International Ballet Competition

15 Ballet Dance Tips

Step 1

1. Sign Up for a Ballet Dance Class


Before Your Class

1. Stretch your body as best as you can

2. Learn the steps names

3. Choose ballet slippers and have your shoes fit snug but not too tight

4. Know that you will start every class at the ballet barre

5. Check with your instructor on what the school's dress code is

6. Listen to and respect your teacher


Ballet Barre Basics

1. Know your 6 positions

2. Do plies

3. Do tendus

4. Start either facing the barre or with your left hand on the barre


Leg Extension

1. Stand very straight, in either first or fifth position

2. Lift one leg to the side or front, keeping it straight, as high as you can

3. Make sure you are balanced by testing to see if you can let go of the barre

4. Keep correct technique by slowly lowering your leg and standing in the position

Black Swan Workout by Natalie Portman

How did you get Natalie Portman ready for her close-up?
I took my program, which combines mat work, cardio, and ballet and created a customized version for her. On the one hand, we wanted her to look the part so that her character was believable—ballerinas have obvious physical markers like long, lean muscle and beautiful posture—but we also wanted to make sure she was able to move and dance like a professional ballerina. Because of this, many of the exercises had a dual purpose. We’d work on her inner thighs to change how her leg was shaped but it’d also help her get a tighter fifth position. Or we’d target her abs to give her greater definition but also build her center of balance.

Did Portman have prior ballet experience?
She took ballet classes until she was about 13 years old. But she had never done point work before. When I first met her we got her fitted for shoes and I showed her how to sew the ribbon and elastic onto them. Getting her on her toes for the first time was a big adjustment—it was very foreign to her at first—so we started with basic relevés in first position and branched off from there.

How long did you work with Portman?
Natalie was very devoted to preparing for this role. She had a body double for some of the harder turning sequences but 90 percent of the dancing you see in Black Swan is her—even the upside-down splits! We started training a year before rehearsals began. We’d meet for five hours a day, six days a week. Even after filming started, we’d squeeze in sessions. Nat would spend 12 to 14 hours on set but we’d train in the morning and evening. It was a very intense time.

Did you include any cross-training in your sessions with Portman?
I did. Ballet can be hard on your joints and when you’re on a movie set doing take after take it can become really repetitive. To give her joints a break, we’d go swimming because it allowed us to work on her endurance and elongate her muscles with zero impact. We swam about a mile each day, doing the front crawl and breast stroke—I had her do these really long, ballet-type movements, reaching ahead in the water as far as she could.

The million-dollar question: Why are ballerina dancers so fabulously lean?
Ballet targets smaller muscles that you don’t often use—instead of working your quads it works the inside and the back of your leg. It also raises your center of gravity—when you’re standing in first position, you’re pulling up through your stomach and opening your shoulders so that you’re working your back and upper body. The inner thighs are engaging and you’re squeezing your butt to make sure you’re perfectly lifted. Everything is basically firing as one—and first position is just a resting point!

Godunov ballet

Ferdinand’s growth from ballet dancer To England captain

Rio Ferdinand’s past life as a ballet dancer is revealed in a campaign being fronted by the new England football captain.The National Portrait Gallery pictures Rio Ferdinand relaxing in a leather chair as part of the marketing drive.

According to Sky News, this refers to his background as a dancer who attended classes four times a week for four years. Born in Peckham, south London, Ferdinand’s sporting career started at the age of 10 when he was invited to the Queens Park Rangers Football Academy.

However, when he was 11-years-old he also won a scholarship to the Central School of Ballet in London. He traveled by bus from his home to central London to get to the classes. The dance lessons improved his natural balance but eventually he chose a career as a footballer and signed his first professional contract in 1995

The Manchester United defender joins historical figures, such as artist LS Lowry, King Charles II, Lord Nelson, and Mary, Queen of Scots, for the campaign.

Anitra N Keegan will teach Ballet III this semester

Anitra N Keegan will be teaching Ballet III this semester. Anitra began her training at the Academy of Dance Arts in New Jersey, where she received honors in both the Dance Education Syllabus and the Royal Academy of Dance examinations. She continued her training at the Royal Academy of Dance in England, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet in Carlisle, and Pennsylvania Ballet School in Philadelphia. After graduating from highschool, she began her professional career with Pennsylvania Ballet Company, Ohio Ballet Company, and American Repertory Ballet Company.

Ms. Keegan then moved to New York and continued her dancing career with DancesPatrelle, Chamber Dance Project, BalletNY, where she was featured as “Desdemona” in John Butler’s Othello. During this time in her career, she was featured in roles choreographed by Alonzo King, Donald Byrd, Laura Dean, Heinz Poll, George Balanchine, Thaddeus Davis, William Soleau, and Stanton Welch. Upon joining BalletX in Philadelphia, she has had the privilege to have worked with choreographers such as Christine Cox, Matthew Neenan, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Jodie Gates, Edwaard Liang, Alex Ketley, and Meredith Rainey. Ms. Keegan is also a graduate of Mason Gross School of Arts at Rutgers University.

Famous ballet schools in U.S

California Ballet
The largest professional ballet company in Southern California, California Ballet has over 100 ballets in its repertory, including major full length classics such as Swan Lake, Cinderella, Giselle and Sleeping.
Location: 4819 Ronson Court, San Diego, CA 92111
Website: http://www.californiaballet.org/

Los Angeles Ballet Academy
Los Angeles Ballet Academy was established in 1992 as Theatrics Dance Academy. Los Angeles Ballet Academy offers some of the finest dance instruction available in the San Fernando Valley.
Location: 18138 Sherman Way, Reseda, CA 91335
Website: http://www.laballet.com/

New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet has from the beginning been committed to pushing the edge, transcending tradition, and creating a body and style of work that no one before dared imagine.
Location: New York City Ballet
Location: 20 Lincoln Center, New York, NY 10023
Website: http://www.nycballet.com/index.html

City Ballet School
City Ballet School of San Francisco offers classical Russian Vaganova based training, taught by the finest teachers, and modeled after Artistic Director Galina Alexandrova's own training at the Bolshoi Academy in Moscow.
Location: 32 Otis Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
Website: http://www.cityballetschool.org/

Pacific Ballet Academy
Pacific Ballet Academy offers a full range of graded classes, from pre-ballet to pre-professional training. We provide an unique opportunity for students of all ages and abilities to study the traditions and discipline of Russian Ballet.
Website: http://www.pacificballet.org/
Location: 765, Los Altos, CA 94023

Anaheim Ballet
Anaheim Ballet's mission is to enlighten and entertain audiences with classically rooted programming and contemporary presentation.
Location: 280 E. Lincoln Ave, Anaheim, California 92805
Website: http://www.anaheimballet.org/

Northern California Ballet
Northern California Ballet Company is a California non-profit corporation dedicated to bringing quality full-length Classical Ballet to the North State.
Website: http://www.northerncaliforniaballet.com/index.html
Location: 5794 Clark Road Paradise California

City Ballet of San Diego
City Ballet of San Diego brings together professional artists from across the country and around the world, performing classical and contemporary ballet at San Diego's premiere dance venue, the historic Spreckels Theatre in downtown San Diego.
Website: http://www.cityballet.org/
Location: PO Box 99072, San Diego, CA