FITNESS AUTHOR
Alora Jones
PHOTOGRAPHY
Anne Marie Bloodgood
STRENGTH ON POINTE n Strength and flexibility are necessary for ballet dancers. Here’s how two men at Ballet Austin condition their bodies to perform gracefully.
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o an audience, ballet may seem like a simple art, with dancers gliding across a stage in beautifully decorated tutus, jumping and twirling with grace and ease. However, it’s easy to be fooled — the art of ballet demands rigorous exercise and muscle building. From strength workouts to Pilates to ballet class, these male dancers at Ballet Austin manage to balance it all in a day’s time. Morgan Stillman, who started dancing around age six, spent three years at the Nevada Ballet Theatre in Las Vegas before coming to Texas and joining Ballet Austin as a company dancer. “The cross training really helps keep your body in good shape so that you can handle the extremities of ballet,” says Stillman. Ballet Austin typically has a company technique class from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Monday through Friday. The class begins at the barre with pliés and tendus, which helps get the dancers’ bodies in alignment. Halfway through class, the ballet dancers come center to focus on turning, leaping and executing tricks without the barre. Once class is over, 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. is allotted for rehearsal with a one-hour lunch break. The dancers are in rehearsal for parts of that time or for the entire duration. “When we’re in season, we’ll start rehearsing for the rest of the day,” Stillman says. “So, it’s a nine to five job.” Kevin Murdock-Waters, who began taking ballet
OCTOBER 2020
lessons when he was around five years old, says he tries to find ways to keep moving throughout the day and in between classes. He will use the time to hit the gym or run errands. “I do try to stay active,” Murdock-Waters says. “Maybe that’s when I go take a yoga class, because I’ll be keeping active, but it’s not putting so much pressure on my body. It’s more of a restorative workout.” In the morning, Stillman, who is also active throughout the day, tries to get in a 20-minute run outdoors to help with his endurance. Every other day, he includes weight training into his routine, because it helps him support his female partners when certain movements require him to
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