As with any activity that you participate in, ballet practice at home is a great idea! Of course practicing in moderation is the best idea, as you will read about later in this blog. If you can remember what the teacher has told you to do in class, go ahead and practice at home. It is also good to do some cross-training at home such as Pilates or yoga to help keep your muscles strong for dance class. Listed below are some suggestions of things to keep in mind when you are doing ballet practice at home.
Give yourself space
Set up a good amount of dance space for yourself. A wooden floor would be great if you have access to one and also a floor length mirror so that you can watch yourself dance. You will also need a barre, and you can use a chair or back of a sofa as a make shift barre, or you can build your own barre if you prefer.
Choose inspiring music
Create a playlist of your favorite ballet music! Anything from pop to classical can be used, although classical is the most appropriate for ballet. Make sure you choose something that is upbeat and motivating that will make you want to keep practicing!
Wear something comfortable
You of course don’t have to get all decked out for ballet practice at home like you would to go to dance class. A leotard and tights are great to practice in, but not a necessity. You can wear sweats, leggings, or something else comfortable to move in. If you have ballet slippers, wear them. If not, go barefoot. Do not wear tennis or other hard-soled shoes.
Prepare/Stretch
Be good to your body and stretch before you practice dancing. If you do not, you could hurt your muscles or stretch too far. Learn to recognize burnout and muscle fatigue. Practicing at home the night before class can wear your muscles out and then you won’t be able to perform to your best ability in class. Just don’t get carried away with practicing at home!
Practice the basics
One of the best things you can do for yourself is practice the basics of ballet. Arm and foot positions are always the perfect thing to practice and will help you learn to coordinate your arms and legs. You can work on port de bras, which are the movements of the arms.
It can be nice to do your dance moves at home with no one there to judge you, but you really should watch yourself in a mirror or video tape yourself and watch it later so that you can self-correct yourself. If you do this, you will improve your technique ten times faster!!
Another basic that is important to work on is your posture. Good posture is essential to ballet. Make sure that everything you work on, you are using good posture. The video camera can come in handy here as well. Learning things correctly the first time is much better then having to fix it later!
Have fun!
Whenever you are dancing, this is very important! Make sure you are practicing at your current ability level, or you won’t be able to enjoy your time dancing. Practicing your routines from class can be a great challenge for your memory as well as your dancing ability!
If you are interested in taking dance class, check out our website for more information! https://omahaschoolofmusicanddance.com/ballet-classes-for-kids-ages-6-9.
