Beginning Ballet: Ballet Stretching

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Ballet Stretching

Ballet Stretching is something every dancer needs to do before and after class.
Why? It's important to stretch out the muscles to release any tight limbs. By stretching often, it will lengthen out the muscles and let you gradually become more flexible.

There are many different factors that can affect a dancer to improve their flexibility:

Type of joint - Some joints are not designed to be flexible. It's important to understand what your own body is capable of.

Body Temperature - You're more flexible when the body is warm. That's why, whenever stretching, it's necessary that you're well warmed up.

Age - Younger people are generally more flexible than adults.
This might not make sense because all professional dancers who are adults are flexible. However, they have worked to be flexible all their life so it's now a natural part of how their body functions.

Gender - It isn't always the case, but females are often more flexible than males.

Time of day - Most dancers are more flexible in the afternoon than the morning.

Temperature - A warmer place to work in is more beneficial to increased flexibility.

Injuries - Injured muscles offer less flexibility than healthy ones.

Ballet stretching should relax the muscles. Whenever stretching, it needs to be a gentle process which you ease in to.
No stretch should make you feel like your in agony; the whole point to stretching is to relax and loosen the muscles.
The main stretches dancers use to relax the muscles are the hamstring stretch, calf stretch and quad stretch.
Dancers stretch for several important reasons. It lengthens out the limbs which loosens any tight muscles. It also increases flexibility which is vital to any dancer.
Every dancer needs to have flexibilty. This would mean to have loose limbs and to have the strength to maintain high legs whilst dancing.
The more dance training you do, the more flexible you will become. For example. by doing Grand Battement and Adage regularly will improve your flexibility.
I know very few dancers who are naturally incredibly flexible. The majority of dancers have to work for it.
Flexibility comes along with a lot of strength. It's something that will come in time with the combination of hard work, stretching and training.

1 comment:

scenebaby15October 9, 2012 at 5:05 AM
love the you know if you a dancer when... those are so true mom always laughs at me in the store :)got my pointe shoes three weeks ago . god i am i love.... they always say love hurt didnt they ?
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You know your a dancer when...

You dance down the hallway instead of walk.

You perform calmly before crowds yet suffer anxiety during school tests.

You are well coordinated in class but trip over your own feet walking.

A new leotard makes your whole day.

The top shelf in your closet is stuffed with your old costumes and dance shoes.

You can't sit still when you hear music.

You know a combo to every song that comes on the radio.

You noticed every mistake made in a dance movie or TV show.

You sit in a straddle when you are watching TV.

You have blisters on your feet for life.

Your body cracks loud enough to stop class but you don't even hear it.

Your feet have more blisters than your toes.

You point your toes even during sit ups.

Practice makes perfect isn’t just a saying but a way of life.

All your friends are eating dinner while you are in class.

You can't remember a time when your feet were soft and uncallused.

Every hard floor is a place for practicing.

You know that the frog is not an animal, but a stretch.

You sit up straight in your chair work/school.

You don't dance for a week and even your brother notices.

You have an entire drawer devoted to your old dance stuff.

You have washboard abs from those 200 sit ups before class every day.

You own 25 pairs of shoes and 20 of them are 4 dance.

You have bigger muscles than the guys @ school.

Everything you do has to do with dance.

You suddenly can't count past 8.

You look for good dance web sites whenever u r online.

You sit in a straddle on the floor comfortably.

Watching TV is not a time to relax but to stretch.

Before everything you do you say 5-6-7-8.

You laugh at a non-dancer when they say their feet hurt.

You defend dance with your life when friends make fun of it.

You point your toes during pull-ups in gym class.

You don't mind when people tell you your feet stink.

You have bobby pins on the floor around your whole house.

You do not think its weird when boys wear tights.

The first impression people have on you is dance.

You have tons of makeup but rarely where it to work/school.

You are at the studio more than you’re home.

Dance is life and the rest is just spare time.

Your vocabulary includes Band-Aids, wedgies, sweat, determination, and guts!

People mistake you for a rubber band.

You know most barres aren't in jails.

"Practice makes perfect.” isn't just a saying, but a way of life.

You have the ability to balance your body on five toes, yet cannot bend over to pick the clothes up off the floor of your room.

You walk with your toes first unconsciously.

You carry a bottle of nail polish around in your purse to stop those darn runs in your tights.

Your dad bought stock in BandAid.

You can learn the dances to music videos like that (snaps fingers).

All the things you get for Christmas relate to dance.

When you are walking, you count your steps but only go up to 8 and start all over again.

You never leave home with out your hair spray and bobby pins.

You have memorized every color tights of they sell at the local dancewear store.

You have ever fallen asleep in the splits.

You have ever said "200 sit-ups…no prob."

Glitter is imbedded in you skin for life.

Instead of calling rooms “rooms,” you call them "studios."

You consider tights a fashion accessory.

At the start of the new school year, the first pictures in your locker are the ones from dance camp.

You refer to half time of a football game as "intermission."

You have never heard of the words whining and wimps.

You seem at least 5 inches taller to everyone from walking on the balls of your feet all the time.

The "Simple Life" to you is dance practice 6 days a week, 8 hours a day.

You practice your leaps and turns down empty aisles in the supermarket.

You're more comfortable in dance clothes than in your regular clothes.

You don't worry what you look like in a bathing suit. It's just like your leotard, and you wear that every day.

Center stage isn't a place, it's home.

You own hair gel. LOTS of hair gel.

You have to ask, "Do you mean class class or dance class?"

"What's your studio?" is a conversation starter.

You use the time you're logging on the internet or booting up the computer to practice splits.

You don't understand when people don't know what plies are.

You scare people 'cause you kick so high.

When you hear music, you start counting in series of 8s.

You can whip up a ponytail in 5 seconds flat.

You walk around your house in releve to strengthen your calves.

Everyone at work/school knows you as…"You mean the one who can walk on her toes?"

Everyone at schools says, "You just have to dance in the talent show."

You’re glad rehearsals are indoors so they never get called off cause of bad weather.

You carry yourself like a Diva: back straight, head up, long back, shoulders straight