BALLERINAS WITH BICEPS
Conditioning for Dancers
Created for dancers by a dancer, Ballerinas With Biceps serves as a cross-training program primarily intended for ballet dancers, of professional, pre-professional, or recreational standing. Using her extensive knowledge of the demands that ballet places on the body, Julia crafts workouts that are fully personalized for the individual and mimic balletic principles. BWB integrates fitness-based movement into dancers' weekly schedules, exploring weight-training that will yield increased strength, endurance, power, flexibility, and balance.
Ready to level up your dancing and perform more dynamically, from the studio to the stage? Looking for a way to prevent injury and increase longevity in the field? Want to have a better understanding of your body and the inner mechanisms that dictate movement? BWB is your answer.
Step 1
Taking the plunge
For many dancers, particularly those who study primarily classical ballet, the idea of cross-training can be frightening. The vast majority of ballerinas still seem to avoid fitness-oriented conditioning beyond Pilates or yoga, due to its associations with "bulking up" in undesirable areas of the body. As such, the first step of the BWB programming is to learn exactly what strength-training is and how time in the gym/fitness studio can directly translate to greater successes in ballet class and onstage.
Step 2
Understanding & committing
In order to reap the benefits of cross-training, this type of movement needs to be integrated into dancers' schedules, on a weekly basis. Depending on the dancer and his/her/their goals, this may range from 1-3 sessions every week. Just as we must take classes regularly to maintain and develop classical technique, we must condition our muscles in different, non-ballet focused ways on a regular basis. If nothing else, this will contribute to the reduced potentiality of injury and promotes overall longevity in the field, either at a professional, pre-professional, or recreational level.
Step 3
Trusting the process
As the age old adage goes, "practice makes perfect" - except when it comes to movement, practice just reveals ways in which we can further better ourselves once meeting one milestone. Cross-training, like dancing and performing, is an ever-developing process. Setbacks are normal and expected. But consistency is key to achieving goals of any kind.
Let me help you become the strongest dancer possible by teaching you how to recognize the specific ways in which your body moves and works in space. What does it take to jump higher? Execute more controlled turns? Gain greater stability and balance? Increase the height of your extensions? Hold your leg up longer? The list goes on and on...
Are you ready to make moves?
