Ballet

As a ballet dancer myself, I know that learning correct
ballet technique is essential for young dancers.

A knowledgeable ballet instructor will teach correct methods for ballet training and will only let you advance when they are 100% ready.

You should check to see if the ballet teacher you have chosen has a degree in dance education or something equivalent. The largest certification program for ballet teachers is the Royal Academy of Dance or RAD.

A ballet teacher with a RAD certification is worth extra consideration. Perhaps even more importantly is to check with former students, especially those who have gone on to a career in dance.

This is very important for parents thinking of enrolling their children in ballet classes, as young bodies are particular susceptible to damaging their growing bodies.

While most dance teachers are very conscientious, there are some who ignore good basic technique and rush their young students to advance. This can damage bones, ligaments and joints and is something to be very careful about.

Ballet technique is based largely on ‘turnout’, which is a position where legs are turned outward from the hip sockets. Turnout allows the dancer to achieve aesthetically pleasing lines. A turnout of 180 degrees is considered ideal but is rarely achieved even by the best. This hip rotation is actually an unnatural position for the body. Generally, feet evolved to face forward not towards the sides of the body.

Muscle education through repetitive exercises is key to achieve proper turnout. This leg position results in increased joint stresses in the knee, ankle and foot. Forcing a turnout can damage your joints, so this training should go slowly under careful supervision.

Proper posture and body alignment are essential for correct ballet technique. If the head, torso or pelvis is out of alignment, unusual stresses will be placed on muscles and joints that could lead to injury.

When standing in a turned out position, the line of balance or alignment should fall through the spinal column to a point in between the two feet. If the primary muscle groups for alignment develop incorrectly, the dancer will never achieve success in ballet unless they do serious retraining from scratch.

It is important to do the ballet exercises repeatedly to develop these muscles for correct alignment and turnout. Proper training begins at the barre which is a wooden rod attached to a wall that students hold to keep their balance during ballet exercises.

Most reputable ballet schools do not start a girl on pointe until she is 12 or 13 years old. Pointe work is training in toe shoes, and this depends on proper ballet technique and strength that have developed over time. Deformed toes along with leg and back pain can result if the training is substandard. The bones in the feet are still growing in younger dancers, so starting pointe work too early can permanently damage a child’s leg joints.

One of the best books I have ever found to train young dancer in the best ballet technique is the ‘The Finis Jhung Ballet Technique’. I still refer to this book because it really has made a difference to my ballet movement. I fully recommend you take a look at it too. You will find the link to the book at Amazon below.