About
Whether this is your first time in a ballet class, or you’d just like to brush up on your knowledge, you’ll find some useful information below to help you get the most out of every class with us! Click on the tabs below to read more.
A Brief History of BalletThe Structure of a Ballet ClassHow People BehaveHow People DressHow to Make the Most Of It!
Classical ballet has a long and rich history. Did you know that ballet stems from the court dances used to entertain the noblemen and women of the 15th century Italian Renaissance? It has developed over hundreds of years to become the beautiful art form that we know and love today.
Amazingly, ballet never stops progressing. Dancers share a culture of passing expertise and experience amongst themselves, and as the years go by, each new generation is able to add their own influence to help raise the standard. As a result, the ‘norms’ of classical ballet are forever adapting and improving!
If you’re interested to learn about where classical ballet came from and where it is going, Downland Dance recommends this fantastic short article published on the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre website, titled ‘A Brief History of Ballet’. You can find it by clicking here.
Ballet classes follow a predetermined structure, which has been developed over hundreds of years (ever since the art form first established its foundation in 1700’s France). Though the exercises can be adapted for every class (which helps keep things interesting), following the structure helps keep our bodies safe, and ensures that we’re always building on our technique.
A responsible dancer would come to the studio early for a good warm up, and when the class starts, they would expect to begin at the barre (the long bar that dancers use to support themselves whilst they find their balance at the beginning of class). The exercises at the barre start simply, and are designed to prepare the body for exercises in the centre (this is the part of class when dancers are able to move freely around the studio, without using the barre for support). You shouldn’t lean on the barre whilst performing exercises at it, but instead use it for light support whilst you improve your technique. Your barre work will always start in the same way (you’ll notice the names of every exercise are listed in French!):
- Plies – An exercise of bending and stretching the legs. This is designed to help a dancer find the correct posture, whilst simultaneously warming up their hips, knees and ankles.
- Battement Tendu – An exercise for warming up and utilising the feet. This is one of the most important exercises in class, as using your feet correctly will enable you to perform more complex steps later on in class.
- Battement Glisse/Jete – This is an extension of the battement tendu exercise, and is the first time in class that you will need to find your balance on one leg. This exercise develops the feeling of your foot leaving the floor in the correct way, which is important for pirouettes (turns) and jumps later on.
- Rond de jambe – By this point, the legs and feet are warm, so we turn our attention to better warming up the hips, and developing a steady centre to improve balance.
- Battement Fondu – This is where things get a little more tricky. The fondu exercise trains a dancer’s muscles to support their weight on one leg, and is useful to develop a good sense of coordination.
- Battement Frappe – Frappe, translated to English, means strike. Dancers perform the steps in a striking movement, sometimes using the floor, to develop strength in the feet and smaller (twitch) muscles of the leg, and to improve dynamic. This exercise helps develop the fast footwork which English dancers are well known for.
- Adage – The part of class where dancers start lifting their legs higher, and working on beautiful lines and extensions. Dancers work on their flexibility to improve this exercise.
- Grande Battements – Usually the last exercise at the barre. This is where dancers train the method of correctly throwing their legs high into the air – useful for grande allegro (big jumps), which comes at the end of class.
After the barre, your body will be well warmed up and ready to start performing the more difficult centre practise exercises. Teachers usually offer a very short break at this point, which dancers use to stretch their bodies and improve flexibility. After a few classes, you should start having a good feeling of balance and posture by the time the barre ends.
The centre exercises build on the work done at the barre. You will again start slowly, by performing static exercises (like the battement tendu, and adage – but without the barre for assistance), before moving onto the exercises which travel through the space, and eventually onto the jumps. Over time, you will begin to understand how the earlier exercises are related to, and set you up for the more difficult exercises towards the end of class. The better your understanding of the barre work becomes, the more freedom and enjoyment you will be able to experience in the centre, and eventually on the stage!
Dancers all over the world are taught to follow a universal code during their classes. Things like knowing how to move around the studio, and being supportive of your classmates as they try new things, helps keep everybody safe in classes and enjoying the process of improving. You can read more about that in our Dance Studio Etiquette guide.
A ballet dancer’s typical class attire is a leotard and tights, sometimes complimented by a ballet skirt (for the ladies), and of course ballet shoes. Dancers dress this way for 3 main reasons:
- It doesn’t restrict your movement in any way. A dancer’s body needs to be free to move in every direction.
- It enables your teacher (and yourself) to see your lines and correct your technique more easily – this means faster progression!
- It keeps you cool! Dance is an intense physical activity, and dancers need their muscles to be very warm in order to perform the movements safely. Dressing this way helps keep the unnecessary sweats at bay!
Students of our Graded classes will know what to wear by following our uniform guide, but for our adult members, we suggest finding a good balance between comfort and practicality. You will dance well when you feel good, so wear something that gives you confidence, but remember that you’ll find class much easier if your clothing meets the 3 criteria above.
Your first time in a ballet class will feel so exciting, but there will be a lot of new information to take on board, so we understand that it may be difficult to know which part to focus on first! We suggest that you don’t worry about getting the choreography of the exercises right in the beginning (that part will come to you naturally later on), and instead try to focus more on the quality of your movements. Pay close attention to the teacher’s instructions, so that you may improve more quickly. Remember that the way you use each part of your body will form the foundations of good technique.