Training at Home

Over the last few years, millions of people's lives have been turned upside down due to the global COVID-19 outbreak. Valuable measures are being implemented in many countries to help contain the outbreak, so chances are your life is probably looking and feeling very different at the moment. While many people are loving the chance to be at home, many dancers and dance teachers are missing their studios desperately. Dance is and will always be an important outlet for us, and being unable to participate in our regular classes can be really tough.

However, it does not have to be all doom and gloom. Try choosing to use this time as a wonderful opportunity to really get to know your body, to focus on improving so much technically and to learn more about the art and science of dance so that when you do return to regular classes your "time off" has been a blessing rather than a curse.

We have collected together some of our most popular areas of focus, and exercises that can easily be done at home, as well as some helpful ideas on how to analyse your technique, make goals and chart your progress. Many of these are drawn from our online courses and our Level One Teacher Training Workshop, however at this point in time I wanted to give something special to the dance community.

DOWNLOAD the PDF that will help you as you work through these suggestions HERE.

As a general rule, we recommend that for every 5 hours of dancing you are doing regularly you do at least 30 mins of additional cardio, 30 mins of self release/massage/mobilisation work, and at least an hour of focused dance conditioning/dance physio type exercises, targeting the areas that need attention. You can most certainly do more than this, especially when you are working in a confined space, and it is often a great time to brush up on your repertoire of supplementary exercises. Make sure to keep in touch with your regular teachers and share your progress with them, as well as incorporating all of their suggestions into your daily program.

You can access all of the videos for free by clicking on the first "Self-Assessment" image and then navigating through the pages using the red "next" buttons.

Make sure to tag us in @theballetblogofficial with any photos of you #trainingathome so that we can keep in touch!

PDF in English

PDF in Norwegian

PDF in Spanish

The Ballet Blog Training at home Corona virus covid-19 isolation self assessment

Self Assessment and Goals Planning

Before getting started on creating your home program it is a good idea to take some specific videos of yourself and your technique, so that you can be very specific about what you need to focus on. Use our ideas to get you started, and add in any specific techniques that you want to improve on.

The Ballet Blog Training at home Corona virus covid-19 isolation own program

Creating a Program & Tracking Progress

If you have been dancing for a while, chances are that you know hundreds of exercises to help you improve. However, deciding what to do each day can be a bit overwhelming! This article helps outline how to organise your ideas and track your progress for maximal effect!

Sun Salutations

This simple yoga-based routine is a great way to wake up all areas of the body and can be used in the mornings or evenings, especially during intense periods of dance. Always remember that this routine is not about stretching as far as you can go, it is about mobilising all areas of the body in alignment with your breath.

Standing Leg Turnout

Understanding how turnout works in each position is essential to any dancer, no matter what style you do. Discover where your true turnout muscles really are and how to use them "as little as possible, as much as necessary" to gain awesome control of rotation yet maintain your mobility too.

Articulating the Foot

Mastering the articulation of the foot and ankle in a tendu is quite possibly one of the most effective ways of preventing foot injuries in dancers. Use this great training sequence to perfect the subtle nuances that will transform your dancing!

The Ballet Blog Training at home Corona virus covid-19 isolation building core stability control adult crawling

Improving Core Stability

This "Adult Crawling" exercise is wonderful for challenging the deepest segmental stabilisers of your spine as well as the cross patterned slings that help stability with movement enormously! Plus, upload a video of you doing the sequence to be in with a chance to win a free book!

How to Get More Flexible

Pushing in the direction you want to go is often the slowest and most dangerous way of getting there... So what do we do instead? Understanding the order of priority in unravelling your restrictions is paramount in safely improving your flexibility long-term.

The Ballet Blog Training at home Corona virus covid-19 isolation developpe devant

How to Get Your Leg Higher in a Developpé

Achieving a beautifully held developpé devant seems like a far off dream for so many dancers. If you struggle with gripping in the front of your thigh, and tension in the front of your hips then this sequence is for you!

How old is too old to start pointe work?

How to Improve Your Pointe Range

Many dancers are desperate to improve their pointe range. Having that coverted, beautiful line seems to be high on the list of dancers' personal aims, and many wonder whether using a Foot Stretcher is a good way to improve pointe range. Unfortunately, these devices can be dangerous to use in some dancers, and may encourage Posterior Impingement.