The Importance of Ballet

We remember leaving college and hearing a lot of people stating that they 'we're going to burn there ballet kit, as they're never going to have to do a ballet class again'...fair enough, after a ballet class everyday and so much focus on correct technique the thought of doing another ballet class straight away after graduation felt like the last thing that we wanted to do! However a lot of those dancers have never taken a ballet class again, Sam and I however kept it up in London after graduation, sometimes choosing that over other classes if we could only afford one a week.

The importance of ballet is impeccable, not only for a dancers training, especially contemporary and modern/jazz but also for general fitness of the body and muscles. Taking a good ballet barre is sometimes more knackering than doing a 10k run if you work your body properly.

The course at BDC made it compulsory that we all took 2 ballet classes a week minimum even if your concentration was tap or hiphop. The effect that it has on all the dancers, just to centre and focus completely on their technique, which is so often forgotten once in a job or you start choreography. The centralising  and strength in the torso, legs and feet can relate to all styles. Nearly all of the teachers at BDC also take a ballet class, and so do most of the professionals, whether they be Hiphoppers, breakers, Musical theatre performers or Pro Ballerinas. Certain classes that happen at 4.30-6pm see many of the Broadway performers, ensemble and some leads (even the older leads!) taking ballet classes as warmups before heading to the theatre, it is nice to see that however successful they are in the industry, everyone heads back to the start, where we all started at the ballet barre.

Ballet is very hard. There is always something to perfect, but what I have noticed here its not about how PERFECT the technique is it is how you present it, with that somehow legs begin to go up and multiple turns begin to happen, ballet classes here are more about living and creating for you and not so that everyone is equal. (That would never happen, when you have a class of randomers, a contemporary dancer, some old women who came for fitness, an ex ballet dancer aged 80, couple of kids visiting from florida, American Ballet theatre principal, and then us the normal dancers just taking a ballet class!)


We have both really enjoyed the classes here, we have taken a range of different teachers, styles and levels, but our favourite that fits in just hard enough, without it being impossible, the brilliant teacher that is Matthew Powell! Matthew is a working professional ballet dancer, but also a great lecturer. We shall definitlely miss taking two ballet classes a week but i know that we will keep it up as long as we physically can, maybe stopping before we get to be those 'old ladies with bright red leotards, belts, blue eyeshadow and drawn on eyebrows  that look like there going to fall over in the pointe shoes because there so old there legs don't even straighten'...or maybe not!