The modern fitness industry offers classes for every taste and for any level of training. Dance fitness, power yoga, a mix of several directions - all so that a beginner would not be afraid to make a decision, and an experienced amateur athlete would not be bored in class. There are workouts that are used solely for weight loss, for health, or for maintaining physical endurance levels. Everyone can choose their own pace to achieve maximum results.
Body ballet is a relatively new direction in group fitness, which arose at the intersection of classical choreography and fitness. This activity is for those who love dancing, want to develop flexibility or get in shape.
What is body ballet
This is a lightweight version of classical ballet, intended for people without special training. This is a type of choreography, the core of which is represented by the simplified exercises used in ballet. Therefore, many movements are made at a ballet barre located along the mirrors.
One of the basic benefits is that body ballet classes develop the ability to sense and regulate your body, control it with grace and ease. It uses a combination of exercises to strengthen and stretch muscles, correct perception of space and maintain balance.
The training contains ballet steps for muscle stretching, which helps develop flexibility of the spine and joints and good posture. This type of ballet helps students to make their body beautiful, fit, full of energy and mobility.
Interestingly, body ballet is a relatively new trend in the fitness industry, which arose thanks to the American choreographer Lee Sarago in the early 2000s. In Russia, this art of dance was improved and introduced by ballerina Ilse Liepa, who created a mixture of exemplary ballet and Pilates. Now you can practice it at home and in fitness clubs and dance schools.
Advantages and disadvantages
Advantages:
- uniform load on all muscles;
- minimal risk of joint damage;
- development of flexibility;
- mastering the art of mastering the body;
- acquiring lightness, femininity and grace in movements;
- development of beautiful posture and gait;
- sculpting a slender, sculpted, but not over-pumped body;
- improving endurance and coordination;
- anti-stress effect;
- variety of fitness plan.
Flaws:
- presence of contraindications;
- high loads;
- unbearable sore throat in the first days of classes;
- despite the adaptation of the exercises, the technique of their implementation is complex;
- inadequacy of classes at home due to the lack of a ballet barre, mirrors and a teacher-choreographer;
- monotony of performing small movements, which is not suitable for everyone’s temperament;
- need for diet.
Who is it suitable for?
Anyone can practice body ballet, without significant restrictions in age or level of training. Not only children can learn this type of choreography. Body ballet is also suitable for adults. It will help improve the potential of the body, be in excellent shape, improve physical and emotional well-being. As a rule, lessons are held to classical or relaxing music, which helps relieve stress and lift your spirits.
Body Ballet is also adapted for ordinary girls and women who dream of becoming a ballerina at an early age. This dance style will help you achieve a slim figure, flexibility, royal posture, and graceful flying gait. Body ballet is also important for males due to the fact that choreographic development is important for dancers.
Notably, body ballet is something that even experienced dancers will benefit from, as the choreography provides a valuable foundation of specific knowledge, and the stretching and strengthening of muscles and joint work improves performance in a variety of dance styles.
These classes are very good for people who have a hard time with high-intensity cardio exercises, but who need to work out the large and small muscles of the body, achieve elasticity and fit.
Experts believe that ballet exercises help to define the contours of the body, rather than build muscle. At the same time, endurance is developed better, and the heart and joints are not overloaded. Classes at the body ballet school are recommended for those who have had injuries and fractures, since the load is applied evenly and has a healing effect. Also, this type of choreography is suitable for people who cannot tolerate very intense training.
Medical professionals note that exercises of this type are indicated for back pain, various disorders of the musculoskeletal system, and excess weight. Thus, body ballet classes are something that is suitable for any person.
Impact on the psyche
Even yoga, the number one recipe against stress, does not always help, since most beginners find it quite difficult to distract themselves from extraneous thoughts during class. Being a choreographic movement, body ballet requires constant counting. Concentration on movements and counting plus relaxing classical music do their job: a person is distracted from worries and anxieties, completely immersed in the world of dance. At this time, the ability to concentrate and stress resistance significantly improves. And awareness of your own successes and results helps increase self-esteem.
Universal program
Anyone can do body ballet, not just petite girls who dreamed of becoming ballerinas since childhood. This type of activity is suitable:
- Women who, due to age or health problems, are contraindicated for strength or cardio exercises.
- Young people to better develop coordination.
- For children – to form correct posture and develop endurance.
- For men who want to solve long-standing problems with the spine or get rid of their own clumsiness.
- Anyone who wants to lose weight or become more resilient without serious and exhausting, sometimes dizzying, strength classes.
Body ballet classes are not only physical training. The very atmosphere of a dance class and classical music help to escape from everyday problems and increase resistance to stress. Exercising in front of a mirror, in which each student can track the slightest progress, helps in the formation of adequate self-esteem.
These classes are especially useful for those who are planning or are already engaged in other types of dance or acting. Body ballet will allow you to acquire the necessary plasticity of movements, learn to feel your body and express emotions.
Even doctors advise doing this type of dancing. Body ballet is especially recommended for people with diseases of the spine and musculoskeletal system (except in cases where any physical activity is strictly contraindicated). A lightweight version of the program is suitable even for those who have joint pain or contraindications to active sports. It helps ensure a sufficient level of physical activity without overloading the heart and blood vessels.
Lesson mode
Like any sports activity, body ballet requires regularity. If you exercise occasionally, you should not expect serious results. If your goal is to significantly improve flexibility, joint mobility or reduce weight, you need to exercise regularly - at least 2-3 times a week, with equal intervals for muscle rest.
If you are a beginner, you should not take on maximum loads in order to speed up the result. Start with two classes a week with a break of 3 days - until the muscles get used to it. After 1-2 months, you can increase the number of classes to 3 per week. Experienced athletes, whose bodies are accustomed to stress, can exercise even 4 times a week. The main thing is to give your muscles a rest between workouts.
The effect of exercise and the impact on health
If strength and running training are contraindicated for a person, then body ballet is what you need. By carrying out a systematic load on all muscle groups, a person will become stronger, more resilient, gain a toned, elegant body and improve his well-being: both physical and emotional.
After the exercises, the ability to control the body, plasticity and grace is acquired. After some time of stable training, significant shifts in self-perception occur, posture is corrected, muscles and joints are strengthened. The body acquires relief, grace and endurance, as almost all muscles are involved in the work.
According to doctors, exercises have a healing effect in case of bone fractures and injuries, as well as a weak cardiovascular system. The risk of injury and the likelihood of sprains are almost zero. Exercises also perfectly improve coordination of movements and train the respiratory system.
The most aesthetic form of fitness
Body ballet is a combination of elements of classical dance, stretching and aerobics. Perhaps this is the closest fitness direction to the arts. The aesthetic component is strong here: during training, a lot of attention is paid to beauty, plasticity and expressiveness of movements. The training program is structured in such a way that its development does not cause difficulties even for people with low physical fitness and overweight. If you have problems with stretching, plasticity or coordination, this is not an obstacle to exercise. Dance skills and motor abilities develop in the process of fitness training, and this happens gradually: beginners' lessons begin almost from scratch.
Being one of the types of fitness, body ballet pursues the same goals as any other fitness area:
- health promotion;
- improvement of general physical fitness;
- improvement of motor skills;
- losing weight, strengthening muscles;
- increased vitality;
- relieving emotional stress, strengthening the nervous system.
A special feature of body ballet is its ability to improve posture and heal the spine. When performing classical ballet exercises, you have to keep your back straight all the time, and this gradually becomes a habit. Ballet movements develop flexibility of the spinal column and strengthen the paraspinal muscles. Body ballet can be considered as preventive fitness, preventing diseases of various parts of the spine.
In body ballet classes, not only the back muscles get a good workout. The exercises used here involve all the body muscles - from the neck to the feet. The muscles of the lower extremities are especially intensively worked. To be convinced of this, it is enough to remember what distinguishes ballet dancers: not only with ideal posture, but also with straight, slender, toned legs without a drop of excess fat. In ballet exercises, many different movements are performed with the hands, feet, legs, and forearms - all joints of the body actively work here. Fitness training in body ballet improves the condition of the joint-ligamentous apparatus and increases the range of possible movements in the joints.
Body ballet is a fitness based on aerobic exercise. And such a load helps to lose weight, develop endurance, strengthen the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. Among the benefits of body ballet classes are also improved functioning of the vestibular apparatus, development of coordination and plasticity of movements. Having practiced body ballet for a long time, you can notice that the movements have become more confident and coordinated, the gait has acquired smoothness and grace, and control over one’s own body has improved.
Weight loss
Body Ballet helps improve your figure: the body gains mobility, slimness and fit. Body control skills improve. Also, a positive aspect of body ballet is that beneficial workouts help tone the body and remove excess weight. During exercise, the heart rate rises to 140 beats. This pace and intensity allows the body to effectively burn fat. In combination with proper nutrition, it is possible to achieve noticeable results within a month or two.
In addition, Body Ballet helps improve the shape of the legs, abdominals and the whole body as a whole. Uniform load perfectly removes fat deposits on the waist and hips. Fitness centers have specially designed programs for weight loss, including using body ballet. They are more energy-intensive and help to work on specific problem areas.
Classes for beginners
Body ballet is also suitable for beginners. Lessons can be learned even if a person is far from dancing and choreography at all. There are no age or gender restrictions. Over time, the exercises will become more complex in technique and coordination.
At the very first lesson, students master basic poses and work at the ballet barre. Together with the instructor, various movements of classical choreography, barre exercises, ground choreography and stretching are performed. For those who can only study at home, video lessons from Lotta Burke or Janet Jenkins are suitable.
Exercises
A body ballet workout usually lasts 60-90 minutes and contains a set of exercises, partly borrowed from ballet, aimed at stretching and strengthening muscles. You can highlight the main exercises that you will perform if you start doing body ballet.
- "Demi plie" Turn the heels of your feet towards each other at a short distance, and spread your feet to the sides (second position in ballet). In this position, do shallow squats.
- "Grand plie" Place your legs in the second position, place your arms in front of you, bend them at the elbows. Do deep squats while raising your arms up.
- "Grand Batman". Turn your back to the ballet barre, grab it with your hands. Stretch your right leg forward a little and place it on your toes. This will be the starting position. Swing your straight leg up and return to the starting position. Repeat the swing with the other leg.
- "Grand Batman Reverse." Fix your body at the ballet barre, facing the mirror. Take your right leg back and place it on your toes. This will be the starting position. Raise your leg back and up, returning to the starting position. Repeat the movement with the other leg.
- "Batman tandu." Place your feet so that the toes and heels of different legs are touching. Begin to move your right leg forward, then to the side to the right, then back. Return your leg to the starting position. Repeat everything, only with your left leg.
In addition to basic exercises with choreographic elements, the lesson program begins with a mandatory warm-up and ends with muscle relaxation exercises.
Body ballet has already gained a strong foothold in fitness. People who regularly go to the gym always want to try something new. And those who are far from fitness can often be attracted to new areas of training.
The main set of exercises always includes stretching exercises. Body ballet stretching helps to stretch stagnant muscles and tendons. During the lesson, swings and bends are performed, gradually making the stretching more perfect.
Regular stretching exercises increase flexibility. As a result, you will begin to control your body better, correct posture and grace will appear. With regular stretching, after a while you will be able to do the splits.
Important! The effect of body ballet classes is not immediately visible, so be patient and attend training regularly!
There are also personal body ballet programs from famous dancers and choreographers, complementing the set of exercises with their own ideas. For example, Katerina Buida offers her body ballet. The difference between these exercises, or “body transforming,” is that they include elements of yoga. Buida's body ballet also contains stretching exercises, developing flexibility and is aimed at creating a thin waist, sculpted legs and slender hips. The exercises from the video lessons can be done at home.
For beginners
When you come to class for the first time, try to do light exercises and just watch the exercises performed at the machine. It’s okay if at first you don’t manage to repeat them after the coach. With each workout you will feel like you are doing better and better.
It is recommended to start classes under the guidance of a trainer, as he will be able to better control your stretching, as well as the correctness of the exercises.
There are training programs in different areas, such as:
- program for adults. It includes a set of exercises that develop flexibility and promote gradual weight loss;
- program for children. Helps strengthen the child’s muscle corset, forming correct posture and grace;
- program for pregnant women. Since this program excludes strength elements, it can be performed by pregnant women. A special complex for pregnant women is very gentle and does not contain bending exercises. Classes will allow expectant mothers to maintain muscle stretch and elasticity.
The benefits of body ballet are obvious:
- helps lose weight, builds abdominal and thigh muscles;
- improves posture, gives grace to movements;
- makes it possible for people with minimal physical training to exercise, as well as those who have suffered injuries or fractures;
- no restrictions on age and weight;
- Aesthetic, aerial exercises help women feel beautiful and love their bodies.
However, there are also contraindications :
- untreated injuries of the musculoskeletal system;
- problems with the spine;
- chronic diseases of the genitourinary system;
- any disease in the acute stage.
Training mode
To get visible results, you need to exercise at least twice a week. At first, it is important to control the degree of load and take breaks of several days between workouts. It is important to interact with the instructor: ask questions, talk about unpleasant sensations. It is usually more effective to exercise in the morning.
The process of training is gradual and will not bring instant results. But over time, those who practice will be surprised to notice significant progress. Many people are seriously interested in and get great pleasure from this type of physical activity.
The lesson lasts from 40 minutes to an hour at medium intensity. First, a warm-up is invariably carried out, then comes the main part, and ends with relaxation and stretching.
This direction of choreography is one of the most gentle and less traumatic. The intensity of training will suit each student depending on their goals. For the fastest weight loss, for example, it is better to attend classes three times a week and combine them with Pilates or other fitness activities to speed up your metabolism as much as possible. It is also necessary to maintain proper nutrition, which will significantly increase the effectiveness of the exercises.
Results and reviews
Many girls who want to improve their well-being and body are interested in the question of what this new type of fitness is. Practitioners leave numerous positive reviews about body ballet. For example, girls note that they are delighted with the classes: their gait has changed, their movements have become soft and feminine. In addition, the muscles become more prominent, the stomach and sides are removed, and the legs are strengthened.
It is important that with exercise your attitude towards yourself changes, excess weight goes away, love for your body appears, and shyness disappears. Some also note that they really love training.
Classes in St. Petersburg and Moscow
Today this fascinating direction of choreography is available in many countries, including Russia. Of course, body ballet did not bypass Moscow. It is offered by dance and ballet schools, as well as numerous fitness clubs. In particular: st. Otradnaya, 16; st. Artsimovicha, 8. Classes are held there for people with any physical fitness.
Body ballet in St. Petersburg is also available in various dance schools and studios, and sports clubs. For example, this is the dance club La Boca on Kamennoostrovsky Ave., 40A. Lessons are designed for any clients – beginners or those already experienced. A professional ballerina teaches there, so in the future you can study classical choreography.
Exercises without a machine
You can perform body ballet exercises without a machine:
- Place your feet in a straight line. Your arms should be bent at the elbows in front of your body. Now you need to sit down and raise your arms above you. Stand up. And so - at least 20 times.
- Place your feet so that one rests on the heel of the other. Now you need to throw your leg forward, to the side and back. The sock keeps sliding on the floor. Do this 20 times with each leg.
- The next exercise is almost identical to the previous one. Only now the sock needs to be lifted off the floor.
