Ballet
Ballet originated during the Italian Renaissance. It was performed in the courts as an interpretation of fencing. Later it was further developed in France during the time of King Louis XIV. The term ‘ballet’ comes from the French language. Classical ballet class consists of a warm up at the barre and then exercises in the center. Ballet originated from the three main schools of classical ballet technique which are the Italian school (Cecchetti), the French school, and the Russian School (Vaganova). The American Ballet style of training encompasses these three techniques. Former ABT dancer, Lisa Lockwood talks about using resistance bands to strengthen the feet and prevent injury. Ms. Lockwood is the Ballet Chair at The School at Steps.

Resistance Bands Benefit Your Body
Thera-Bands, Dyna-Bands, etc.

Resistance Bands are a great tool to help improve your dancing and keep your body healthy. They are light and take up little room in your dance bag. You can use them to warm up for class, strengthen and build muscle, stretch, and cool down after class.

Warming Up Doing repetitions with a resistance band before your dance class will help to bring blood flow to those muscles, helping you make the transition from a stationary mode to an active mode.

Strengthening Repetitions with a resistance band will also strengthen the joints and muscles that are being activated.

Stretching and Cooling Down After class using a resistance band to help you to get a deeper stretch is a great way to cool down.

Preventing Injury Taking the time to do these extra steps before and after class will help you to prevent injury and allow you to get the most out of what your body has to offer.  

Healthy eating means fueling your body

In order to perform your best you need to fuel your body. Pack healthy snacks into your dance bag that are high in protein and whole grains, low in saturated fats and sugar. This will give you the energy that you need to do multiple pirouettes and lift you off the ground for your grand jeté.

New York City Ballet, Principal Dancer, Jenifer Ringer, loves to snack on LUNA Bars in-between rehearsals.  

Try some of these yummy snacks to give you energy for class:

• Celery with peanut butter and raisins
• Trail mix with dried fruit (unsweetened), your favorite nut, and a little dark chocolate
• Fruit smoothie with a scoop of nut butter, yogurt, or soy milk
• Turkey and cheese sandwich with your favorite veggies on whole grain bread
• Hummus with carrots or whole wheat pita

Do you have a favorite snack or recipe? Enter your favorite healthy recipe into our recipe contest! WINNER to be highlighted in Dance Spirit Magazine

Fun Facts:

• Athletes need about 1.2 to 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight a day.
• You need carbs! Carbohydrates not only serve as your primary source of energy, but also help your brain and nervous system function properly.
• Get your good fats! 20-30% of your daily calories (30-65 grams) should come from monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. These types of fats help to insulate and protect vital organs and transport fat-soluble vitamins. Avocados, fish high in omega-3s, and nuts are great sources of good fats. (CAUTION: stay clear of bad Trans and Saturated Fats, which increase your LDL cholesterol levels.)

Do you get enough protein?
Find out how much protein your body needs a day!

• STEP 1: Find your weight in kilograms, by taking your weight in pounds and dividing it by 2.2.
• STEP 2: Take your answer and multiply it by 0.8.

Mix and Match these foods to get your daily protein requirement: Beans, Cheese, Cottage cheese, Chicken, Eggs, Fish, Lentils, Legumes, Nuts, Milk, Satian, Tofu, Yogurt    

What do you do to keep your body healthy?