Safe, easy and effective. - Phylicia Rashad
It takes years to become a proficient ballerina, technically speaking. Nurturing the artistic aspect takes a lifetime, as it is a continuous process.
But not everyone is born to dance professionally. How can the rest of the non-dancing world benefit from the complete workout that ballet dancers enjoy? Ballet class on the floor!
What if you could mold your body into a healthy and aligned physique, with elongated, well-toned muscles, attain core strength and the calm and grace of a ballerina?
My first encounter with this sort of workout was in Paris, when I first heard of barre au sol classes, literally: barre on floor.
Back in the late 70′s and early 80′s, ballet floor exercises (also known as floor barre, barre à terre, barre par terre) was part of a dancer’s training. Now-a-days, professional dancers practice some form of body conditioning for increased strength, which helps prevent injuries
and lengthens their careers.
In Paris, I loved the freedom of barre au sol class, I could be graceful without the strain of gravity. Years later, I took a few Pilates classes. And now, I’ve added exercises to my ballet-floor routine from Zena Rommett’s Floor-Barre® program.
Ballet Class on the Floor
Marisa Wright over at HubPages shares in detail her own experience with this wonderful technique.
Barre exercises are the building blocks of ballet. But there are times when barre work isn’t appropriate. For beginners, doing barre at home isn’t recommended because without a teacher watching, it’s too easy to get out of alignment. A floor barre workout is the perfect solution, because the floor keeps the body in line while you exercise.
My first introduction to ballet floor barre was a book on the “barre par terre” created by Boris Kniaseff. He took the opening exercises of a standard ballet class and adapted them so they could be done on the floor.
Kniaseff is, as far as I know, the oficial creator of this approach of taking ballet to the floor.
Zena Rommett and Stephane Dalle are two teachers who faithfully reproduce his techniques.
Four Benefits to Taking Ballet Class on The Floor
One is obvious – you don’t need a barre. True, when at home you can hold on to a chair, but it’s not always very safe if your core isn’t rock-solid – for instance, when doing grand battements.
The second advantage is that lying on the floor, you’re not distracted by having to maintain your posture and balance.
The floor barre gives you the opportunity to isolate and perfect each individual movement first, before moving on to standing.
Thirdly, the floor barre is easier to adapt to dancers with injuries, so they can go on working through their recuperation.
The fourth advantage is especially important for beginners – the floor protects you from many of the common mistakes you might make while doing barre work without a teacher.
You can read Marisa’s review in full here.
It helps sculpt your body. Floor-Barre® is safe and great for everyone.
Video source: Camille Rommett’s Channel on YouTube.
You can find floor barre dvd’s with exercises for practically all kinds of folks with different degrees of physical activity, from the elderly active to professional dancers
What do think about the floor exercises shown in the video? Could you or someone you know benefit from following this simple, yet powerful program? Write your thoughts and experience below in the “Comments” box.
Go ahead, give this short (3:27) exercise a try. Lie on your floor (carpet or mat) and follow Ms. Rommett’s instructions. Notice the calming music fill your body and tighten as she instructs you to experience more strength in your ankles, knees and hip.
Give us a “Like” and “Share” so others can benefit from this wonderful method of taking ballet class on the floor.
About Romy Macias, Senior Editor
This technique is very interesting – perhaps it should be part of physical therapy for rehab after injuries in sports as well. Excellent article. Thank you.