Ballet for Men - Ballet Class
How men can be prepared for their first ballet class.
The first ballet class can probably be the most intimidating part of getting started. You don’t really know what to expect. You don’t know how people will react to you. You don’t even know how your body is going to react to ballet. I’m pretty sure I was more nervous for my first class than I was for my first performance. The prospect of your first ballet class is a mix of nerves and excitement. You don’t have to be nervous, but it is okay if you are. When you complete your first ballet class you will know that you have accomplished something. You should feel proud that you took a chance at trying something new, something that most men would be too afraid to even think of.
You’ve found a place to take classes. Maybe it has adult ballet classes. You know what time and day your class is on, so now what? Try your hardest to be at the first class. That will make things much easier for you. Also, try to get there a little bit before class starts. Most schools require you to register before you start taking classes. This is usually a simple form of your name and phone number and an emergency contact just in case. You may also need to sign in to your class and if you are paying for the classes, you will pay before the start of class. If you arrive 20 minutes early, you will be able to get all of this done and still have time to change. You don’t want to be in a rush or be late for your first class.
What do men wear to their first ballet class?
Don’t worry about tights right now. Most studios shouldn’t expect new beginner students to invest in tights or even slippers just yet. You will need to get ballet slippers, and eventually tights and all that goes with it, but for your first class I suggest you wear either sweatpants or gym shorts, a t-shirt that isn’t too baggy (tuck it in to your shorts or sweatpants), and socks. You will not be doing any big moves that require ballet slippers just yet. Tights will be needed later because ballet teachers need to be able to see your legs and make sure you are engaging the right muscles and turning out properly.
First ballet class attire for men
- sweatpants or shorts
- t-shirt (tucked in, not too baggy)
- socks
First ballet class attire for men
- sweatpants or shorts
- t-shirt (tucked in, not too baggy)
- socks
Different studios do have different policies for attire. They are usually less strict about attire in adult and beginner classes. I will provide all the information you will need to find tights, ballet slippers, and a dance belt in later posts (when you get tights you also need to get a dance belt. I’ll write more about that too in another post, just don’t get tights without getting a dancebelt). For you first class, keep it simple.
What to bring to class?
Bring a bottle of water. You should get thirsty in class. Bring it with you into the studio, but keep it out of the way. If you are changing at the studio, bring your clothes in a gym bag. At most smaller studios, the men’s changing room will probably be a bathroom or resemble a disused storage closet. There just aren’t enough men there to equip a nice changing room usually. You will either keep your bag and clothes in the changing room, you could bring it in the studio and keep it in a corner out of the way. There will probably be an area where everyone else is putting there bags.
Don’t wear your shoes into the actual dance studio. Street shoes should not be worn on the dance floor, so take them off and either leave them at the entrance to the room, in the lobby under some chairs, or where everyone else seems to be leaving them. If you are unclear about anything, don’t be afraid to ask someone who works there. They understand that it can be pretty confusing.
What to Expect in Ballet Class
Don’t worry about other people watching you, or thinking you are bad. First of all, everyone who has taken any ballet knows that it is hard, and that nobody is going to be a star their first class. Second, they are all concentrating so much on their own dancing, that the teacher is probably the only person that will really watch you. You will see that when you are in class you will be concentrating so much on the ballet moves that you will not even notice anyone else. For this same reason, you will not have to be worried about getting distracted by any of the ladies or other dancers in class, you will be concentrating way too much for that.
Some classes are taught using a piano player, and some are taught using recorded music from a cd. It is nice to have a good piano player, but it is definitely not required for a good class.
The Warmup
Ballet class starts at the barre. The barre is the bar that looks like a handrail. Find a place at the barre either on the edges of the room, or at one of the portable barres that is in the center. There is no difference. Make sure you have a bit more than arm’s length distance between you and the person next to you.
The barre is used during the warmup part of the ballet class. It is helpful because you balance is usually not really warmed up either. During this part of class, you will work through ballet moves, concentrating a lot on moves that involve your legs. You will work on both sides, your left side and your right side. For example, you will do a set of moves with your left leg, holding the barre in your right hand. You will then do the same set of moves with your right leg, turned around in your same spot, holding the barre with you left hand. Most classes start with you left side (moving left leg, holding barre with right hand) but just follow the directions of your teacher. This is also the part of the class that you will probably learn about the ballet positions of the feet, turnout, and ballet posture.
I’m going to add a couple of tips here. Try to make a habit of not leaning on the barre between combinations. Stand up straight. Some teachers really don’t like when their students are hanging on the barre, so you might as well make a habit of standing up straight. Also, you could make a habit of turning toward the barre when you switch sides. This is somewhat of a ballet tradition, but probably not a very important one. Still, a little something to think about.
Center Work
After the warmup, the barres in the center will be moved to the side and you will get ready to do some work without them. At this part teachers will usually give you a chance to stretch. Stretching is best done when your body is warm (I will be writing a lot about stretching in future posts). You may be left to do your own stretches. You don’t need to impress anyone, so don’t hurt yourself. Your ballet career has just gotten started, so don’t end it now.
Center work may consist of combinations that will be done all together or in groups. You may even do a little bit of jumping in your first class. The rest of the class will be done without the barres.
Throughout class you will hear ballet terms. They will probably be confusing. They are mostly french terms. The teacher will use them, but you will surely forget what they all mean and not pick them up instantly. I would not worry about this. As long as you keep trying to learn them, you will. Learning ballet takes consistent effort over a long period of time. In this same way you will learn the terms. Even then, some teachers use different terms for similar moves. Over all though, they are pretty consistent. Do not stress out too much about knowing the terms, just try to remember what you can, and maybe review what you can remember in your head after class. Eventually you’ll be speaking ballet french.
Taking Corrections
The ballet teacher is there to correct you. I once took a class from a teacher and thought she hated me because of how much she corrected me. At the end of class someone said to me “Wow, she really likes you, she spent so much time giving you corrections.” That is how you should look at it. The teacher is giving you corrections. If you are receiving corrections, take it as if it were a gift. It means that the teacher sees something in you. They think that you will take those corrections, work hard and get better. They see some potential. Make sure that you respect that. Take those corrections and work really hard to make those changes. Those should be the main thing you are focusing on. Even if you get something else wrong, but you made the correction, you have made some progress, and your teacher will know that you are working.
Pay attention when the teacher makes corrections to other students also. There is a great chance that these corrections also apply to you. While I can receive a lot of corrections, most of what I learn comes from corrections made to other students.
Be sure to not get frustrated by corrections. They are to help you, not to criticize you. Work hard and have fun.
The End of Class
It is polite to thank the teacher at the end of class, and even to thank the pianist if there was one. If the teacher had mentioned anything to you about attire, it might be a good time to inquire about what they suggest, or any local store that they know of where you could get your attire.
Congratulations, you made it. You should feel pretty good. I remember how great I felt when I finished my first ballet class. I felt better than I had felt in ages. I felt a proud sense of accomplishment for even just giving it a shot. Since then, every class has felt even better.
Learning ballet is an interesting experience. You will recognize a lot about how your mind and body learns. Sometimes it can seem like you haven’t gotten any better, but then when you think back to earlier classes, you’ll realize stuff that you couldn’t do, you now do without putting too much thought into it. There is also always something to work on. Sometime you might stop thinking about what your feet are doing, and then it is time to think about the positions of your arms or your head.
As you progress you will also notice how the ballet moves you practice at the barre and at the start of class build up to make the more advanced moves and combinations. If you keep working on these basics, your muscle memory will eventually pick it up and you will notice that your body already knows how to do moves you have never even tried.
I’ve included a lot of information here because I think that one of the biggest learning curves in ballet comes with starting that first class. Before you take your first class it can seem like there is a ballet world and you are an outsider. There isn’t that much information about what to expect, especially for men or boys. Know that if you’ve read this whole post, you know way more than you need to know for a great first ballet class.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I think one of the most important things to remember is not to get discouraged. It’s likely that you will feel slightly down and embarassed. Don’t be! It will take time before you can do all the material correctly and people will understand this. Even professionals keep improving their whole career, but it will pay off to keep going to class and eventually you will find the joy in dance.
anyone got any ghood ballet classes im 13 and want too start ballet now !