Ballet Dancing - Late Beginner

by Gabrielle

Ballet Dancing - Late Beginner : -

I know most people will scoff at the idea of a teenager starting ballet without any prior experience, but that's what I want to do. I don't really intend to do ballet professionally, but I love to dance. I lack professional training, but I've taught some basic stuff to myself - I can even get on the tip of my toes for a little while.

My question is: I'm having trouble picking out ballet flats. I'm a 7 1/2 in street shoes and my feet are a bit wide, so how big should my flats be? Also, what kind of exercises/stretches should I do to improve flexibility?



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Reply by Odette

To:- Ballet Dancing - Late Beginner

Hello Gabrielle,

Thank you for contacting me, I feel inspired by your enthusiasm to dance. It's never too late to start something you love, so I applaud you for following your passion. Keep going!

I have specific pages on ballet flat shoes which you will find helpful -

Ballet Flat Shoes

Finding ballet flat shoes

Traditionally, ballet flat shoes are made one size smaller than your street shoe. They should feel snug but you have to be extra careful to make sure the toes don't bunch up. The sizing also comes in different widths so you would need to get a wide fitting.
I would recommend you to get fitted for ballet flat shoes as it is very important to get a pair that fits correctly.

You can do flexibility stretches such as the splits or sitting in frogs which can open up your hips. There are more intense stretches such as shouldering the leg where you take one leg and hold it high to the side to get a deeper stretch. After class is the ideal moment to do deeper more intense stretches because this is the time when your muscles are most warm. Have a look at my ballet exercises page to get more tips on improving flexibility.

All the best

Odette