ADULT BALLET Magazine
PORTAIT
NATALIEDANZA
meet Natalie, a famous and inspiring adult ballerina on Instagram
Flexibility
and STRENGTHENING : theraband and elastics are your best friend !
How to keep confidence and mental strength ?
Instagram : a list of some accounts not to miss
NEVER TOO
LATE
that’s how we think testimonies of several adult ballerinas
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Adult Ballet Magazine - N°1
EDITORIAL
B
allet is often seen as a closed world, reserved for the chosen ones. The ones who has began to dance as a child. Because they have more abilities, like flexibility or strength. They know the movements, as they have learn them over many years. They are graceful, beautiful, have a perfect ballet-body, with perfect lines… even if they’re not all professional, they all could have been. But today, a new community appears, particularly on Instagram. A community of women and men, who didn’t have the chance to begin ballet as a child, or who discovered dance later, or for so many other reasons, and, actually, no matter why: they began or went back ballet as adults. And this is not a problem. Not at all. Because if they don’t have a perfect body, if they are not incredibly flexible, if they don’t have impressive strength, they have something stronger than everything: passion.
Adult Ballet Magazine is a tribute to all the beautiful people of this wonderful community. With portraits, interview, stories, but also tips, advice for body and mind… numerous subjects for numerous beautiful adult ballerinas ! Hope you enjoy this first Adult Ballet Magazine. With love,
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Camille, a french adult ballerina. @nevertoolateforballlet
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Summary Editorial.................................................................................................................... p.3 Before starting, a little disclaimer.................................................................... p.5 Flexibility and strength, theraband and elastics are your best friends....................................................................................................................... p.6 @Nataliedanza, interview of a famous and inspiring adult ballerIna................................................................................................................... p.10 Never Too Late, that’s how we think................................................................. p.16 Never give up, how to keep confidence and mental strength................................................................................................................... p.20 Common questions as an adult beginner...................................................... p.24 A Classical Ballet : The Nutcracker................................................................... p.26 Instagram, a list of account not to miss......................................................... p.32 The final word......................................................................................................... p.34
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Before starting...
a little disclaimer
Before continuing the reading of Adult Ballet Magazine, please don’t forget that: • First of all... English is not my native language. I’m French. So there might be some mistakes in the expression or the grammar. Please forgive them. • I’m not a professional dancer or teacher, so the tips that I give (about stretching, tools, motivation...) are what I do for myself (and have often been taught by my teacher) but not absolute truth. If you follow them I don’t have any responsibility in the consequences, good or bad. • All the pictures, or quotations (any content actually) are credited to their owners or the place where I found them, nothing (except where mentioned) is my personal content. • I’m nor a professional in journalism, nor in page setting. So you can give your thoughts about the magazine but don’t forget that that’s not professional content (not yet, anyway). What you’re reading is the work of an amateur, admittedly passionate, but an amateur in any case. So this is all volutary, because I wanted to give our beautiful community a tribute.
Thanks, and enjoy reading, ballerinas!
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Flexibility
and strength :
Flexibility and strength are two characteristics of a good dancer body. They are complementary, and one without the other is kind of pointless. You can have beautiful extension, but without the necessary strength, your legs can’t go high. And in return, you can have a good strength, but if you are not flexible, you will not be capable of throwing your legs up in the sky. To help developing such qualities, there are several tools.
Flexibility To gain flexibility, you have to stretch regularly and always push your limits further without going into pain, but just in a slight discomfort. But try to go further every time you stretch. Remember to always warm-up before stretching, bounce in stretches. You have to be relaxed, and to breath well. Even if it’s not obvious, stretching time can be (and should be) a pleasant moment. A moment when you release the muscle tension, and you give your body time to feel free. It’s why you should always be in a relaxed mood when you stretch.
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Strength
Strength is all about exercises and repetition. Stamina also has a role in strengthening. The more you do a movement, particularly if it’s slow – like développés or fondus – the more you build your muscles up on the way you want them to be. But for this you have to do the movement slowly, in a controlled way, until you feel your muscle burn. Don’t go until the cramp – it would be bad for the muscle. Do your series, do your barre exercises seriously and carefully from the beginning to the end, and strength will come slowly.
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therabands and elastics are your best friends ! Simple theraband The simple and classic theraband is a latex band, with different levels of resistance. You can use it in many exercises. They help to develop the strength, particularly to reinforce your ankles and work on your feet. For example, you can do this: ŠTheraband
Adult Ballet Magazine - N°1
ŠTheraband
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Elastic with holes These elastics are so practical for many things. For flexibility, but also for strength. To work your middle split, sit in the position, with each of your feet in a hole. The elastic is behind your back, keeping your legs in a wideopen middle split.
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©Gaynor Minden
In this picture the elastic has just one hole, but some of them have several holes.
Flexistretcher®
©Flexistretcher
Flexistretcher is a complete tool dedicated to all the dancers who want to work their flexibility and strength at the same time. Even professionals use it. The Flexistretcher was designed by former ballerina, Rachel Hamrick. After her career was cut short by injury she became certified in yoga, pilates and strength training to re-train and eventually began teaching all ages and levels. Her extensive experience in the ballet and fitness worlds provided her with the ability to create a tailored training program focusing in on improvements in flexibility and strength.
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As the band stretches, resistance increases, providing a stimulus to the muscle. This resistance does not rely on gravity. Instead, training with elastic resistance provides a variable resistance throughout the stretch or exercise, eliminating the possibility of using momentum and «cheating» your way through the movement. Working against this resistance forces the muscle to respond with increased effort, which promotes the development of muscular growth, strength, and power.
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@Nataliedanza
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Adult Ballet Magazine - N°1
22,2k suscribers are daily following the ballet adventure of this beautiful adult ballerina. Dreamer, traveller, she is a source of inspiration for lots of adult beginners.
Interview.
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• How did you come to ballet and how old were you? It’s a long story but basically I danced ballet as a little girl (from 4 to 9 years old). I always loved classical music as a kid and used to dance around the house and when I saw ballet on television I told my parents that I wanted to do that! Then I stopped dancing ballet for a long time and instead was dancing contemporary and later latin styles. I came back to ballet properly as an adult when I was 26 because I joined a dance studio in Madrid to do salsa and samba classes but I saw they also had ballet classes and thought I’d try one. Then I got totally addicted and the rest is history!
think of a better way to stay physically and mentally fit than dancing! • I know that you have practised ballet in several countries. Was it different? In what way? And where do you prefer to do ballet? Yes, ballet can be very different in different countries but also in different studios or even in the same studio with a different teacher! I have been lucky enough to take ballet classes in Madrid, London, New York, Toronto and Hamburg. It’s wonderful because everywhere you go in the world, ballet classes will be familiar enough that you feel at home but it is always interesting to see what kind of exercises the teacher will create and what stylistic differences there will be. I would say the most important determining factor of a ballet class is the teacher’s training, whether that’s Vaganova, Cecchetti, Royal, Balanchine etc. Many teachers will have experience with more than one ballet technique and I love having teachers who incorporate that into a ballet class. In general, in Madrid they have a very classical European ballet style with French, British, Italian and some Russian influence. American teachers are more likely to have a Balanchine influence and of course now that I am back living in the UK I am training in Royal Academy of Dance ballet.
« Of all the dance styles I have done, • How your friends Ballet is the most or family have reacted when you challenging. » tell them you begin ballet as an adult?
Everyone was really supportive and of course no-one was really surprised because I do lots of other dance styles and I have always loved watching ballet and listening to and dancing to classical music. • What did ballet bring in your life? Of all the dance styles I have done, ballet is the most challenging. The strength, flexibility, technique and artistry required is what I find so addictive because it is a dance which is very difficult but also rewarding and you can really see your improvement and progress. I find it both relaxing and demanding, beautiful but at times frustrating. Above all, I love the music and the movement. I can’t
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• Did you ever doubt beginning ballet as an adult? Like “it’s ridiculous, I’m too old…” or something like that?
• What would you say to someone who would like to begin ballet as an adult, but don’t dare to do it?
Absolutely not! I have never been someone who would listen to those kinds of opinions anyway but ballet can be danced and enjoyed at any age! As can most things! I don’t think age should be a factor at all if it’s something you enjoy and that is beneficial to you! Sometimes people ask me how I found an adult ballet studio which teaches RAD syllabus and I have to explain that it’s not for adults. I am in a class with 15 and 16 year olds but it doesn’t matter to me! I know why I am there and although the other students might find it unusual that a 30 year-old woman is in their class they are all very respectful towards me and I really enjoy the classes. Don’t let age stop you from doing what you love to do!
I would encourage anyone to do ballet who is interested! The best way would be to get online and look for a beginners adult ballet class in your area. If you would like to do a little bit at home first to get an idea of what to expect and gain confidence then I have a Ballet Barre Basics video series and also a Ballet Centre Basic series on my YouTube channel Natalie Danza. I also love Kathryn Morgan’s YouTube channel. But as soon as possible I would encourage people to go to a class to get proper feedback from a ballet teacher and be able to dance with proper ballet barres in a big space and hopefully meet other adult ballet dancers!
« It’s never too late »
• I suppose that sometimes, it happens that you have a lack of motivation. What give you the “faith” again and push you further? Of course we all have days where we lack motivation. I certainly have days where I don’t feel like going to class but as soon as I’m there and I hear the music I always enjoy it and I’m glad I went! I also find our adult ballet community on Instagram so motivational, seeing everyone’s progress and passion! Also, every time I watch a professional ballet I always feel like putting on my pointe shoes and getting back in the studio!
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« Always do your best ! »
• Do you have a motto in ballet? What is it? In ballet and in life I have two... «it’s never too late» and «always do your best!» • Something you would like to say to finish this interview? I would like to say thank you very much for the opportunity to be featured in your magazine! Also I just want to say how excited I am about the growth of the adult ballet community around the world! Happy dancing everyone!
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NEVER TOO LATE That’s how
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we
think
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I asked on Instagram what do adult ballerinas think of this statement. I had several answers, from adult ballerinas and others. Let’s discover how ballet people see this idea.
Of course it’s true! You can learn and improve at anything whatever your age as long as you work hard and are dedicated. I think it’s wonderful to follow your passion at any age. @nataliedanza
I think it’s true because no matter how old you are or what point of your life you are at, you always have the capacity to expand your knowledge and learn new things, including ballet of course. @miaatthebarre_
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It depends on what you want to achieve in ballet or in other activities. Of course it can be late for things like pointe shoes because of health condition / weight / changes that our body goes through while we are getting older. But in my opinion it is never too late for the basics like tendus etc. @atmay_atmay
I totally agree with this statement. However, as a late-starter you have to keep in mind that you probably won’t turn into a gracious ballerina. Put effort into it and try to reach your best, though it might not look as beautiful as a professional dancer. As long as you are aware of the fact that it’s not easy and you’re not going to be a professional, I don’t see any reason why not to start - just do it, age doesn’t matter. @ballet_fairytale2604
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I’m not an adult ballerina myself and I’ve done ballet when I was little and am now part of a company BUT one of the classes I go to now in my spare time has 4 dancers who all started in their mid to late twenties and they are amazing they have perfect turnout, incredible leaps and are great en pointes. I think that as long as you’re passionate and really want to dance that is all that matters. Many professional dancers were pushed into dance and don’t actually find it fun. They see it as a chore because they no longer have passion or love for dance. @little_miss_lia_x
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How to keep confidence and mental strength ?
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We all, sometimes, feel like giving up. Tired, angry, feeling like all the efforts we put in our work don’t give any results… especially in ballet, because it’s a very long and sometimes “ungrateful” art. But we need to rise up again, and continue to put effort in what seems like a battle sometimes. How not to lose our confidence and mental strength?
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1.
D o not compare yourself to other too much.
2.
B e patient
At least, not all the time. Comparison can be good for progress, because when we look at the others, we observe their technique, their interpretation, the way they do the movements… differently to us, and it can be enriching. But if you compare yourself all the time to everybody, you must feel disappointed in yourself sometimes. When you don’t manage to do a particular thing, when her arabesque is better than yours, when she had her splits and you don’t… remember that you are nobody else than you, with your body, your personality, and your experience. You have flaws, but you have qualities as well. You may not be the most flexible or the most graceful, but if you give your best, don’t despair because the girl next you is more beautiful graceful or stronger en pointes. Compare if you want, to progress, but not to take you down.
You need to keep in mind that ballet is an affair of patience. Progress takes time. Don’t be in a hurry, because you’ll probably be quickly disappointed. You need to continue your effort long term, because this is what will give results. You can not expect to do a double pirouette with a single class. Ballet is consistency, dedication. Ballet is a lot of hours of work, sweat, tears, even blood, for few minutes, hours, under the light of the stage.
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3. I
f it’s the case, remember that you’re an adult ballerina.
Even if it’s never too late (never forget that), you can not ignore that you’re an adult beginner. You can not have the same fouettés as Svetlana Zakharova, but you can havegood ones if you work hard. Being an adult beginner is not easy all the time, because it can happen that you don’t manage something, and feel like a failure. But be humble, always give your best, be dedicated and be a beautiful adult ballerina in your way.
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4. A
ccept that you’ll fail sometimes.
Before success, there is failure. It’s the normal way. You’ll have to try, and try, try hard, before you manage to do what you want. Sometimes you go to a class and get out of it frustrated, because you’re not happy of what you did. It happens. The next class you’ll give twice as much efforts and you’ll probably be satisfied. Be indulgent and give yourself time to manage something. Ballet takes time. A lot of time. And a lot of failure for one success.
5.
R emember to be proud.
Always with humility, but be proud of you. When you have a good class, when you manage a clean pirouette, when you get your splits… actually, when you feel like being proud, let’s be. It’s important to. Always remember to stay modest, but sometimes, it’s quite releasing to let our joy go when we do something in the way we wanted it.
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Common questions as an
Adul t Beginner
To begin ballet as an adult is not the «normal way» in the common opinion. But today, we have lots of beautiful proof that this is totally possible. But there are still severals questions to keep in mind before to begin.
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Let’s try to answer... • I’m __ years old, is it too late to start? Not-at-all. It’s never too late to begin ballet. If you really want to start, if you’re ready to give time and efforts, you can start at any age. With different aims, of course, but everybody can do ballet.
• I never danced before, is it a problem? No. Dance – ballet or other – can be learned at any age. If you want to and work for it.
• I’m not flexible, will it be a problem? Yes and no. You do not need to do oversplits to do basic movements of ballet, but if you want to gain in grace, fluidity and amplitude, flexibility is a plus.
• Is it possible to become more flexible? Everything is possible if you work seriously, and ideally, regularly. I’m not telling it’s going to be easy, but it worth a try.
• I’m not skinny, will it be a problem? No. No. And NO. Ballet is not only for skinny and slender people. It’s for everybody who wants to do it. Plus, it will probably get you in shape if you work properly and regularly !
• Will I ever be en pointes? Great question which everyone waited for ! It depends. On your health, body condition, age. Actually, if you’re in good health condition, that you have no body problems and that you work with good placement and moves, if you strengthen your ankles and feet, there’s no reasons that you’ll never be en pointes. But don’t except to be en pointe after 2 months of class!
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A CLASSICAL BALLET:
The Nutcracker Composer: Piotr Ilitch Tchaïkovski Dates of composing: 1891 – 1892 Original creation: Mariinsky Theatre, Saint Pétersbourg, 18th of December 1892.
With every issue of Adult Ballet Magazine, a presentation of a classical ballet. For number one, as it’s the perfect time of the year to talk about it, let’s see The Nutcracker.
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Clara and the Nutcracker © Sébastien Mathé, de Paris Adult Ballet Opéra Magazine - N°1
Acte 1 Scene 1: The Stahlbaum Home It is Christmas Eve. Family and friends have gathered in the parlor to decorate the beautiful Christmas tree in preparation for the party. Once the tree is finished, the children are sent for. They stand in awe of the tree sparkling with candles and decorations. The party begins. A march is played. Presents are given out to the children. Suddenly, as the owl-topped grandmother clock strikes eight, a mysterious figure enters the room. It is Drosselmeyer, a local councilman, magician, and Clara's godfather. He is also a talented toymaker who has brought with him gifts for the children, including four lifelike dolls who dance to the delight of all. He then has them put away for safekeeping. Clara and Fritz are sad to see the dolls being taken away, but Drosselmeyer has yet another toy for them: a wooden nutcracker carved in the shape of a little man, used for cracking nuts. The other children ignore it, but Clara immediately takes a liking to it. Fritz, however, breaks it. Clara is heartbroken. During the night, after everyone else has gone to bed, Clara returns to the parlor to check on her beloved nutcracker. As she reaches the little bed, the clock strikes midnight and she looks up to see Drosselmeyer perched atop it. Suddenly, mice begin to fill the room and the Christmas tree begins to grow to dizzying heights. The nutcracker also grows to life size. Clara finds herself in the midst of a battle between an army of gingerbread soldiers and the mice, led by their king. They begin to eat the soldiers. The nutcracker appears to lead the soldiers, who are joined by tin ones and dolls who serve as doctors to carry away the wounded. As the Mouse King advances on the still-wounded nutcracker, Clara throws her slipper at him, distracting him long enough for the nutcracker to stab him.
Scene 2: A Pine Forest The mice retreat and the nutcracker is transformed into a handsome Prince. He leads Clara through the moonlit night to a pine forest in which the snowflakes dance around them, beckoning them on to his kingdom as the first act ends.
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Acte 2 Scene 1: The Land of Sweets Clara and the Prince travel to the beautiful Land of Sweets, ruled by the Sugar Plum Fairy in the Prince's place until his return. He recounts for her how he had been saved from the Mouse King by Clara and had been transformed back into his own self. In honor of the young heroine, a celebration of sweets from around the world is produced: chocolate from Spain, coffee from Arabia, tea from China, and candy canes from Russia all dance for their amusement; Danish shepherdesses perform on their flutes; Mother Ginger has her children, the Polichinelles, emerge from under her enormous hoop skirt to dance; a string of beautiful flowers perform a waltz. To conclude the night, the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier perform a dance. A final waltz is performed by all the sweets, after which the Sugar Plum Fairy ushers Clara and the Prince down from their throne. He bows to her, she kisses Clara goodbye, and leads them to a reindeer drawn sleigh. It takes off as they wave goodbye to all the subjects who wave back. In the original libretto, the ballet's apotheosis "represents a large beehive with flying bees, closely guarding their riches". Just like Swan Lake, there have been various alternative endings created in productions subsequent to the original.
Waltz of the Snowflakes ©Google images
®Text from Wikipedia
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The Sugar Plum Fairy Adult BalletEdlund Magazine - N°1 © Alex Welch
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A list of account not to miss. With every issue of Adult Ballet Magazine, 10 Instagram accounts not to miss : 7 adult ballerinas and 3 professionnal or ballet student.
Adult Ballerinas @nataliedanza
@my.ballet.love
21,1k followers
24,1 followers
@lucykimloves
@scottish.ballerina
1025 followers
13,9k followers
@allie_on_pointe
@londonballetaddict
13,5k followers
306 followers
@thepointersisters 372 followers
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Professionnals
or
Ballet Students
@yana_nka8 48,3k followers
She’s 13 years old from Russia, and she’s a student at the famous Vaganova Ballet Academy.
@camillamancuso 6607 followers
She’s 17 years old, from Italia, and she’s graduated from Il Teatro dell’Opera di Roma.
@petraconti
37,2k followers
She graduated from the National Academy of Dance in Rome in 2006. She’s now a guest principal dancer of the Boston’s Ballet.
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The final word I hope that you’ve enjoyed Adult Ballet Magazine. Don’t hesitate to give me your feedbacks and thoughts. Special thanks to @Nataliedanza for her participation in this first issue of ABM and for her help (because I asked her so much more than just the interview, ahah). Thanks to all the people who answered to my Instagram Story for the article ‘Never Too Late, that’s how we think’. Thanks to my university teacher who gave me the love of the page setting and gave me advice and help when I was in trouble with ABM. Thanks to my friends and family who were proud of this little project. Thanks to you, readers, for your interest in this little project. And thanks to this beautiful community of adult ballerinas. We are proof that if you’re ready to work hard and if you’re passionate, nothing is impossible. Thanks for reading these words. Lots of love and pointe shoes, Camille, from @nevertoolateforballet.
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@nevertoolateforballet
Adult Ballet Magazine
©Pixabay
®Camille DE ALMEIDA, @nevertoolateforballet Adult Ballet Magazine - N°1 36 December 2017