Pilates DVD

[tutoo2much]

Has anyone come across a pilates DVD which would be suitable for ballet students?

Edited July 29, 2012 by tutoo2much

[DarlingDD]

I think Darcey Bussell did a Pilates DVD. Not sure of what it is like but would think it would be geared towards dancers

[Anna C]

My dd has a great dvd called "Pilates for young dancers" which she enjoys doing. There's a link here: http://moniquerichardspilates.com/dvd/

 

Monique sent me the dvd from Australia but it arrived within about a week. She also told us which exercises to do to start with as dd was only 11 when we got it and the dvd is designed for teenage ballet students.

[Mark T]

"Dynamic 5th" Pilates+ preparation for ballet students with Dreas Reyneke is a DVD filmed with students from the Royal Ballet Upper School.( 16 to 19 year olds). It should be available from the Opera House Shop when it is back in business or on-line.

[tutoo2much]

Thank you. All 3 look good but I wonder if any of them particularly suitable for 12 year old.

 

[drdance]

Can I ask why you want a pilates DVD? Has it been recommended by a teacher or physio? The reason why I ask is that the exercises done in pilates will vary depending on what you wish to achieve.

 

It should be worth bearing in mind that Pilates was designed as an injury rehab tool, to enable the dancer to work without placing too much stress on injured parts of the body. And as an injury rehab tool it is excellent. I also believe it's fairly handy for helping teenagers in the growth spurt to 'find' muscles that they may have lost awareness of.

 

But if it's specific muscles that you wish to strengthen/train then I feel that it's better to seek out exercises for that specific area, and preferably exercises that are dance/gymnastic specific, or at least standing up! This is because the way that gravity works on the human body affects how the muscles operate, quite dramatically - basically this means that the muscles that work hard when you're lying down or on the floor will work very differently when standing still, and differently again when moving/dancing. You can spend hours lying fairly still on your back working on core muscles but find that once you're up and dancing, they might only be working a little bit, or that they in fact restrict the 'flow' of movement.

 

Having said that - many dancers love it and swear by it; I think some feel a certain gratification from feeling like you've worked a few more muscles than you have in class in a different way, or maybe it's slightly relaxing, or a chance to really focus 'in' on what the body is doing and tune that self-awareness, or it could just be that many professional dancers like to do Pilates because they've been told many times that it's good for them (kind of a placebo effect?! - here's another area that needs investigating, perhaps a new research project!)

 

I'm not saying don't do Pilates - far from it - but just be aware of what it's designed for, and it's limitations.

[twinkletoes]

i'd recommend going to a class either pilates or yoga under the instruction of a qualified teacher, they are able to tailor the class to suit people and I've found that many are able to cater to dancers and give specific programs for them when working with this type of activity i would always caution working from a DVD, supervision is required in case bad habits or injury is picked up. you can do more harm than good if not careful ... though DVD much cheaper

[Anna C]

The trouble I found was that no local teacher would teach my dd at 11 or 12 because they only taught adult classes, and their insurance would only allow them to teach dd if I did the class too - impossible as I can't even lay on the floor!

 

As to whether it's useful - well they do Pilates exercises before dd's Associate Classes, and my dd's core strength is amazing now.

[tutoo2much]

DD has been told to do exercises to improve core strength. She is expected to do these in her own time. She has been shown some which are pilates based and they sometimes do them in class. But I suppose this isn't enough. I thought a DVD would help a bit with motivation and structure.

I think but don't know she does them correctly.

[meadowblythe]

Sort of related to this, how do you "get help" if you do not have a "home" ballet school - DS is at vocational school but does not have a dance school when at home - its a bit hard to get someone to teach you during the holidays! So having received an end of term report recommending improvement on a certain area- in the past its been core - how can you work on this?

 

I agree DVDs are not always the best answer, but without access to a ballet teacher sometimes its a case of dong the best you can.

 

meadowblythe

[drdance]

I suppose the only thing you can do is get advice from your DD's or DS's old teacher? Or another teacher who is willing to give private lessons?

[miss.pointe]

I know Pilates is not the same as Yoga, but just to reccommend some DVDs, Katy Appleton made two yoga DVDs with Geri Halliwell. Katy is a former ballet dancer with the ENB. I don't know much about her background but I have used the two DVDs for years and loved them! http://www.appleyoga.com/buy-appleyoga/buy-appleyoga/geri-halliwell.html

[Happymum]

In my opinion there is no question that Pilates is a very important part of ballet dancer training. In the past it might have been design to help with injury but modern Pilates is design to strengthen core, improve turn out, balance, flexibility, strengthen feet etc. It's very important to do the exercises correctly so it's better to do it with an instructor.

[taxi4ballet]

It's next to impossible to find a pilates teacher who will teach children, let alone one who knows anything about dance - I know, I've been trying to find one for what seems like an eternity!

[tutoo2much]

One of the reasons I asked about DVD's was that even if we found a suitable class it would be one day a week and I am presuming, but not sure that in order to get full benefit some of the exercises would have to be done more often than that to get maximum improvement to strength.

[Happymum]

Yes, it's true that Pilates instructors don't teach children. It's because there is no such thing as "Pilates for children" course/qualifications. So also no insurance. You may get lucky and find former ballet dancer/teacher who can teach Pilates as well. Or a Pilates instructor who has interest in ballet and did workshops etc ( like me :-) ).

[Anna C]

Hence Monique's dvd is so good IF your teenager has Pilates experience so knows the basic principles - because it's aimed at teenage ballet students and she was a ballet dancer! She clearly spotted a gap in the market.... :-)

[twinkletoes]

The problem with getting a Pilates or Yoga teacher who will deal with children is one that is quite wide spread in my experience, i have spoken to a number of instructors trying to find one for students and the general consensus is that they do not have the inner discipline required.

 

I don't necessarily hold with what they say but I can see their view. When I have spoken to a few regarding this they have a common reply which is that the parents want it for the children more than the children want it themselves, (their view not mine ) they also say that the study requires a self awareness of body and mind as well as a dedication and commitment which is not often found in the young, again not my view though i do see their view point. This is mainly based on their bad experiences but if you get the dance teacher to act as a reference almost, some will consider a trial for the student and then it is down to them but I do agree that there is a level of maturity and awareness of 'spirit' and inner being that often comes with maturity.

 

On an advisory note, Yoga and Pilates is, in my opinion, advantageous to dancers for many reasons, not just the physical awareness but the ability to calm the mind in times of stress too however it is a lot of hard work, not something that can be dipped in and out of and it is imperative that a good instructor is found, they are able to tailor the sessions to suit the dancer and their needs and many are 'dance aware' which is always useful, the learning of this type of thing from a DVD is something that i would caution against as it really is harder than it looks and a lot of damage can be done if care is not taken and supervision is essential.

 

thats just my view for what its worth