written by balletboy  on 19.01. at 01:33:19

The basic concept of warm-up before class nowadays is for the individual dancer to work  on the muscle groups most important for him/her.

Basic stretching of the muscle groups is good.  My problem area is my neck and upper back, so I do more stretching there.

The basic ballet barre is designed to warm-up the student.  When Cecchetti wrote his program, he put grande battements as the first exercise.  The reason was that ballet studios did not have central heat, and the grande battements go the muscles warm the quickest way possible.

We (usually) don't have to worry about that problem now, so today we warm-up with gentle stretches, and then stretches focused on our "problem" areas.

Today most of dancers before performances always cannot depend on a class to warm-up, and so do mini-class before a performance, right up until the time they are required on stage.  But for the average dancer taking a ballet class, the class barre represents that warm-up before the center "performance."

So for the average dancer I recommend simple stretches before class, with some stretches focused on problem areas.  The class barre exercises are generally graded to build up warmth in the muscles.  And I don't like long breaks between the barre and center, where people usually just socialize, as long breaks give the body a chance to warm-down.

Now this is my opinion, after 20 plus years of ballet classes and discussions with teachers and reading of the history of the development of different ballet techniques.  I'm sure others may disagree.

As a teacher, you have to decide what is best for your students, in light of the discussions and study you yourself perform for your art!

Good luck!

balletboy