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