Ballerinas: Training

Female ballerinas usually start formal ballet training between the ages of 6 and 8 if they want to become professional ballerinas. It is not as easy as it looks since they must be willing to dedicate a lot of time to it. Regular practice and ballet classes are the first steps to achieving this goal along with eating healthy and drinking a lot of water. The ballerina should also watch the performances of other dancers to see what might influence her own style. The more the ballerina learns and exposes herself to, the better she is going to be.

Most ballet dancers begin their ballet classes at the barre which is used to support themselves during exercises. Barre work prepares the dancer for center work where they move to the middle of the room. Center work starts out with slower exercises and then leads up to faster exercises and larger movements. It ends with practicing big leaps across the floor. Even when ballerinas are hired by a professional company, they still attend ballet classes and train to keep themselves very athletic and fit for their performances. Beverly