How Do You Stretch Before Ballet Class?
Although you learn movements and combinations through ballet class, stretching before you dance warms up your muscles and enables you to flow right into the class. Just as a runner stretches before a race or a practice, a dancer needs to stretch before a performance or a class. Do as many of each stretch as required to feel the muscles warming. Go to the point of tension and never pain. Begin your stretching by sitting on the ground with your legs in front of you. Bend at your waist and reach over your legs, pointing and flexing your feet as you bend. Open your legs into a V and stretch again, focusing on warming up your muscles and stretching out your hamstrings. Do a set of plies from all ballet positions. Begin with first position, bend at the knees, keeping your toes turned out. This stretch helps develop balance as well as warms up your body. Stretch the muscles in your feet and ankles by doing sets of tendus in each position. To do a tendu, stand in first position. Keep your supp
