How to Execute Ballet Movements

You've always wanted to study ballet and have finally signed up for a class, or maybe your child just started ballet and doesn't quite look like a dancer yet. Either way, there are things that you can focus on in order to execute ballet movements beautifully. Here are some tips to get you dancing.

Things You'll Need

• Ballet shoes

Instructions

1. Point your feet! There is nothing uglier in ballet than flexed feet. Even beginner ballet requires pointed toes. You may do exercises at the ballet barre in class to warm up by flexing your feet to stretch the foot and Achilles tendon, but any other movement in ballet calls for you to point your feet.

2. Turn everything out. Your teacher will most likely repeat the phrase,"Turn out!" She means that everything from you hips down should always be facing out. You may have noticed ballet dancers who walk like a duck with their feet turned out. After years of training, walking with "turn out" becomes natural. Try executing your "turn out " from the hip joint. You should always be attempting to have your legs facing the walls on either side of you while your torso remains facing front.

3. Sit facing the wall with your buttocks against it, and open your legs slowly. Let your legs open as far as they will go naturally and stay in this position for 5 to 10 minutes every day. Your legs will open wider as you remain in the position, and over time you will increase your flexibility, enhancing your "grand battements" (high kicks).

4. Build your muscle tone without getting bulky. It is important in ballet that your are strong. You will want long, lean and defined muscles. Work out with low weights, doing many repetitions for your arms, and concentrate on doing lunges to build the strength in your legs. You will need the strength to execute your ballet movements fully. Weak dancers tend to be sloppy dancers because they don't have the strength to finish each movement all the way through to the tips of their fingers and toes.

5. Finish each move. In ballet, even the muscles in your fingers should be working. You should never forget about a single body part. You will notice that the weaker you are, the harder it is to complete each movement in the allotted time. This might mean you have trouble finishing the move in time with the music or with your teacher's counting. Really focus on finishing every move all the way through to the tips of your toes and fingers when you are doing barre exercises. You will see the strength of your feet growing at the barre, and will see cleaner movements on the floor.

6. Take class. The one thing that is crucial to your execution of movement in ballet is taking class. Practicing at home and working out in the gym will only take you so far. You need the discipline only a qualified teacher can proviode. Even professional dancers constantly take ballet class.

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure you are wearing ballet shoes that are tight. The shoes will stretch out over time, and you may need to tighten the elastic.

• Don't quit because your body is sore! The more you dance, the more your body will get used to using its muscles in this new way.