The Barre: Act 1

After four years of practicing ballet, we are barre-ly getting started. We continue to shoot energy out our eyes in our balances as we reach our legs towards the “Skye”. 

Do you practice or workout with the barre? Stay strong and follow along with simple exercises for strength, balance, and grace in your lift + your life.

Prior to searching for our first ballet instructor on Indeed, ballet had bounced in and out of my life. I remember white radiators, high ceilings,and pink tutus at my sister’s first and perhaps only ballet class on Delhi Street. A friend danced to Nothing Compares on pointe at a recital in high school, and then the stage went dark for multiple seasons. As an adult learner, lessons in strength, balance, tension, and grace that our teachers continue to share with us inspire our kettlebell and bodyweight practice. The barre is a physical apparatus for strength and balance. Learn the basics and practice at ‘the barre’ and ‘in center’.

Center Stage was a favourite movie growing up. It deviated from our steady diet of the standards on loan from the library. I thought I looked like Charlie, I wanted to jump like Cooper Neilson, and often I felt like Jody, the ‘try-hard’. Spoiler Alert: drama and dance lead to tidy endings and the importance of being happy with your partners on stage and in your life. The repetitious and vicious depictions of the ballet studio are barriers to making ballet and barre accessible to everyone. The barre is for everyone—whether your “barre” is your kitchen counter or a dining room chair. Practice barre skills in your workouts to add flexibility to your pursuits in life.

No matter the corner or the room, our instructor emphasizes the basics. In our hour-long practice, we execute our tendus, pliés, and foot articulations with strength. It has been a while since our last live lesson and we look forward to resuming ballet instruction. Currently, we practice at the barre with patience for perfection; we recommend the same approach to all your training and exercise endeavours. The Barre classes we share with our online membership allow you to build new skills through the creative and emotional aspects of movement only accessible through dance.