All You Need to Know Before You Begin Ballet Class
by Anne Easterling
Description
For adults and athletes who would like to begin ballet training for the body and the brain...
You need to take this course first, before you go to your first class. Here’s why:
Walking into the typical adult beginner level ballet class can be a bit like visiting a foreign country where you do not speak the language. This is because unless you are enrolled in an absolute beginner class where every student has never taken a ballet class before, it is extremely unlikely that the teacher will have the time to explain the basic information that you need to know.
As a teacher and a retired professional ballet dancer, I still attend ballet class regularly. I take beginner ballet classes, despite having been professional, because of my age. Whether I am teaching beginning ballet, or attending beginner ballet class, I see the same problem recur over and over again.
A beginning student with no prior experience walks in, takes class, is overwhelmed, and never returns to ballet class again. This is a true shame, because, while beginning studies in ballet can be initially overwhelming, once you understand the basics it becomes enormously rewarding, not only physically, but mentally and emotionally, as well.
“All You Need to Know Before You Begin Ballet Class” is designed to provide you with all of the basic information that you need to be prepared before you go to your first ballet class, so that you can enjoy the experience and you can organize both your body and your mind to make the most of your studies.
In four 40-45 minute lessons plus one 70 minute lesson, this course covers everything from the practical issues of what to wear to class and how to hold the barre, to the essentials of basic ballet, to the structure and routine of class, to how to approach ballet class mentally.
Five Reasons to Study Ballet:
1. Ballet Promotes Good Health
Physical activity is an essential component of a healthy lifestyle, and ballet is a fabulous form of exercise that is unparalleled in terms of its thoroughness. Both adults and children walk less today, and in many cases children do not have daily gym class. Television, video games, and the internet have replaced physical activities.
Not only do ballet classes promote physical health, they also promote emotional wellness. By expressing oneself physically through movement to beautiful music, ballet classes give students a creative and joyous outlet for their emotions. The artistic aspect of ballet (in contrast with sports) can create a supreme sense of joy and spirit in both adults and children.
2. Ballet Build Confidence
With proper instruction, ballet can create enormous self-confidence. The mastery of the body alone gives a basic confidence in one’s physical self. Performing skills are fundamental components of ballet class, even if one never participates in performance. The ability to move and express oneself in front of an audience develops great self-confidence. Because ballet is challenging, self-esteem increases as students master difficult steps and sequences. This pattern of achievement can help both adults and children in other areas of life as they strive to achieve goals and apply themselves to life’s challenges.
3. Ballet Teaches Discipline
Ballet requires extreme precision. This in turn requires the student to learn the value of patience, persistence, and perseverance. The complexity of ballet technique teaches organizational skills and lends itself to creating order in life. Most of all, ballet training develops tremendous concentration skills. To succeed in ballet, students must train themselves to focus, shutting out extraneous distractions.
4. Ballet Exercises The Brain As Well As The Body
Ballet requires thinking with both sides of the brain. It develops strong creative thinking skills, mental multitasking skills, and imagination. The Ballet Club’s courses and classes emphasize mathematical skills to students through the use of spatial relationships, music, and rhythm. Quick memorization of sequences is essential.
5. Ballet Is Fun!
Fun does not begin to describe the joy that one can feel while dancing and learning ballet technique. Dancing is a joyful, exhilarating experience. To take space, to fly through the air, to make your body move in incredible ways is an experience that can rarely be matched. It is life- giving!
So, if you are interested in beginning ballet but have no prior experience, do not go into your first class unprepared!
Lessons
The Coach
Anne Easterling is a master ballet teacher and choreographer based in New York City. She has been a teacher of ballet since 1997, and is the developer of a unique approach to ballet instruction.
She is the founder of her own school, The Ballet Club. She has also been a past member of the faculty at Broadway Dance Center, Ballet Hispanico, Peridance Center, and The 92nd Street Y. Ms. Easterling received her Master of Fine Arts Degree in Dance from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.
Ms. Easterling has extensive expertise working with students of all ages, from as young as 2 years to as old as 72 years. She developed the course, “All You Need to Know Before You Begin Ballet Class” specifically for the adult beginning ballet student. In four 40-45 minute lessons, plus one 70 minute lesson, the course covers everything from practical issues including what to wear to class and how to hold the barre, the essentials of basic ballet, the basic vocabulary you need to know, the structure and routine of class, and how to approach ballet class mentally.
The course ends with a 70 minute "Sample Beginner Ballet Class" where the student can experience the typical beginner ballet class first in the privacy of their home, before attending a group class in person.
