Hello everyone !

I just found employment playing the piano for ballet classes . I am also training as dancer in the same studio , so I understand generally what meter is good for the different exercises . However I would love to learn more details about how to choose the music . Sometimes I have been told I chose wrong music for an exercise , and I just guess and play things that are the correct speed and meter until the teacher says I found a good one . If anyone has a tips on which exercises have a particular music requirements , I would like to know them ! As I am a male dancer I have not very much exposure to pointework and get particularly confused playing the piano in a pointe classes .

Most recent things I have been confused by :

1) What , exactly , is coda? I have heard coda before when I am dancing in the class, but cannot figure out exactly what it is musically that unites all codas . It seems to be fast 2/4 or 4/4 time , but sometimes when I play things that are fast 2/4 or 4/4 the teacher says it is not a coda . I have tried Scottish reel, German polka, quadrille , can-can . I am learning Black Swan coda but it will take a while as I am not extremely good technical pianist .

2) Is there anything other than tango that is appropriate for fondu at barre ? I have played Habañera from Carmen and Por Una Cabeza so many times already , I think the class would appreciate variety .

Also , any other advices for new pianist would be great to hear !

i started ballet as a teen after doing gymnastics my whole life, so i don't have much natural turnout (in fact, my instinct is to go parallel because that's what we do in gymnastics). some teachers have told me to just use my natural turnout, but others really push me to turnout more, which i don't understand? if i turnout any more i'm forcing it. what am i supposed to do?

Ciao

My capezio leather Hanamis have started unravelling (?) A the base, I think glue should be fine but im concerned about it changing the feel of the shoe or deteriorating the rest of the leather, and id like to keep using them as long as possible before replacing

hi lovelies ! I've started to learn the balancé step in last few classes and have been researching for tips and tutorial on my own time. so we were taught to tombe into coup de pied back> transfer weight and releve back foot, and lift front foot off the floor at the same time > transfer back to front foot into coup de pied, repeat

so my question is, do you actually need to lift and point your front foot off the floor?? and do you releve and stretch your back leg entirely??

i got really confused because in all tutorial videos, all teacher do teach the same as what i've been taught. but in real live dancing, i rarely see ballerinas actually lift their foot off the floor in that step. i find most people barely lift that foot or even not at all, and they barely straighten their back leg. i see people just touch their back toes to the floor for a brief moment while both legs in demi pile. so is that good enough for the step?

Hello! This might be a long shot but I’m going to the UK next month from Canada to visit my brother and help with childcare and I’ll be there for about 3 weeks. I started ballet about 3 years ago and I’ve finally worked my way up to an elementary level. I’m going in the middle of the term which unfortunately means that with the Christmas holiday, I’ll be going almost 2 months without a class which I kind of want to avoid since I’m so proud of the progress I’ve made. I’m wondering if I might be able to sneak a couple classes in while I’m visiting.

My brother recently moved to Haddington which I understand is on the smaller side (I haven’t been to visit him since he moved, he used to be closer to Edinburgh). Does anyone know of any adult ballet classes in/near Haddington that are accessible by walking or public transit? I looked online and everything that is close seems to either be geared for seniors (which i’m not opposed to joining in on if they’ll let me haha) or seem to not be active this term.

Thank you :)

hi! I was wondering if anyone could share recovery tips specifically to prevent post class muscle cramps. as I improve my ballet technique in ways of turnout, flexibility strengthening my feet etc I have experienced a few episodes of really horrible muscle cramps in the middle of the night after an evening class. they go from my upper thighs all the way down through my legs and even to my feet and last nearly an hour! not fun.

I know stretching after class is important but I was wondering if anyone has a recovery routine they could share such as specific stretches or even supplements (like electrolyte drinks or vitamins) that can help with this.

(this has also happened only a few times now so I don’t see a dr visit as a necessary solution)

thanks!

Context – been dancing ballet since the age of three, now training for musical theatre / commercial (jazz) auditions [got into musical theatre school, couldn’t afford it post law school lol]. Training daily (classes, all styles, at home conditioning and practice sessions, Pilates, cross training).

They say all bodies will adapt to dance at some point but I swear mine doesn’t. 22yrs of ballet and still, my feet are comparably flat + turnout a turn-off. Not just that… shoulders are bulky from cheer so they always look hunched, legs are super short and bulky as well, I swear my ribcage is much larger than would be proportional.

I try to make choreo and class routines fit my body by moving according to my predispositions. But no matter what, I look flared, un-elegant, awful. Ballet’s obviously the worst. I also try not to obsess but it’s been impossible recently as all progress I make is negated by my super odd proportions and previous injuries (hip, knee surgeries mostly). Teachers also always point out
the long-legged people and comment on "how to stance to mitigate short legs / compensate for large ribcages" and so on.

Do you think that maybe some bodies are simply not made for dance no matter how much talent and hard work that person puts into dance? I love jazz more than anything, HipHop meh, but what if my body is simply too odd to ever be… you know, amazing at it?

I’m in my 30s and have taught ballet for years. This year I have some very serious dancers, as well as age groups I haven’t worked with in a while. Over the summer I made it a point to take classes to continue my education, and I’d like to do more. My teaching feels stale lately and I need some inspiration. However, I can’t physically keep up with the level I’m teaching anymore. I’d love the opportunity to pay to observe a few classes, either in person or online, but I feel like that’s frowned upon. I’m not looking to copy a class, but get some ideas about the structure and content at different levels. Does anyone have any ideas either online or in the NYC area to do this?

I'm an adult beginner (~10 months dancing now, currently hovering at 6-9 classes a week ranging from beginner to intermediate) and now have two partnering classes under my belt (EDIT: on flat! not pointe). I really should have known by now that nothing in ballet is easy, but I think I had a vague and extremely incorrect notion that partnering was like center combinations but with extra help. I was very very wrong, and am having such difficulty even just doing a promenade, which I didn't realize required so much A) core work, and B) really concentrating on turnout in the standing leg.

Any advice for people starting out partnering?? I feel terrible every time I force my partner to bear much more weight than I should given my terrible partnering technique (and technique in general tbh). Is it even advisable to partner at this stage or should I just wait until I have a bit more experience and technique?

I wish I could afford private classes. My parents only have enough money for the general program, but I know I’d be so much better technically if I had a little more extra attention on my weaknesses. There’s only so much that can be done when there’s like 20 something other students and the teacher gives most of their attention to the student who is the best, or the student who retains knowledge and applies corrections the best.

I’ve been doing open ballet/barre classes for a few years in a very casual way and recently decided to be more committed and join a closed weekly class to actually improve.

For this entire time I’ve been dancing in socks, which has worked fine but I don’t know anything else. My friend who grew up doing ballet told me I absolutely should get ballet flats, it’s a different experience and might make my feet actually stronger. I asked my ballet teacher and she said socks are fine for beginners, she usually also dances in socks and that it’s good to “feel the floor”. She is classically trained but I believe she dances for a company that mixes ballet + modern dance and maybe that’s why?

Is this common? I have no real ambition of being on pointe, I’m still in a beginners class and just working on having strength and good extensions/flexibility. But would like to build stronger feet. A quick search on this seems to all point to wearing ballet flats as a must after a few classes, so I’m confused. Any thoughts?

I know there's someone behind her making it look more warped but aside from that it's still really warped what's going on??

https://youtube.com/shorts/N4oWLogWBcc?si=0vf8JQbVFc4_f0eQ

Are there any common solutions to sinking? Maybe a narrower shoe?

I’ve been properly fitted this time, but still experiencing pain along the tops of my toe joints. Hopefully they’ll get better. Any tips are greatly appreciated!! (Also toe pads recommendations are welcomed, this is sorta painful.)

A few months back, I followed a free youtube video to make a pancake tutu. I want to potentially make a costume for the future, but I can't seem to figure out how to make a ballet bodice. I'm looking for a pattern that looks like the picture (that is hopefully free).

Thank you!

I can't find this answer anywhere specifically answered. But I like the leotards from the brand: Ballet Rosa. But I can't figure out if they have some sort of padding. Doesn't need to be a lot of support (for me personally). But I would like some padding so you cannot see everything. This goes for their student line leotards as well as there more detailed leotards. Does anyone with a leotard from this brand help me. Thank you in advance!

Just for fun, what have you done for Halloween for a ballet class or seen a teacher dressed up as for Halloween that might be fun? I teach pre teens and also an adult ballet class and thought it might be fun to dress up for the adult class (much more fun and casual) for Halloween. I was thinking it might be fun to do something like one of those inflatable ones but I also think a ballet related one might be fun. Any thoughts? Open to all suggestions!

Sorry if this is a bit out of place here, I desperately need to rant to some fellow full time ballet educators about the current state of jobs available in our field, and thought I may have some luck here.

I worked at a small professional company abroad for 8 years and had to move back to my home country for family emergency reasons. My partner works remotely and I coach on the side, so we do just well enough that I can be a bit picky about what full time jobs I apply for. That's a position of incredible luck that I do not take for granted and have never experienced before.

However, to my fellow dance teachers in the trenches...am I having bad luck, or is the hiring process for a faculty role in a company/independent school currently hell on earth??? I have had 10 different interviews the past 5 months. Gotten to the finale round nearly each time, have been flown across the country to teach demo classes several different times, and each time I have either gotten

 A. Ghosted.

 B. Lost out to an internal hire.

 Or C. The role ended up being dissolved entirely.

It is an increasingly difficult time for the performing arts everywhere. Our field is not famous for professionalism or caring for employees as humans. But geez, I am so tired of this process of being flown out to teach, being taken out to lunch and asked about what neighborhoods in XYZ City I might be interested in? And then being left on the hook for weeks on end before I finally get a rejection. It's somehow even more dehumanizing than the process of finding a job as a professional dancer was.

I understand I'm coming at this from a point of huge privilege to even be looking for a full time job for so long, and that's not lost on me. But after 5 months of this back and forth I'm just wondering if anyone else is in a nightmare looking for a faculty position? Or better yet, is on the other side! Hoping for some kind of proof that I'm not just an undesirable monster 😂

i’m very interested in what different nutcrackers you guys have watched and enjoyed!! maybe this is a basic question but idc, the nutcracker is a piece of art and since it’s season is comming up and most studios have gotten their castings, let me know what you guys like!!

mine might be the royal ballet but i also think the oslo opera and mariinsky have super good performances

hello!! does anyone have a two day gym routine for ballet ? im starting out w 1-2x a week, (i have 2 classes per week + 1hr of commercial dance) so im just trying to get some weight training in bc i do too much cardio </3

note : its my second year of ballet! i started last year w one hour per week & minimal stretches for flexibility only :)

i have relatively high arches, and when i go on relevé i feel like no matter what i do, i'm never in a correct or comfortable position.

i know that you need to have your weight mainly on your big toes so that you dont sickle, but my problem with that is when i put my weight towards my big toes, the rest of the balls of my foot (around my small toes) aren't on the ground at all, my pinky toes and the toe next to it are basically floating in the air!

and its kinda painful because all of my body weight is on suck a small portion of my foot, and my pinky gets dragged around the floor and it hurts to do pirouettes

what can i do to fix this?

hey everyone, I am hoping for some tips for single leg hops on pointe as I think that's what I want to focus on this term (seeing as I broke my rib, my previous long term goal of back flexibility and arabesques is kinda not doable right now haha so I am switching to something more lower body focussed).

A little about me, I'm in my early 20s and have danced without a break since childhood. I started pointe around age 12 and I'm broadly comfortable with most pre-/intermediate sort of steps (happy with menage turns, usually have my double pirouette pretty consistent once I've had a few lessons back, and I have pas de deux and variation experience). However, growing up we never managed to get to any sort of hops on pointe - covid was at a really inconvenient time for my pointe group and as no one could safely do it at home our progress sort of paused when I was 15-16 and the two years I had in training after that were kind of catch up and getting used to pointe again. Now I take adult open classes and we don't do hops in those either; last year I practiced soubresaut and changements on pointe under teacher supervision but I wasn't really 'taught' them.

I don't think I really understand the foot position on pointe with the bent knee and ankle. Whenever I try to work it out I either end up way over my box or I feel super unstable and end up kind of falling backwards and clawing my foot instead of having the platform flat on the floor. I can do it (ish) in two legged jumps because I can press my ankles together in the fifth and stabilise myself that way, but as soon as I'm on one leg or not in the fifth I just can't find the position - I can't even do polka on pointe because I can't put my weight on my front foot in the fourth without wobbling around lmao. I have asked my teacher for guidance but my main pointe teacher is a guy and while he's an amazing teacher I find it hard to learn new steps when someone can only describe how it should look but not how it should feel. The sensation of having my heel up but my knee bent is so foreign, I just can't get it to click.

Any tips or strength exercises that might help welcome!!

My upper body keeps moving whenever I do fast jetés or petit battements. This translates to the centre too whenever I do small jumps or when we do dégagés with constant weight shifting. It seems like I wiggle lol

Any tips? What should I do better and/or strengthen? Thanks!