Setting up your home ballet studio
With all of the chaos of the last few years it’s no surprise that Zoom ballet classes and online ballet courses are on the rise!
As we’ve been forced more and more to stay home, the dedicated ballet students and die hard ballet lovers have too been forced to find ways to stay in shape, keep learning, and keep enjoying ballet classes.
Personally, I’ve been using many hotel rooms and living rooms as my ballet studio for over 20 years! As an aspiring dancer, I’d keep up with my stretching and strengthening exercises during the school holidays from home. As a professional, using the back of a chair as my ballet barre was often a necessity when travelling for company tours and auditions. Now, as a teacher, I still have the need to occasionally choreograph classes from home and lead students in online ballet classes.
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While you may not have all the luxuries that a ballet studio provide at home, don’t let that stop you from taking the reigns on your ballet journey. There is always something you can do that will enhance your training, no matter how small your space.
You may even find there are some benefits of dancing from home, such as going at your own pace, learning to self correct, and not being afraid to try new steps.
Let’s look at a few ways that you can optimise the space you have for effectiveness and enjoyment on any given day!
Have a plan and set goals
Firstly, it’s a good idea to have a rough plan in place so that you’re not floating around aimlessly. Writing it down can help.
Consider these questions when putting your plan together-
What will the high point of my practice be, and what do I need to do in preparation to get there?
For example if my goal is to work on developes in second, I will need to warm up my hips well, and include some hip strengthening and stretching exercises before going into my developes.
If you are working on pointe work you’ll want to warm up your feet and ankles well, possibly even starting with floor work or rises before you put your shoes on.
How can I gauge my improvement?
Will it be by the height of your leg, the strength to hold it, your form? Maybe all of these?
What is going to help me the most?
It’s always more fun to work on things you’re already good at, but what can you work on that’s going to improve your dancing overall in the long run.
What does my space allow me to practice well?
It’s not likely that grand allegro will be on the cards unless you live in a palace (and even then the floor is probably not sprung like a ballet studio). There’s still so much you can do that will make your grand allegro stronger if that’s what your goal is, like grand battlements, and slow controlled sautes. Choose your exercises to suit your space, rather than fighting against it.
Mirrors
If you have any mirrors, use them! Mirrors are nearly always used in ballet studios to give you real time feedback. Even a glass door might suffice if you can see your reflection.
If you don’t have any mirrors then don’t despair. Why not video yourself and then watch it back to self correct? One could argue that this technique could be even more valuable than mirrors in the long run. You’ll be learning to find the feeling of moving correctly in your body rather than relying on a mirror. Once you get on stage, there are no mirrors so you’ll need to learn this skill anyway!
Music For Ballet Class
Dancing to music can be magical! There’s a plethora of options for ballet class music available on streaming services such as Spotify.
If you’re in an area where noise might become distracting, consider purchasing some Bluetooth headphones so you can zone in and focus on your class.
C'est Pointe Collaborates With William Miller For Our Ballet Classes. Find His Music Here.
Ballet Class and Flooring
There’s a few options when it comes to floor.
You can use whatever you have, carpet, tiles, floorboards or otherwise. A pair of socks will usually suffice as a pair of ballet shoes with all of these floorings.
Pointe is a little trickier. I recommend limiting your pointe work to barre exercises or exercises that don’t move much, and finding the flattest surface possible.
Want more? Consider purchasing a piece of Lino or tarket dance flooring and fixing it to your floor with tape.
Home Ballet Barre
No barre? No worries!
Find something sturdy and at an appropriate height and make that your barre (around the bottom of your rib cage is idea). I’ve used everything from kitchen benches, to stair railing.
Alternatively, you can purchase a small portable barre or a doorway barre such as THESE.
Having your own ballet barre and the space to store, although wonderful, may not a be a realistic option for many. However, we don’t want to miss out on barre exercises altogether. These exercises make up the foundation of everything that comes after in the Center, and having a little support allows you to focus on the nuances of each step so that you can perfect it!
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All of the above are nice to have and think about, but if none of these suggestions are possible for you, please don’t worry. As long as you have the will and dedication to practice there is always something you can do. Perfect you port de bras on the spot, strengthen your legs with a few rises, or simply visualise yourself performing the perfect pirouette (seriously, it helps!!).
Happy dancing.