Never late: Girls about ballet instead of fitness
We used to think of ballet as refined art., inaccessible to most people: since childhood, we hear that ballet dancers are the most slender, thin and flexible, but you need to learn this skill from an early age, otherwise it will be too late. Some of us grew up retaining this conviction, while others overcame themselves and learned the ballet from a new perspective. Today, this is not only a classic presentation, which is appropriate to observe from the height of a velvet chair, but also a great way to keep yourself in shape. Ballet schools for adults appear, sports areas are developed, inspired by classical dance. Five girls, for whom ballet with fitness elements is the main physical activity, told us what he gives them and why every one of us can start dancing.
In childhood I had gutta-percha joints and phenomenally soft ligaments, so the pediatrician advised mom to give me to rhythmic gymnastics. When I was ten, the whole family went to the Bolshoi Theater for the Schelunchik ballet. I was impressed by what I saw, I also wanted to dance. My parents were against a gymnastic career, so they supported my desire, although no one in the family came across a ballet environment and did not know how much effort I needed to put in and how many injuries I could endure before I could go on stage.
I became a prima ballerina, once I danced the lead part in Swan Lake and my partner dropped me while I was being supported. After the performance, an ambulance took me away with a concussion and a lot of injuries. I finished my stage career, but I had a desire to give the opportunity to do ballet to everyone who wants it, regardless of age and ability. I conducted master classes and saw a lot of ballet schools: somewhere they thought that before going on stage, children had to learn all the basics of classical dance and be able to perform exercises, somewhere that after 40 years you can’t sit on splits or stand up on pointe shoes. All this does not seem to me a hindrance.
The main direction that I develop is fitness ballet. It is built on the basics of dance, but adapted for any level of training. In classical ballet classes a lot of static exercises. They are difficult to perform if the muscles are not trained: a person will not be able to use them. To do this, in the fitness ballet there is a preparatory stage on the carpet, which helps to warm and feel the ligaments, joints and muscles. I build traditional methods of teaching dancers Agrippina Vaganova, but I include elements of Pilates, stretching, gymnastics bodyflex, methods of treatment of Dikul's spine, as well as my own practices (among them, changing exercise types, step level exercises and exercises for individual muscle groups).
Like classical ballet, such a complex gives a healthy posture, a beautiful walk and a toned body. In addition, fitness ballet develops a sense of rhythm and coordination of movements. To keep yourself in shape, it is enough to engage in twice a week, and if there is a goal to achieve special success or lose weight - three or more. Whatever the task, you should not try to solve it in a week. The main thing - the regular load. Do not think that professional ballerinas have chiseled figures because they do not eat anything - there is tremendous physical exertion in ballet that cannot be sustained if you starve.
I started doing ballet quite late - at 23. I always wanted to dance, but I still couldn’t find time. When I invited the ballerina to dance with my daughter, I asked to tell me the basics and got involved. Now I study three times a week at La Prima school. Thanks to the ballet, I began to perceive the body differently in space, to feel and control it. Stretched muscles around the joints and the body, I became more flexible, and my gait - softer. And now I turn not with my head, but with my whole body.
The first year did not work. I felt like a staggering tower that was about to crack. Once I was going after the next class and met a man who I really liked. He first offered to drink coffee with him. I refused, realizing that a step away from the house - and I can not return, everything hurts so much. Time passed, we met again. And he admitted that he didn’t dare to call me somewhere for a long time, and when he decided, and I refused, with such an arrogant face, I realized that I didn’t like it at all. So we were separated by dancing.
Ballet brings not only pain - it gives confidence in his body, the joy of victory, energy, the desire to be better. Classical dance broadens the mind: it is not a monotonous physical culture, you need to think here. Ballet forces one to get in shape: the muscles dry out and are pulled out from intensive exercises. Usually, everyone starts with warming up sweat, then in different ways. If the day is devoted to stretching the back, then follow the swing, bridges, and more. If parallel twine, then most of the lesson is devoted to the groin muscles, and, in fact, the twine is worked out at the very end. For the machine, too, there are some days. At the end of the class, we usually practice pointe.
The main difficulty is to decide on more, force yourself to take another approach, even if you already have very little strength. During the session, all the muscles work - even those that never seemed to be inside. You can discover much in yourself. Ballet can be traumatic - if you put your foot in the wrong place, it is not enough to twist the joints, to distribute the load incorrectly. This is not a simple exercise, not a dance in pleasure - this is serious. But one has only to start and regularly study at least a year - every achievement will become a discovery.
For ten years I was part of the New York City Ballet troupe and during that time I learned how to take care of my body. Having created the Ballet Beautiful methodology, I found a way to share knowledge with a wide range of people. This is not a classic ballet class, but an inspired series of training sessions, which gives anyone the opportunity to build a ballet body: dry, with long muscles and chiseled forms. The bodies of the dancers are unique because of the large number of muscles that they use in their daily workouts. I combined classical exercises with fitness. This allows everyone to work out the muscles of the legs, torso, buttocks, arms, and the press in the same way as ballet dancers - without weights and equipment.
I start exercising with stretch marks to relax and warm the body, then bring to tone specific groups of muscles with exercises on the mat. After that, dance cardio begins - about 15–20 minutes of tangles from classical ballet, jumps, and training at the bench. At the end - exercises on the press, which include statics and vacuum, and working out the muscles on the hands - both with the help of ballet movements and positions, and on the carpet. In order to functionally build muscles, stretching should be done after each exercise.
To keep myself in shape, I do only fitness ballet, not counting the fuss with two daughters. In my opinion, the key to a healthy body with clearly defined muscles is not to kill oneself with hours of cardiovascular exercise. It is important to work with the resistance of your body and work out individual muscles. My favorite methods are ballet squats and exercises for the buttocks and hips in the pose of the bridge. To see significant changes, I recommend practicing an hour from three to five times a week. In two or three weeks the body will come in tone. This is the difference between my method and classical ballet, which is not enough for a non-professional to keep himself in shape. In a fitness ballet, beginners rather quickly begin to feel their body and own it - you get used to it. Natalie Portman began to train with me to prepare for the role in the film "Black Swan": six years have passed since the premiere, but even now from time to time she continues to practice.
I came to the ballet from rhythmic gymnastics: after finishing my career, I was a coach at a junior sports school, and then turned into a ballet dancer. Thanks to the dance body becomes flexible and coordinated. The main plus is that the whole muscular corset is actively working, this is how ballet differs from a regular fitness workout.
Any occupation - whether it is a classic or other areas, goes in the same way: warming up, the main part, hitch and stretching at the end of the workout. If you follow the diet (it’s enough for me to limit carbohydrates), stably practice three times a week, combining classical dance with a more energetic fitness body-ballet and adding stretching, you can not only keep fit, but also, if you wish, get rid of excess weight. Music helps a lot in setting up the right mood during class. When I teach body ballet, I like to hold classes for modern music with a pronounced rhythm, but for classical exercises, classical accompaniment is best suited.
I like that ballet is gaining popularity in wide circles and is perceived as a kind of physical activity. In the modern form of teaching is a good alternative to the gym or running. You can recharge your batteries and get emotional bonuses: after classes, the mood rises, lightness appears in your body and mind, I charge so much that I want to move mountains. This is facilitated by full feedback in training and participation in the "near-ballet" life - for example, we are always watching with interest new productions.
A couple of years ago, I went to a running camp. In my group was Kate, a teacher of choreography in the children's theater of dance "The Seasons". I told her that I always wanted to try dancing, but I thought that ballet should be done only from a young age. Before that, I was looking for classes for adults, but I was scared of the reviews: as if the teachers wanted you to understand and remember everything. It was terrible to come to the group and look like a fool. Katya seemed to be a professional, her posture caused a good envy, and I decided to try. I started practicing with her once a week, then twice a week, and a year later we gathered a group, rented a gym and created the school Simple Ballet. Now I train with girls three times a week and one more at home or with Katya. Without it, I would not start: Katya can explain well, corrects in time and selects well-aimed comparisons for my mistakes.
The movements in ballet classes look simple, but in order to properly take the leg to the side, you need to stretch the foot, calf, thigh, ass, press and back. And a hand if it is not on the machine. By the end of warming up, I usually have wet clothes, by the end of classes - sometimes even hair. In addition to ballet, I sometimes run, wring out and do exercises for the feet. This is important for a beginner: stability and strong feet - the base. Ballet makes the body work entirely without isolating the muscles. Over time, the back, press and sides form a hard corset, the legs become stronger and well-shaped.
The first year was funny to look at myself in the mirror, especially during the spins: Katya made a swing of her hand, gracefully rose on her toes and rotated on one leg 360 degrees. Following me, waving my arms and legs, did something resembling the death-wrenching manatee convulsions. Her remarks are offensive, but this is ballet, and it is not sugar. This is hard work, discipline and routine, and not run a courage on courage. Sometimes it seems that you will never be able to advance further, but you just need to work - and the jump will occur.
Ballet gave me more than any other kind of workload. I stopped slouching and kosolapit, although I was sure that at 28 this could not be changed, I began to stand, sit and walk in a different way. I feel flexible, thin and very strong - this is the best feeling in the world. I eat like in childhood - intuitively and only when I want. The only rule is a very small breakfast before class, so that the stomach would be drawn in without problems and satiety would not interfere with gathering. With all the pasta, bread, desserts and creamy sauces, in two years of classes I returned to weight, which I was 19 years old. And I, of course, will rejoice when I sit on the splits or learn to dance well, but this is not the main thing. I like the feeling that at the beginning of the lesson you put your hands on a wooden machine, you like to sew elastic bands to ballet shoes, like leotards and swimsuits with a bare back. I like it, even when nothing happens. This journey is a process for the sake of a process.
Photo: The Royal Ballet School of Ballet Met (1, 2), Ballet Met