Simply Adult Ballet: the progress of one adult dancer who took up ballet later in life

[CrystalBallet]

It is a little tricky when you're based somewhere that has limited options. I think us London-based folk forget how lucky we are!

[beckyl]

Well my plan is to move to NYC when I qualify as a teacher but London is definitely on the cards if not just because of the sheer smorgasbord of dance classes on offer!

 

Not sure if this is right place to ask but does anyone else have trouble with their toenails? I have some involution on both big toenails - worse since I started ballet again. I thought it was the ballet slippers but have now decided part of the problem is the tights. Where they press on my toes it hurts. I plan to see a podiatrist soon (within probably the next three weeks.) I plan to maybe put plasters on my toes (but I'm worried I won't be able to feel the floor) and order some footless and/or stirrup tights. Any other ideas?

[LinMM]

Hi Beckyl perhaps if the studio you work in is so pushed for space the teacher should divide the class into three groups for some of the centre work. I know this all takes a bit more time etc but you should get a chance to have a reasonable go at everything in a dance class!!

 

Re the toenails!.....are you doing pointe work? It's years since Ive done pointe work but my big toe nails have never really recovered properly I think as they are very hard and Inhave to get special nail clippers to cut them even now as ordinary nail clippers aren't strong enough.

The other thing that can be a nuisance is hard skin. It's worse for me on the third and fourth toes but occasionally resort to wearing that gel piping .....sorry abroad at mo and can't remember correct name.....that you can cut to different lengths ....and you just slide over the toe. I find this most effective just for the toes.

[Michelle_Richer]

Hi Lin they are called Jelly Toes or Toe Socks http://www.dancedirect.com/uk/Products/Footwear/BH1025/Boots sell something similar. I used to have them on both little toes at first but now they are fine without, however I do use the all in one gel ouch pouches though http://www.dancedirect.com/uk/Products/Footwear/BH1055/.

 

Hi Becky

Just over a year ago I did a Rep workshop with ENB on Le Corsaire at the Old Fire Station in Oxford and I know at that time Ballet classes were being held there, so consequently I searched on that and found this document that may be of interest.

http://www.oxford.gov.uk/Library/Documents/Arts%20and%20Culture/Dance%20Class%20Listings%20for%20Adults.pdf

 

 

I think CrystalBallet is right when he says “I think us London-based folk forget how lucky we are!”.

I didn’t realise how many studios there were in London until I started searching for one. I have a list containing approximately 60 studios within Zones 1 to 4. Admittedly my requirement is for peak time 7pm to 9pm on Tuesdays and at least 1600 square feet of studio space. As yet I haven't found the little gem I need, either its too small, not properly equipped, times I need not available etc. I did have one lovely offer but sadly was later withdrawn from the Royal Opera House. Last Wednesday I did a follow up visit at The Royal Ballet School, I'm still waiting on that one but will be followed up on Tuesday even if it to just rule it out.

 

Its also worth pointing out that I am not London based, I live about a hundred miles from London but basically have to travel to where appropriate ballet is.

[beckyl]

Hi Lin and Michelle,

I have some jelly tips (somewhere) and will give those a go. Not on pointe (yet! Hopefully soon!) this is just in ordinary ballet shoes unfortunately. I've decided to call the podiatrist to see if they can come and see me sometime this week.

 

Thanks, Michelle I will keep looking out for Oxford workshops.

[Michelle_Richer]

Hi becky

 

The ENB workshop I attended in Oxford is the only one I know of that has been held there, most ENB workshops take place at the London Coliseum. The Oxford workshop was one of the best I have attended, it was on Le Corsaire. We were taught parts from two scenes, the first I can’t remember other than it had quite a bit of Port de bras in it, the second scene was from the Three Odilesques, first we learnt it as a whole class as it was performed, then our teacher got us to dance it using opposite feet arms etc. Finally we danced it with only two girls on stage as a duet, one from each corner, it was awesome and I fell in love with that particular scene as now danced by Bolshoi.

 

I know its always difficult taking workshops out in to the sticks so to speak, I've booked various workshops with RAD all over the country, only to find they fail to get enough dancers to make it worth while. However I did manage to do a Romeo and Juliet Workshop with RAD in Edinburgh. Most RAD Adult workshop are held at their HQ in Battersea.

 

My problem tends not to be finding ballet classes and workshops, but finding available premises, it not just studios in London but availability of my local village hall for rep practice. Before Christmas there was no problem in booking mornings, I would book it 3 or 4 times a week at short notice, but I guess I got complacence. I only extended Thursdays to coincide with my LAB rehearsals, when I tried booking Mondays and Fridays it was already booked, however I have managed to get Mondays back for Feb and March. But Fridays looks as if I will have to book the same studio as I use on Mondays for one to one rep coaching in Sleaford and that’s 20 miles away.

[Michelle_Richer]

This week was my second week with the new regarded classes. My first thoughts were it was just a name change from level 2 to Intermediate and Level 3 to Advanced but in reality its quite different.

 

Intermediate for the moment is very similar to the old level 2 I think because of the dancers coming up from the old level 1 and the need to provide catchup, but I can see that changing after a term or two.

 

Advance is now made up of both the old level 3 and level 4’s. I know there was quite a push to persuade level 3 dancers to go up to level 4. Needless to say it is now a more challenging class. Both barre work and centre has some brain teaser additions and for once some new movements. However to a degree there are two standards that are taught, an easier option for those from level 3 and a harder option for those from level 4. During the first week you did not have a choice which I was a bit peeved at, however during this week, those from level 3 if they wish can try the harder option. At least now it’s more interesting and far more fun.

 

There is al level above “Advanced” called “Advanced Pro”, but I have no knowledge of that one.

 

Well its not all good news, ENB for me comes at a price, and that’s painful ankles. However I suspect it has very little to do with the classes but a combination of circumstances. I’ve done ENB combined with 3 other classes and ENB on its own and the effects are similar. On the run up to Christmas I suspended my ENB classes for three weeks as I didn’t want to place any unnecessary risks to my Christmas shows. I was fortunate in the week running up to Christmas I had no classes, however ENB were running a class the day before Christmas eve, I applied to join it and they let me, as many dancers would be absent that week. My two ENB classes was the only ones done during that week but the day after I could hardly walk on my left leg, the ankle was very tight and painful with no strength hardly at all. I rested it for 4 days and no significant improvement. In sheer desperation I went back to Alfredson Heel Drop procedures, each day for about 4 day I could see a significant improvement, it really did work.

 

I’m still using it twice each and every day, it does not stop the effect each time I do my ENB classes, but it does seem the recovery period is getting shorter. What I am more interested in is the cause, which I suspect has something to do with the 20minute walk from ENB to South Kensington tube station followed by extended periods of sitting.

 

What I did try this last week after class was at least 1 minutes of extreme stretch of the Achilles in the dressing room at ENB after class, then remain standing on the tube journey to Kings Cross, sadly that didn’t work. I may try bussing it from the Royal Albert Hall to Kings Cross to remove the long walk, or even the use of a resistance band to keep my left leg moving while travelling on the last part of my train journey home, it is a real puzzle.

Edited January 17, 2015 by Michelle_Richer

[Michelle_Richer]

Monday has been a good start to the week even though I do not have a booking at my local hall for practice. As a result I had had to switch my Pirouettes for Le Corsaire to the Black Swan variation from Swan Lake, that went better than I had anticipated, we got far more done than we planned. Two pieces I wanted to address was the seamless transfer of the en dehors pirouette into an attitude turn. and not a pirouette with an attitude landing as was taught at a workshop I did last summer. The other was a double turn lame duck. Both were successfully addressed by my rep coach. The pirouette to attitude turn was almost there until my left ankle started to get quite painful, it’s the one I have the Achilles issue with. I think the way forward with practicing with this one, is little and often to avoid injury. We hadn’t anticipated getting as far as the lame duck turn, but again when this had been taught at my workshop it was only as a single, although I had tried doing a double without any guidance, it wasn’t successful. Tuition from my coach made it incredibly simple just by keeping the turn tight and treating it a pirouette, and not a travelling turn. We repeated just that bit of the enchainement from the arabesques  to the tendu, an number of times, at least some of the time I achieved the double turn into a tendu but we never got chance to add the arms in before we ran out of time.. As neither of these turns is travelling I can practice these in my own studio before next week’s session. Next week we will add the music which may not be straight forward as the choreography is a hybrid between two different artists but most is based on ABT.

 

Tonight’s session at Lincoln was challenging again as we for the second time did a barreless barre, I think we all enjoyed it though . Shortly we will be back to doing pointe work for the last 15-20 minutes of class, that seems ages since we did any.

 

Only one more week to go before I get my hall back for at least Feb and March, oh how I do miss that hall..

[beckyl]

Michelle- do you do private lessons?

 

I'm thinking about getting some to work on my basics- have found someone that would come to my house and I'm trying to budget for it? If yes (to anyone) what made you have private lessons? Have you found a real benefit? Do you do them in addition to or in place of an open/adult/other class?

[Michelle_Richer]

Hi Becky

 

I have private tuition which I refer as coaching which for me is about polishing repertoire usually solo’s. In the past I have attended lots of different repertoire workshops and intensives on the classics, only after a short while one memory fades and you forget them. I have a list of about 15 solo’s I want to re-learn and polished for amateur performance. It’s my coach’s job to help me do that. For that I hire a dance studio’s at a convenient location, sometimes in London and sometimes locally.

 

As for what made me have private lessons, simple I’m in control of the training requirement so I can ensure I come away with value for money (eg I have learnt that piece in detail and can take it forward for performance independently). That probably sounds awful but in reality the relationship is very much closer and you work together as a team, it really does work for me. At workshops etc when one learns rep, its often simplified which sometimes spoils it, you seldom get enough time to really burn that into memory, I tend to use it as a taster and fully explore it later, then looking at different artists interpretation of the same piece. It not unusual for me to create a hybrid version of a solo from two or more pieces, In that case to some extent I have to teach my teacher what we are doing to familiarise her, we usually mark my modified choreography together first, then she comes in with her wonderful helpful feedback which of cause include issues of technique especially if something is rushed when I’m dancing it.

 

My teacher has a camera which has the ability to record high speed video which can be played back slowly and smoothly allowing indiscressions to be analysed closely, I find that particularly helpful. I always find videos helpful for self analysis because you can take time studying it, what I don’t find particularly helpful that often happens in general class, is feedback while you are still going through movements either in the centre or at the barre, I usually have to stop to listen and understand what is being said, otherwise my concentration would be lost.

 

I don’t generally do what is termed as open classes, however I do attend two ballet classes a week with English National Ballet, both on the same night to be more cost effective, those are pay by term and have a grading structure which I have listed on another thread in Doing Dance. The only exceptions to that is I sometimes return to one of my old open classes during term break if they are still running, but that is as much about social contact as ballet.

 

My mainstream classes are those that support on-stage performances from or inspired by the classics eg London Amateur Ballet, City Academy, Lincoln class, Northern Ballet. It also included one in Cambridgeshire but I have let that one go as it had no relationship to the classic. To support rehearsals I also hire my local village hall a number of time a week even though I have my own mini studio with sprung floor, mirrors, barres etc.

 

I guess as time goes on I’m tending to put more of a business hat on and say what is the payback. If I see an intensive for say £300 and it on say Giselle, that’s not enough, I would need details of the scenes being taught and what artist version, essentially I need to know if I can take something away with me that I can use later in a solo performance roll, otherwise I would have to fall in love with a piece of corps de ballet choreography to justify doing it, but that’s my mind set.

Edited January 21, 2015 by Michelle_Richer

[LinMM]

I'm having my first one to one again for a year next month.

 

When I was younger I don't think I ever had a one to one ......though there was a time when the teacher I had then was coaching just three of us for an exam.

 

As an adult I only really considered it for the first time about 18months ago and I think it was largely meeting the right teacher in the right sort of situation. I felt at the time that if I was going to consider joining an amateur company again then I could do with improving my technique somewhat! And then along came a teacher who was prepared to take someone like myself seriously!!

 

One to ones are too expensive to have that often but I thought they could be useful just occasionally for improving or looking at aspects of the technique that were bothering me or I felt were particularly weak (I say particularly because most of my technique is on the weak side!) but it is nice to say to a teacher who you trust look can we look at "a" "b" "c" and "z" today! And obviously during feedback she might think that actually looking at "y" is what is needed even more!!

But during an hours one to one you do work very hard and it can feel more like a two hour session in terms of effort.....so extremely worthwhile in fact.

[beckyl]

Thank you, ladies. I know my turnout isn't great as my class teacher is always telling me to 'hold my turnout.' Especially when doing something like a grand plie in fourth or fifth. Could a one hour lesson even once or twice a month be useful?

[LinMM]

Yes definitely I would go for it you really do take in much more in a one to one.

[beckyl]

Thanks, Lin.

 

I have exciting news! This summer my studio is running an two-week intensive (where we go and take daily class for two weeks) with a dancer from the Croatian national ballet! It's open to all levels and I'm very excited.

[LinMM]

Whereabouts are you based ......you can PM if you don't want to publicly reveal etc

 

Thanks Linda x

[beckyl]

The studio is in southern Oxfordshire. I have no idea about dates yet and if it's available to non-studio members etc. I will keep you posted

[Michelle_Richer]

Hi Lin

 

Are you doing any of LAB’s Intensives this year?

 

The LAB Spring Intensive 2015

Friday 10th - Sunday 12th April 2015 - Central School of Ballet

 

First LAB Summer Intensive 2015

Monday 17th - Saturday 22nd August 2015 - Central School of Ballet with Saturday performance day at Lanterns Studio Theatre

 

Second LAB Summer Intensive 2015

Monday 24th - Saturday 29th August 2015 - Central School of Ballet with Saturday performance day at Lanterns Studio Theatre

 

 

Hi Becky

 

My one-to-one tuition is every week but it doesn’t stop there, basically we have a long term training plan, to meet that I have to agree to work on my teachers feedback between sessions so we can maintain progress and keep to our training schedule, that's why I am always looking out for good studio space for practice. I checked out a new one last week and another on Monday evening this week.

[beckyl]

I think given my studio is doing a summer intensive I might not go to LAB this year. I want to but it might be 2016 - give me a chance to work on my technique.

 

I'm not sure about private lessons now. Just because I am a student and £££ are in such short supply! I'm hoping that by committing to attend ballet 3 x per week (two adult open classes and an intermediate class) I will improve. I just feel like I really lack the basics- sometimes my instructor might move me a millimetre in my turn out or move my hand every so slightly on the barre and move me an inch closer to the barre...

 

Something exciting happened on Saturday! My adult ballet group are featuring in the Oxford Times magazine in March- the photographer came to take our pictures and me and some other girls were interviewed. I can't wait to see which pictures and quotes they use

 

Michelle- can I be cheeky and ask how much studio space is to hire? I think at my local studio it's £18/hour with a 2 hour minimum.

[LinMM]

No I'm not doing any LAB intensives this year as for me it's too many days on the trot still.

 

Apart from the half day workshops of Franziska and I may try just a one day one by City Academy later in the year that's it for me.

I will be doing Chelsea Ballet Summer School but that suits me really well as on this one you can take as many classes as you want each day so I'll do just the one ballet class each day(there's no contemporary this year unfortunately) and probably the Pilates too as it starts later this year!

[beckyl]

Lin apparently now my summer intensive is now class 3 x a week at a variety of times (some mornings, afternoons and evenings) so everyone can join in if they are coming after work. I can ask if it's open to non-studio members if you like? All will be drop-in.

[Michelle_Richer]

Hi Lin

You may want to consider one of LABs Summer Shorts if they run them again for this year. They are run over two consecutive weeks but only two hours a week and of course on the same day and time each week. Last year it was held at the Place.

 

Last year we did Gamazatti variation from Le Corsaire / La Bayadere for one and the ABT version of the Black Swan solo, Both had the usual bar warm up for about half an hour and then strait into rep. Although it was a good representation of the original rep they did contain quite a lot of simplification which is understandable give the short time to work on it.

 

I’ve had a couple of one-to-one’s on Black Swan to get my head around it again with my local coach at Sleaford in the last couple of weeks. Unfortunately my local hall has not been available to work on this one until this week which I am really looking forward too. At least I have now decided on my version of the choreography which still uses about two thirds of ABT. Although I wanted to use the full double turn en dehors pirouette with a double attitude turn, I have decided to drop one of the attitude turns as I have seen several professionals use only one, also my pivoting leg is the one with the Achilles issue, and the momentary drop to flat foot for the fouette launch of the attitude turn does jars it a bit, several of those in practice and it gets quite sore, so I dare not push it too far. At least now I have room to dance the full choreography all the way through and tweak where necessary.

[LinMM]

Yes I may well consider the LAB shorts this summer!

 

I had to be basically observer in this weeks LAB as Ive missed three weeks on the trot from being away etc so all this terms choreography is completely new at the moment. Our group are doing a bit from Manon. Just hope I can catch up by the end of term......and remember what we did last term ......now where did I put those Gingko Biloba pills.......

[CrystalBallet]

Lin and Michelle ( and any other LAB'ers) do you mind if I butt in here? I think what Tom's doing with LAB is great, the more adult ballet the better as far as I'm concerned!

 

I try not to offer any rep classes that run through a term as I see this exact problem quite often Lin - you miss one or two classes and you've been left behind or they work hard to catch everyone up and then those who are there every week spend a portion of class hanging around. Is that what happens? I'm keen to make sure that we offer clases and courses that function well.... We concentrate on weekly technique classes then offer short courses that concentrate on rep.

 

Any thoughts gratefully received!

[Michelle_Richer]

Hi Lin

 

This last weeks LAB rehearsal we had quite a few missing which does upset positioning a little but it is still danceable.

 

As you have missed a few weeks do you look at the drop box videos of previous weeks work to keep up to date when you are not there.

 

Do you actually practice that work you have missed or rely on catching up when you get back.

 

For me, I make use of the videos and allocate Thursday morning at my local hall for an hour rehearsal practice, for me its essential, especially early on when learning rep and its subject to change which ours has been. But then I’m working on multiple rep from different ballets.

 

 

Hi CrystalBallet

 

I think most if not all LAB dancers do other weekly classes during term time for polishing technique etc. Absent dancers on rehearsals is unfortunately a fact of life, its bound to happen fairly frequently as amateur dancer have other ever changing priorities associated with home and work.

 

I think another aspect which is lost you should pull together as a team or company rather than a collection of individuals forming a class, I personally don’t this there is a strong cultural identity for this. However I do understand how critical this becomes when you get very close to performance day

 

I know in one of the fitness classes I attend, just the way our instructor uses the term “team” when addressing the class, it almost as if you are very much a collective of “TEAM GB”, it certainly instils a feeling of belonging and wanting to do well as a group.

 

My interest is in performing, it’s not unusual for me to be on rehearsal with three or four different groups at any one time. So additional general classes are out other than the two ENB classes I attend each week.

 

 

For me as I haven’t had the vast years of ballet training that many of my fellow dancers have, I have to rely on regular practice and also one-to-one coaching sessions. So if I have to go the extra mile to keep up to date then I do, including gaining familiarity of the original rep that a particular school has created its choreography from..

[LinMM]

For me the reason I chose this way of working with LAB is because I had an injury last year so any form of intensive eg: attending whole days of ballet for four or five days running is out for me personally just at the moment though next year (September) may be different of course.

The LAB do run intensives as well and many people choose this way to work with them.

I chose the weekly path because it's easier on the body with the performance at the end of the year.

 

With all Amateur Ballet I should think its difficult to get EVERYONE there EVERY week if run on a weekly basis like this though.

The onus is on the person who has missed to catch up of course and Tom films each week .....the rep bits......and we are supposed to watch on Dropbox. Unfortunately my Dropbox doesn't work at home and anyway I am not brilliant learning from videos.....though I do try!

 

What suits me is to just do it and then I go away and write it down(I have a ballet book for this) I am a learner by doing so missing classes is a pain in fact .......others seem to be able to learn from the videos better.

We only spend so,much time on each item so you will be idle some of the time if not practising in a corner.

 

Luckily we seem to be able to access the studio room in the Camden Arts and Technology centre half an hour before the class begins and Ive already organised for someone to go over some of the steps with me before the class begins so can try to catch up that way.

[Michelle_Richer]

Hi Lin

 

I wish I had your memory. I remember many moons ago when I attended ballet class at Stamford and we did some really nice enchainments in the centre, I used to write those down. Fortunately I used to have lunch immediately after class in a café near by, that was an ideal time for me to write up what we had done. If I left it until the following day the clarity of that memory had become eroded and my notes a little sketchy.

 

However I think the requirements for rep are more exacting, its not sufficient to just remember the basic steps, and of course the length of rep taught that evening can be quite long too.

 

I find on some sequences I only remember part of what we have done, although like you I tend to remember by doing, sometimes something just doesn’t click. Then I find that a video helps from the fact you are not “doing”, then your mind is free to analyse and understand that piece of rep, then remarkably you think “why couldn’t I grasp it, its so easy peeze”, its just like magic.

 

I know when doing rep one to one with my teacher and I will realise I have done something wrong with my head or arms, I will probably use a naughty word and indicate I got the head or arms wrong again, sometime my teacher will miss it as she is concentrating on my feet, its difficult to analyse everything all the time, but a video does record and display all of it.

 

Similarly I cannot multitask with corrections being fired at me while I’m engaged performing various movements, that I find annoying and unhelpful.

 

Last week before our LAB rehearsal I danced though what we had learnt in my local hall to make sure the timing was spot on with the music. I checked the sequence with the video and all seem well then suddenly the penny dropped, we had a bit of port de bra which took the arms to a tilted 5th and head too, this seemed unusual I guess that’s why I remembered it. Some of the previous choreography had been changed that week and I was unsure as to if it had been removed or not, however I had danced it through a number of times before realising this. After checking the video, yes it was still in and I had almost forgotten about it.

[LinMM]

My train journey home afterwards is usually a good time to write things down!

 

Though this week I'm staying up especially so I can go over to Battersea on the Thursday to pick up some chisels my partner has won on eBay!! I didn't really think much about it until Ive just seen a picture of them ......look quite weighty .....just what I need ha ha!

He says never mind will keep you fit grrrr!

[Michelle_Richer]

I’m in Battersea on Thursday at RAD, that’s going to be fun getting there with the bus strike on. I guess its tube to Clapham Junction and then walk if the weather is kind, as it will still be daylight. No LAB videos for our group on drop box as yet.

 

Had a good day on Monday, at least my hall is available for Mondays for the next couple of months. As least I had room to dance the Black Swan through or to at least where the travelling turns started in the ABT version, as I’m replacing that section with something that’s less repetitive and has a much nicer ending, well at least I think so.

 

My coach was pleased with the progress we made at Sleaford this week but I was a little disappointed with still being in think mode with some of it, especially the double lame duck with its finishing position (deep plie on the supporting leg with the other in a long tendu, the upper body rotated so as the opposite arm is in line and almost touching the tendu foot, the other arm forming a rising diagonal line). Looking in the mirror it looked awful and at one period I was going to drop it as un-doable, then my teacher said, it was producing a good line. Then I wished we had recorded the session. We haven’t yet set it to music as there will be the inevitable tweak to incorporate our changes to the chorography.

 

If my left ankle is still in good shape next Monday I’m hoping I can hire my hall for an extra hour, which hopefully I can get the end section in place and the whole thing flowing more smoothly and get it set to music before my coaching session that afternoon.

 

At our Lincoln class that evening we had for the third week running a barreless barre session, it looks like that's becoming a feature now, it certainly make the barre exercises much more challenging. Since we are no longer doing rehearsals we have commenced pointe work again after many months without.

 

Oh and I have bought my boyfriend Adrian his first ballet slippers, whoopee. I have the hall booked for a hour next Sunday as he will become my scarecrow for a few rudimentary steps in the Nutcracker Grand PDD, at least he can now walk in a circle properly to promenade me. Wonderful more re-choreographing to do.

[LinMM]

Oh no not a bus strike! I need the 77 and 87 to be working from Vauxhall!! To,get where I need to go. Otherwise very long walks will be involved!

Hope it's called off!

Is it ALL the buses?

[Michelle_Richer]

This is essentially the email I received:

 

I am writing to let you know that the Unite union has announced three 24-hour strikes on London bus services as follows:

 

• Thursday 5 February

• Friday 13 February

• Monday 16 February

 

If the strike this week goes ahead, buses across London will be significantly disrupted from around 04:00 on Thursday 5 February until Friday morning. Buses during the day on Friday should operate as normal.

 

All other TfL services will operate as normal. Bus & Tram Pass season tickets will be accepted on Tube, DLR and London Overground services via reasonable routes. Please allow more time to complete your journey.

[beckyl]

The joys of public transport! I have to get a bus to ballet, at least the inevitable sprint from the bus stop to the studio (less than a minute!)is a good warm-up!

 

What do you ladies do to improve balance? I felt really unbalanced in grand battement in the centre tonight. I have started doing some pilates via online streaming (instructor live) to strengthen my core at least

[Michelle_Richer]

Hi Becky

 

Have you considered a wobble board to improve your balance, Dance Direct have them, see the Link http://www.dancedirect.com/uk/Products/Accessories/WB1/

 

As for strengthening the core, check out this video “Core De Ballet” by Scottish ballet, I used to use it. At Lincoln we have started doing a barreless barre, that certainly helps but its no picnic.

 

[beckyl]

Thanks for those, Michelle. I have done floor barre in the past but not for several months (I was doing live classes via Skype but had to quit as my studio ballet teacher said I was picking up bad habits.) I'm hoping if I pick up more pilates my core will get stronger- hopefully this will improve my balance?