This is mostly for curiosity and general knowledge cuz I’m an adult dancer and don’t have active plans to start pointe/talk to my teacher about starting pointe yet (although i hope to, in the future).
i’ve been browsing instagram and there’s a lot of info on criteria for starting pointe, but I always feel like it’s more focused on the feet than on ballet technique. And also there are stories of adult dancers starting pointe within a year, but I must imagine that there’s only a certain level they can achieve in terms of technique due to the limited time that they’ve been learning ballet for. I’m sure they work very hard! But I guess as a comparison, kids wait a loooong time to earn their pointe shoes and have been working on technique on flats for years.
So yeah, I was wondering: What’s a helpful level of technique to have before starting pointe (ie you should try to reach that level regardless of whether your feet are ready)? And do y’all think there’s an overemphasis on the readiness of the feet (over readiness in technique) in adults starting pointe?
edit: thanks everyone for the comments!! I will get back to replying after work/at lunch!
I'm a very serious ballet teacher of the "old-school" type. Classical dance is my heart. When I first saw the PBT classes and exercises it looked very gimmicky. A way to sell certification and yoga balls. Has anyone consistently taken these classes and seen improvement? Has it helped alignment and strength? I am skeptical because if you simply take a quality class with a good teacher on a regular basis, you shouldn't need supplementary work, other than maybe some physical therapy if you've had an injury or extra stretching if some part of your body is tight. To learn how to do ballet, you have to do ballet. Am I old fashioned and myopic concerning PBT? Edit: Thank you everyone! You have all definitely given me a lot to think about. The discussion is certainly not a simple one. I have a chance to observe this kind of class a lot, so I'll keep my mind open see what more I can learn. Happy dancing all.
I’ve been seeing a lot of post lately that ask questions like “how do I fix this?” or “how can I do that?”. I don’t have a problem with these posts, it’s good to have discussions about these things☺️, but I do think it reflects a huge disconnect that a lot of teachers and students have in ballet.
** All of the basic things we do, the pliés, the tendus, they are what makes up the more complicated steps like pirouettes or grand allegro**. If you want to get better at the hard steps you need to listen to what your teacher tells you at the barre, it’s all connected. There’s no “secret” to doing pirouettes, it’s just an accumulation of using the correct technique.
And of course there are tips, like things to “visualize” that can help you in your turn. But I wouldn’t say that’s a secret, that’s just a tool. The components that make up the turn are your elements of technique, nothing more and nothing less.
And I see this with all the time with teachers too (especially in non ballet classes)! Teachers yelling at students to “point their toes” or “turnout”. Sometimes you do need to remind students of these things in the centre but usually these are issues of muscle memory and training. If a student needs to point their feet more it needs to be fixed at the barre, in tendus and jetes. That way the feet are trained to pointe automatically, and the dancers doesn’t always have to think about it all the time (like obviously you can’t think of all your technique while in the centre that’s like 1000 things to think about, that’s why we need to train our bodies to make it happen).
And you also need to tell your students “hey, see your foot in the mirror, it’s flexed? Try to remember point it this time, but also remember at the barre when I told you to really stretch through your foot? If you focus on that during barre, pointing your foot will become second nature”. Young students don’t understand why barre is important, if you don’t tell them that it’s to train their technique they won’t work hard to fix things (especially students who take ballet to help their other styles like jazz). Some dancers want to be good ballet dancers, some are just there because they have to be. But if you tell them that focusing on this and this will fix their pirouettes in jazz, they will work harder. I teach the same students in ballet and in jazz, 90% of the corrections I give are “remember this thing we did at the barre today, if you can fix that thing, then this jazz move will be f
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Apologies if this question has been asked before. I never got to learn ballet as a child because my parents were religious and viewed dance/music as sinful. I loved watching ballet though and have watched it since I was six years old.
I know that learning ballet as an adult means you won't ever be able to become a professional famous ballet dancer. Nor do I want to be one. However, if I spend money on ballet classes I do want to make sure that I am actually learning the same things that professional ballerinas started out learning when they took ballet as children.
I see a lot of ballet classes being advertised near me but they are called 'ballet for fitness' etc. I am already a physically fit person as I am a regular gym goer. I don't want to go to a ballet class that will dumb things down and make it more about fitness/cardio than teaching actual ballet techniques.
So if you have been to adult ballet classes can you share your experiences?
Can folks familiar with any of the three techniques above recommend resources outlining the differences between them? (I.e. differences in approaching jumps; fouettes; partnering; etc)
I take ballet classes for 3 hours a week. I want to take other classes that will also help me with my endurance, core strength and flexibility. Any indications? I'm familiar with pilates and yoga but also looking for new ideas.
Hi all,
I just noticed some PBT classes pop up on my school's timetable, so I did a bit of research and found that it's also offered online as well. https://pbt.dance/
Has anyone else here attended any of these classes? Or do any of you have the dvds/subscribe online? Just interested in getting some feedback. I'm an adult beginner with old injuries, and am looking to build up my strength.
(Sorry if something similar has been posted previously, I did a search but couldn't find anything).
Cheers.
So I have a bunch of series of children’s dance music called Fantasy Garden… But I can’t use that because it’s not licensed where I work. I was looking to see if there were any songs such as row row row your boat or anything in the open and free catalog that has been changed to ballet or dance terminology.
I have the NYC Ballet DVDs and love them but I was hoping to check in with you all to see if there are any recommendations for ballet technique DVDs (especially for stretching and flexibility). There seems to be a variety of options out there and what I am really hoping to do is make sure I am not learning improper form or poor technique (for instance, there are a million popular hybrids that may be great for simple weight loss, but would not be sufficient for someone hoping to learn precision and proper form).
Yes, I get it. It's a culturally hegemonic dance form. God forbid you try to study dance medicine outside of it though.
I'd take Summer dance courses like I used to all the time, but I can't afford losing work hours this time. I'm by no means a pro in any of these dance styles, and I've also done swing, ballroom, modern, folklorico, other stuff.
I just want an informal dance buddy to meet up with after 5pm a couple of times a week to help me practice technique since I'm a little rusty--and if I go long enough without dancing or performing I go crazy. :Y
So if any of you are interested, boy or girl, leave a comment or PM me. Or if any of you know someone who might want to do this, I'd appreciate you letting them know. Let's be frans.
Hello Everyone,
My name is Calvin Payne H. I am a dance instructor. I teach many forms of dance including: Classical Ballet, Contemporary Dance, Post-Modern Release Technique, Improvisation and Choreography/composition. I also teach Contemporary Dance History. I am very excited to be on TakeLessons.com as I would love to spread the life lessons I have gained from this beautiful art form. If you are interested in learning more about dance check out my profile!
I am also willing to travel up to 25 miles
Here is my resume: http://takelessons.com/profile/calvin-h1
I’m new to this thread so unsure whether it has been spoken about before but who did you think should’ve won? Personally I liked Chloe’s
is it just me or I have like never seen any of the abby lee miller dance company girls dance in pointe shoes??
Hi! A few days ago I started practicing ballet (first time) through some learning videos I found online. I wish I could go to a studio, but between money and covid and everything... that's just something for the future
Anyways -- one thing that worries me, is making sure I'm not hurting myself, since I've got nobody actually watching after me. Especially having scoliosis, I have to be extra careful
How do I make sure I'm able to learn safely and make sure I'm not injuring myself? What kinds of aches and pains are normal for beginners (I'm sure some pain is normal haha, but when is it a sign that something's wrong?)
What does it have to do with bad warm up, crash landing from a jump, twisting from a pirouette, or getting crushed from lifting.
I am super excited as I am going to lift up a few female dancers in the class next week! I am an adult beginner and have been learning ballet for more than a year now and I am so happy but nervous. I have never done this before and I haven't prepared for this yet. As far as I am concerned it is not going to be super difficult but I am still wondering what to expect and prepare. Most importantly I don't want to injure my partners and since there are fewer guys I probably have to do a lot of lifting.
EDIT: After the class.
There are 20ish female dancers and only two guys! The class was filled with streams and I notice that female dancers are really more scared than we are. Of course, everything is a mess and no one got hurt, except the fact that I probably need to eat a lot of pizza to compensate. Apart from that, it is soooooo much fun.
There are several very interesting pieces of advice that I think has helped a lot.
- A new Leotard. Yes, the ladies are super grateful.
- Asking where she will be comfortable to be held. There is occasionally body contact (which happens when there is chaos), but because we have stated that in advance, no one was angry.
- The belly button in. It saves my back.
- By coordinating plies, it is shockingly easy to lift them high. However, it is really difficult to put them down elegantly. It doesn't help the lady can start to panic. I think more practice is needed.
In short, you guys are AWESOME!
I’ve decided I wanna pursue a musical theatre degree at the Australian Conservatorium when I finish school this year. It’s not like my singing and acting couldn’t use work but they’re definitely things I’m strong in!
But oh boy dance.
I haven’t danced in maybe 6 years? I’m starting the process of getting into shape so I can start getting better at dance. I read the audition and it said it requires 30 seconds to a minute of improvised jazz to get in. So obviously I should just take jazz right?
But like is 6 months going to be enough time to learn how to do jazz? Also I can’t find any beginner jazz dance classes in my area.
I just need some help from dancers, what dancing should I study to prepare for musical theatre besides jazz and where do I start?
New to ballet and dance, I was told this is the base to all dance…is this true?
Hello everyone hope you are doing well. What do you think each girls best style would be?
I'd take Summer dance courses like I used to all the time, but I can't afford losing work hours this time. I'm by no means a pro in any of these dance styles, and I've also done swing, ballroom, modern, folklorico, other stuff.
I just want an informal dance buddy to meet up with after 5pm a couple of times a week to help me practice technique since I'm a little rusty--and if I go long enough without dancing or performing I go crazy. :Y
So if any of you are interested, boy or girl, leave a comment or PM me. Or if any of you know someone who might want to do this, I'd appreciate you letting them know. Let's be frans.
