BALLET 101 & 201 DVDs: For True Beginners

For Tammy. :)

Classical Ballet is an art that takes patience and passion. It  shapes the body, and changes the way that you move. Ballet is personally my favorite dance style, and my emphasis in the BFA I'm currently working on. Ballet is typically done with an instructor in order to protect the student from injury. There are so many details to pay attention to that are best done with supervision and manual correction. This is why you can't find very many good instructional ballet DVDs out there. I haven't been able to get my hands on these DVDs as of yet, however, all of the reviews that I have read give me a good idea of what they might be like. They are a little dated in appearance and were originally released on VHS, but it sounds like they are real gems.

From what I can tell these DVDs break down the basics of ballet for a true beginner--meaning someone that has never taken ballet before, and would be friendly to ages as young as 6 and even adults. At the end of the first two DVDs in the series a short dance is taught that uses the steps that you have learned.

For safe practice in the home please remember the following:

• Parents supervise children's alignment (back, pelvis, knees, feet) 
• A longer more detailed explanation, you can practice with him Click Here (be aware that he has amazing turnout and everyone is different.)
• For another shorter demonstration Click Here (she doesn't address directly the rotation from the hip but that is what she is getting at by lining up the knees and toes).
• To protect the lower back-gently tuck the tailbone by engaging the rotators just under your butt
• Lift the abdominals-this is different than just flexing, think of your belly-button being pulled into your spine and hopping on an elevator.
• Rotate from the hips!-don't push your natural turnout, rotating from the hips is very important to protect your knees and your ankles. Your knees do have varying ranges of flexibility but that doesn't mean you should put your weight on your leg when using that flexibility. 
• Most of all if you are feeling any pain then go easier on yourself. 

I still personally believe that ballet is best in the studio or with an instructor but gentle and safe practice at home shouldn't be discouraged either. I will probably eventually come up with some videos for ballet exercises or combinations, but these DVDs seem to be a good place to start.

Check out the links below to view where I found the DVDs in this series:

Ballet 101, A Beginner's Class

Ballet 201, Beyond the Basics

Ballet 101 & 201, Combinations 1

Ballet 101 & 201, Combinations 2

If you have already had some basic training, don't fret, I have a few other Ballet DVDs that I'll be blogging about in the future for those with differing experience levels.

Happy Training! à bientôt!