The Barre: Act 2

Truthfully, I did have some dance experience.

I clogged.

Bent knees, clapping hands and click clogging along to Shania Twain earned a silver medal at the Dundalk Country Jamboree. As a kid, I wrestled with having a crush on my dance partner, unsure of how to articulate it in words. I could have practiced harder to show her how much I really cared.

Now as an adult student, my dance lessons have been full of different emotions and experiences. However, one thing remains—I have the biggest crush on my partner at the barre. Lauryn and I have explored first-hand the repetitious nature of our instructors for me to “straighten my knees”; “ribs and shoulders down”; “turn out”. Ballet cues are excellent for any movement and strength practice. Slow down, stay strong, and join us at our next live workshop in studio or online.

Favourite movies and crushes aside, it was at a StrongFirst kettlebell certification in 2014 that we learned the benefits of ballet movements. An instructor cited from, what turned out to be, a very elusive study. According to legend, kettlebell strength skills such as the swing, get-up, squat, and press were applied at an Italian ballet school—one group of dancers used these skills in strength training regiments, while other dancers used training modalities such as machine or dumbbell workouts. The results of this hard-to-find fable showed that the strength, jump, and endurance measuredimproved the most among users of the kettlebell group. Regardless of the findings of the study, I was hooked and I continue to connect my kettlebell pressing and ballet pliés in a practice to improve my strength and movement skills. 

Movements explored at a barre workout include:

• Feet Warm-ups. Explore the ballet foot positions and articulate the toes and feet for strength.

• Balances from parallel feet in 1st, 2 nd and 4th position. Practice tension techniques with strong form.

• Hip mobility drills similar to the ronde de jambe. Explore movement of the hip to maintain strength to plié, squat and live your daily life.

Are you getting used to the barre? Or just barre-ly? Join us in a bodyweight practice for strength and grace. Start slow. Stay strong. Build healthy relationships with your body and with your partners at the barre.