Copyright Heli Santavuori 2017
Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand GmbH, Helsinki, Finland
Printed by: BoD – Books on Demand GmbH, Norderstedt, Germany
ISBN 978-951-568-613-8
The Finnish edition of this book has been very well received.
One reader wrote to me that she had begun studying ballet at the age of 75. That was four years ago. One room in her home was now a studio, she wrote, and as training help she had my book! Her letter really made me happy.
When I was young and training hard, I always thought that everybody should learn ballet, it gives you so much joy and physical selfknowledge.
The basic technique of ballet is of a great use to many. Even the stars in Soviet Union’s ice hockey team learned from ballet technique in order to become better ice hockey players.
Ballet technique gives strength and mobility in a balanced way. Your posture will improve. You will also find deep satisfaction in the emotional and artistical side of the training.
The popularity of adult ballet is, in my mind, a back to basics thing in a time when different dance styles are abundant. To master different styles has one precondition: to master the basics. There is no better way to achieve this than studying ballet.
Heli Santavuori
May 4th 2017 in Helsinki, Finland
(For a more detailed index, se page →)
It is a Good Idea to Practice at home
General Instructions
The Basic Posture
Barre work
Plié
Elevé, Relevé
Cambré
Tendu
Jeté
Passé
Rond de jambe
Frappé
Rond de Jambe en l’air
Petit battement
Fondu
Developpé
Grand Battement
Sretching
Center Floor Exercise
Plié and Elevé
Adagio
Steps
Pirouette
Allegro
Reverence
Ballet class – an Example
Links
A Glossary of the French Ballet Terms used in this Book
Especially,
At home, you can train with socks on, if the floor is not too slippery. Gymnastics or jogging shoes are not good for ballet.
If you decide to go on with ballet training, the first thing to buy is a pair of soft ballet slippers. They are made of cloth or leather. Bend the heel of the slipper as in the picture: this shows the place where you must sew a rubber band.
Silk ribbons round the ankle are for pointes ballet shoes, they are not necessary with soft slippers. (Dancing on point is a thing that requires a live instructor and a few years of ballet studies. It is not something you can learn from a book at home.)
Next, you need a barre. A steady couch or arm chair is fine. Sport shops also sell different kinds of barres – for ballet, for push ups or chin-ups.
Anyway, you should not lean on the barre or couch with all your weight – your hand on the barre should be light, relaxed. Preferably, you should hold the fingers, the thumb included, on top of the barre.
A mirror helps a lot, at least occasionally.
Your hair should be tied so that it is out of the way. Otherwise it is not so important what you are wearing. But you should keep yourself warm in the beginning of the training session. And of course, tights and leotards are good when testing postures in front of a mirror.
Music is an essential part of ballet training. I recommend dancemelody.com where you can download music especially designed for ballet practice. It’s free. (See page →.)
“A dancer must maintain the correct posture through the entire performance, otherwise the whole movement collapses. The strength required in this upward striving posture comes from the muscles in the belly, buttocks and back.
A good, upward striving posture makes it possible for the upper body, neck and head to move freely without any sign of muscle strain, and for the arms to move smoothly and effortlessly from the shoulder blades.”
Birgitta Kiviniemi-Cheremeteff
A former principal ballerina in the Finnish National Ballet and a ballet teacher
In the following, the basic posture is described in a somewhat pedantic manner.
You should not underrate these rules. Only when your posture – from the tip of the toes to the fingertips – is controlled and becomes a conscious habit, you will have an almost meditative experience from your ballet training. It is not gymnastics anymore, but a comprehensive practice of body and mind. This makes you relaxed, refreshed, and gives you profound satisfaction.