Teach Yourself Ballet
While the best way to learn any type of dance, including ballet, is undoubtably to take a class, sometimes it just isn't appropriate. You may only be interested in ballet as a way to improve your flexibility or posture, or your schedule may make taking a regular class impossible. Whatever your reasons, there are some alternatives to help you learn ballet.
Ballet Links:
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- The Art of Ballet
- Includes instructions for basic steps & techniques.
- American Ballet Theatre Glossary
- An excellent detailed ballet glossary with explanations and videos.
Ballet Books:
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- Classical Ballet Technique
- Learn the basics of ballet without ever leaving home! With this brilliantly imagined and beautifully achieved work, Gretchen Warren has created the first comprehensive, photographically illustrated reference and teaching guide on classical ballet technique. In more than 2,600 photographs, Johan Renvall, Cynthia Harvey, Susan Jaffe, and an array of other dancers from such companies as the American Ballet Theatre and the Joffery Ballet demonstrate in sequence every movement in the classical repertoire, from the most basic to the most advanced.
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- The New York City Ballet Workout : Fifty Stretches and Exercises Anyone Can Do for a Strong, Graceful, and Sculpted Body
- Martins shares 50 strength-building exercises that were once restricted to the elite rehearsal studios of the New York City Ballet. He combines anecdotes about working with the company's occasional dance principle with clear explanations of the benefits and steps of the exercise. Martins's narrative encourages awareness of the body's innate grace.
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- Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet
- "I found this dictionary to be useful to me with my limited terminology. It describes everything in detail, including many illustrations showing differences between Cecheti and Russian methods. Overall, for beginning to advanced choreographers or students who need a lift in their ballet vocabulary, this is a great reference! It's also small enough to carry with you in a dance bag or elsewhere!"
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- Ballet 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving the Ballet
- Robert Greskovic brings a clarity and readability to a topic that is typically over-written. An excellent book no matter what the background of the reader. Greskovic's references to available videos makes it possible to experience what he is talking about.
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- Step-By-Step Ballet Class : The Official Illustrated Guide
- A guide to classwork at the Royal Academy of Dancing in England, this book details everything from dress,hair, and shoes to advice on finding a good ballet school and taking dance examinations. A chapter on each class level explains the correct positions and movements for typical exercises, with clear black-and-white pencil drawings of children performing each step. First-person narratives of dancers at various stages of their careers and two sections of full-color performance photographs provide information and inspiration for young dancers, but the book's main value is its no-nonsense approach to the everyday practice of ballet.
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The Joffrey Ballet School's Ballet-Fit |
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Ballet For Dummies
Ballet: From the First Plie to Mastery, An Eight-Year Course |
Ballet Videos
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- Ballet Class For Beginners
- An excellent learning and teaching tool especially designed by America's foremost ballet master to introduce the beginning dance student to the technique and vocabulary of classical ballet with the emphasis on posture, placement, and movement potential. "This video is EXCELLENT. It focuses on the correct name of each movement & how to execute it CORRECTLY. The instructor simply names the move...and the young ballerina executes it beautifully. They do both sides on barre and then center floor. I think it's excellent and highly recommend it."
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- The Ballet Workout
- "I found this video to be a nice introduction to the beautiful art of Ballet. The video is comprised of levels one and two. I found the steps easy to learn. I found Melissa Lowe to be a warm and friendly instructor and her flexibility is inspiring. I have a better understanding of what the Ballet terms and dance steps are. I now find myself standing taller and am more concious of my posture. The more i do ballet the more i love it. I plan to give the Ballet workout two a try but more important, ballet is now a regular addtion to my excercise program."
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- New York City Ballet Workout on DVD
- Do you envy ballet dancers their long, lean bodies and graceful, elegant movements? First you watch the rippling muscles of four gorgeous ballet dancers (two men and two women) performing warm-up moves to classical ballet music. Martins uses ballet terminology in his cuing and no technique is taught, so it's look-and-follow if you have no previous ballet training. Next you get down on a mat for slow lower-body stretches. A difficult abdominal series is next, followed by "floor barre" exercises to tone the thighs and buttocks while still using the abdominals. After introducing moves to strengthen the back and upper body, martins runs through a series of standing exercise segments using various ballet movements to strengthen the legs and postural muscles.
- New York City Ballet Workout, Part 2
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The Classical Art of Ballet |
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Ballet Boot Camp 2 |
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The Video Dictionary of Classical Ballet (DVD)
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