances in France, and French remains the language of ballet to this day. Many showbiz stars have used ballet to enhance their careers including Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Patrick Swayze, Victoria Beckham, Marilyn Monroe, Michael Jackson and Madonna. The uniquely graceful Brigitte Bardot, Audrey Hepburn, Jackie O and Princess Diana are all renowned for their regal stature, the result of rigorous ballet training.
A basic requirement of ballet is to stand very straight with the upper body lengthened from the pelvis and hip bones parallel, making it one of the rare exercise programmes that develops poise and elegance.
Learning to dance with correct alignment will develop grace outside the dance studio as ballet instruction “leaks” into everyday life. Ballet is particularly good for people who are desk-bound at work and prone to slouching and poor posture. Back pain is often the result of weak core muscles and ballet will strengthen this muscle group, giving support to the spine.
Most ballet teachers are happy for beginners to observe a class to see if it is for them. Lessons are 60-90 minutes long and begin with barre exercises designed to develop the poise, strength and technique that ballet demands. This is followed by jumps, pirouettes and turns in the centre of the studio – the “dancing” part of the class.
Ballet gear has huge appeal and many beginners rush out to buy leg warmers, satin slippers and wrap-around tops. Unless you are dying to get kitted out, you don’t need to buy much. It is a good idea to invest in a basic pair of leather or canvas ballet slippers which can be bought for about €16 at a dance wear shop. Classic ballet wear (black leotard and pink tights for women, black tights and T-shirt for men) is designed to allow the teacher see whether the muscles are working properly. Those who balk at the idea of getting into a leotard and tights can wear any form-fitting workout clothes that will enable the teacher to see the line of the body.
Lisa Tyrell (whynotdancecompany.com) teaches adult ballet classes at beginner, intermediate and advanced level at Dance House, Dublin. She encourages anyone interested in trying ballet to have fun and not be intimidated – “come watch a class, see what people are wearing, what people look like . . . that all shapes and sizes are doing it”. Students range in age from 16 to 45 and classes are open to men and women.
“I have plenty of students in the 30-40 age bracket who have never done ballet before. I get them to focus on different areas of the body to begin with . . . just the leg work while keeping the hand on their hip so that they are not overloaded with too much information at once which scares people off.”
Keen to try something that would combine exercise and art, Katie Kent signed up to a beginners’ adult ballet course and was surprised by how challenging it was, “it is so much harder than it looks . . . even to just stand properly in ballet works your muscles”.
Being office based most of the week, she found it refreshing to “use your body gracefully after being hunched over a desk all day”. Her impression was that people weren’t taking themselves too seriously, “I got a good sense of solidarity . . . people were having fun, but I imagine most of us won’t end up with the Bolshoi any time soon!”
BEGINNERS' BALLET CLASSES:
DUBLIN:Dance House, Foley Street, Dublin 1. Tel: 01 8558800. Web: danceireland.ie
GALWAY:The Corrib Dance Academy,
25C Briarhill Business Park, Ballybrit.
Tel: 091 799703. Web: corribdanceacademy.ie
CORK:Cork Dance Academy,
6 Popes Quay. Tel: 021 4630063.
Web: corkdanceacademy.com
If you prefer to dip your toe in at
home before trying a group class, try the
New York City Ballet Dance Workout DVDs,
the gold standard in ballet workout DVDs.
