Adult Ballet Improvers
Adult Ballet Improvers
The core principles of adult ballet improvers focus on balance, coordination, strength, and poise. Every exercise and step builds on these, creating a strong and capable dancer.
To be able to dance properly you must have good posture and a strong core – two things that have been proven to benefit in overall health! Adult Ballet Improvers is a great workout for the whole body. Adult Ballet is a weight-bearing form of exercise which strengthens muscles, promotes healthy bones and burns calories.
Because adult ballet improvers uses the full range of muscles, it’s also great for cognitive functions such as coordination and concentration.
Ballet is an art form created by the movement of the human body. It is theatrical – performed on a stage to an audience utilizing costumes, scenic design and lighting. It can tell a story or express a thought, concept or emotion. Ballet dance can be magical, exciting, provoking or disturbing. Ballet is a classical dance form demanding grace and precision and employing formalised steps and gestures set in intricate, flowing patterns to create expression through movement.
Classical ballet emphasises fluid, graceful movements and long lines, along with strict adherence to correct form and technique, especially turn-out of the legs. There’s also a focus on narrative and storytelling achieved through dramatic visuals and complex choreography.
Adult ballet improvers is an ideal class to join for any adults who may have danced when they were younger and wish to come back to their hobby and those who wish to improve their skills as a dancer.
Gain a deeper appreciation for this art form by learning more about ballet moves, positions, poses, and more with this helpful glossary of dance terminology from Technical Ballet. This is not an exhaustive list, but a starting point to help you familiarize yourself with the language used to describe ballet.
Assemblé (assam blay) – Lifting off the floor on one leg, and landing on two. Legs assemble at the same time and return to fifth position.
Grande Jeté (grand jeh tay) – a big jump from one foot to the other in which the working leg is brushed into the air and appears to have been thrown.
Plié (plee ay) – means bent, bending – of the knee or knees.
Pirouette (peer o wet) – a rotation or spin – a complete turn of the body on one foot, on point or demi-pointe (half- pointe).
Tour en l’air (tour on lair) – a turn in the air – usually a male dancer’s step, although ballerinas may do them to depending on the choreography.
Arabesque (Ah rah besk) – a position on one leg with the other leg raised behind the body and extended in a straight line.
Attitude (ah tea tude) – A variation on the arabesque. The extended leg is raised behind the body but bent at the knee at an angle of 90 degrees.
