New!! Reviewed by FitEngine.com

Hi Dancers,

Check out the wonderful review of Body Ballet by Nicole Touzien on FitEngine.com. Please feel free to pass on the review to your friends!

Love,
Anna

Hi Dancers,

I hope that you are getting ready to start the Dance year with energy and a new found enthusiasm! I certainly have.

I had a wonderful experience this summer, teaching a 4 week Ballet Intensive to young dancers ages 12 to16 and I wanted to share how much you, Body Ballet Dancers, have inspired me to be the best I can be.

Week 1: We started every morning with Body Ballet and continued throughout the day with Ballet, Pointe Work, Partnering, Modern and Repertoire. I don’t need to say that the girls and boys were intensely tired at the end of the day and during the first week, could not imagine that they would survive.

• Anna’s saying of the week 1: YOU ARE STRONG!

Week 2: They started to feel better and were amazed that the 100 degree weather did not affect them. We had Michael’s running song “I’m so excited” going in the morning and at the end of the day! They asked for it!!!! We learned about mental conditioning.

• Anna’s saying of the week 2: NEVER GIVE UP!

Week 3: The most difficult time in an Intensive. All that is learned is taken to the next level. All the work in conditioning that seems achieved is taken to the next progression. We then put it all together: Strong Mind/ Strong Body. Wow!

• Anna’s saying of the week 3: NO EXCUSES!

Week 4: The culmination of all the work and then some. They performed 3 shows on the same day and one show in a hospital for rehabilitation. The repertoire that was danced was a piece from Napoli and a piece from Coppélia. They all did very well and none of the young dancers were either out of breath or suffered a lack of mental toughness. Although they were nervous, they shined through with confidence and beauty. I am so proud of them.

• Anna’s saying of the week 4: BE PROUD OF YOUR HARD WORK AND ENJOY THE RESULTS! DANCE-DANCE-DANCE

On the last day, they took home the BB music that was our companion for the whole month. I watched them walk away with their parents, hugging their new friends, CD in hand, a real bounce in their step and a huge smile on their face; I saw bodies lean and flexible, posture long and proud but most of all standing tall on two feet… a real sense of self.

I look forward to starting our training again and guiding you to the best and happiest YOU!

See you in class, keep dancing

Love,
Anna

What do you want to acheive?

Hi Dancers,
What do you want to accomplish this year? Do you want that perfect ballerina body? Maybe more stamina and energy?

My personal goal is for you to find the pleasure in being yourselves at your very best. At Body Ballet NYC and in our ballet barre workout I am here for each and everyone to coach you in the direction that you want to go. Each person is different, needs different corrections and attention, yet we can all strive to feel good in our own bodies. It is a focus that can be used in any moment of life.

Here at Body Ballet NYC, it is our responsibility to guide you and to hold your ‘hand’ on the journey. Our Ballet Barre Workouts aren’t exactly a walkover, so a special atmosphere of support and encouragement among us is the engine to reach for that goal.

Come into the studio and tell us. Frances, Michael and I are ready to listen. Maybe many of you want the same thing or maybe it’s just your ‘little thing.’ At Body Ballet NYC  you are unique and we work with each of you because we care about your individuality. We’ll help you find your very own balance. We all have a tendency to isolate ourselves when we need to be tough during periods of difficulty but we are here for you. You are not alone.

Come to ballet barre class with your beautiful smile and your courage and you will find a renewed energy and a strong sense of well-being.

Keep dancing!

Love,
Anna

Nutrition: Back to Basics

Hi Dancers – in Body Ballet we don’t use a lot of fancy equipment – just simple belts and weights, nothing that is digital or even needs to be plugged in (except the music).
We use the most basic of all equipment – our own bodies. And of course I want you to all take care of your bodies – not only are they beautiful but they are your equipment for your physical, mental and emotional life.

Back to basics is how I feel about food, nutrition, dieting, and dining.  Many of you who grew up outside the US know what I am talking about.  I want to share this article from the Wall Street Journal with you because it speaks to my philosophy on exercise and on food. The last sentence of this article is the most important. “Try to buy foods as close to their natural state as possible,” says Ms. Taub-Dix.  [Bonnie Taub-Dix is a nutritionist and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, a nonprofit professional organization].

 

Now that it is spring, it’s easier to buy and prepare fresh fruits and vegetables.  Asparagus is now in season  and is delicious, with vitamins A, C, E, K (for healthy bones) and several B vitamins (for energy to dance!)  One of my favorite Belgian recipes is Asperges à la Flamande.  Cook some asparagus.  Crumble hard-boiled eggs over them.  When you are ready to serve, pour a little melted butter and chopped parsley over them.  Voilà – delicious, healthy and very simple.  Please send me some of your favorite recipes and I will post them for everyone to share.

Merci
love Anna

Black Swan, a movie about ballet, and what I came away with

As a ballet dancer myself and even more as a teacher, I was so pleased when Natalie Portman won her award on Sunday night. Miss Portman radiated her love of dancing and her role, and expressed it in her emotional acceptance speech. While she began dancing at age 4, she makes clear in a recent interview on public radio how important training was for her role. What I also take away is that Natalie Portman reminds us how wonderful ballet is. For those of you who danced as children, that connection is reignited when you come to class. That is what is so attractive about taking ballet classes as an adult; you can go back to those magical feelings of believing that anything is possible, feeling beautiful and that the future is yet to come but will be beautiful too.

Of course ballet training does make your body more beautiful and stronger, and as Miss Portman points out, certain exercises wake those parts of your body that no matter how in shape you are, you just don’t use, but that you need for ballet movements. In Body Ballet, our Floor Barre exercises and Ballet Barre workout will get you results with: 

Flex and Point: will help you point your feet and strengthen your ankles for fluid moves for tendus – dégagés – allegro (jumps) 

Turtle Stretch: will develop strong and flexible back muscles to reach the beautiful posture dancers live in – the entire Ballet Barre workout 

In + Out Exercise: the proper use of turnout position that ballet requires by strengthening the proper muscles of the hips and inner thighs to avoid later hip/knee injuries for pliés – relevés-grands battements (extensions of the leg) 

Best Butt: stabilizes the lower back and prepares the body for lovely arabesque – cambré (back bend) 

Swan Arms: stamina for the shoulders and arms which dancers use to convey grace and fluidity expressing the movement through to the fingertips 

Plank: what can I say…without a strong core, you cannot dance!

You train so many parts of your body in ballet that are not worked in other forms of physical exercise or sports; it is truly a whole-body experience as well as an art form. And one that not only conveys beauty, but makes you feel beautiful inside. I think that is the great appeal of ballet training even if you are not a dancer, and what I try to give in my Body Ballet classes; a chance to work both body and mind in a new way.

It’s a joy to watch those who are new to dance discover the delight in new ways to move. It’s the best feeling of gratification when I watch my regular dancers, who have trained with me for a while, develop into graceful and strong beings with, most of all, the freedom to express confidence in their movements and an acceptance of who they are…just beautiful!

I believe in you!

Love,
Anna

Photo Credit: PR Photos

Les ports de bras, les bras qui portent….

It seems unfair that women don’t start out with the same amount of upper body strength as men. We are ALWAYS carrying someone or something, babies, children, groceries, full handbags, vacuum cleaners, laundry … With strong arms, shoulders and back, we can carry all these with less fatigue and strain on our lower backs. A strong upper body helps our posture and our balance, so we don’t fall on an uneven sidewalk or on some slippery ice. So all those arm circles, belt-holding and ports de bras are useful as well as making your arms more beautiful in short sleeves.
Everything we do in class is not just for vanity, to make you look better (though we do that, too!) but to make your body be able to work better, to walk better, balance better (you know, those standing-leg exercises) and, yes, carry things better.

Beautiful = strong, and Michael, Rio and I will helo you achieve both!