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What is Holistic Ballet?

Holistic Ballet appreciates that every person’s body is different. Some are more suitable for the demands of ballet than others. For example, few people can perform a perfect turnout. Holistic Ballet is about working with the bodies Mother Nature gave us and not about forcing ourselves to move in ways that expose us to the risk of injury. That does not mean that we compromise our pursuit of perfection. In Holistic Ballet, we adjust our technique to work within our limitations, giving ourselves the best chance of achieving our full potential whilst working with mindfulness and safety.

Franziska's interview with Business Talk Radio

How is Holistic Ballet different?

 

Holistic Ballet

  • keeps ballet technique in its purest form (we do not add contemporary dance or Pilates movements at the barre, and the class comprises of barre, centre, and jumps)

  • strips the movements down to their essentials and synthesises them with modern core principles of Pilates, Yoga, and Functional Anatomy.

  • re-designs the class structure (order of the exercises) and the exercises themselves in such a way that your joints, muscles and soft tissue have enough time to prepare for the demanding postures and movements of ballet practice.  

Holistic Ballet | Franziska Rosenzweig demonstrates développé

developpé in écarté

Many of us love our ballet training but are often stopped from progressing further by chronic pain and injury to our feet, ankles, knees, hips etc. Because ballet movements are not natural so when they are forced or done with even a slightly wrong alignment they can cause strain on the body. 

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Holistic Ballet, although it cannot promise to alleviate completely, will minimise the risk of chronic pain and injury in ballet class. A great emphasis is given to the thorough warm of your joints, ligaments, muscles and tissue through lots of rotational exercises and a prolonged time of working in 1st position before progressing to the more strenuous 5th.   

The barre exercises are created in such a way that the body learns step by step how to open, connect and align itself. Turn out and alignment are not forced upon joints and tendons but muscle awareness and strength are being developed to realise each individual body’s full potential.

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Furthermore, ballet steps are explained precise and in great detail, so you know exactly what you are doing at every moment of the movement. Not knowing what you do, and understanding faster steps only vaguely compromise your technique and can result in injury.

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Once the fundamentals of alignment, foot- and legwork are understood, arm movements (port de bras) are introduced, increasing the challenge of coordination and making the training whole. The result is a dancer that shows focus, strength and natural elegance.

Who can benefit?

  • any age group, children, teenagers, adults, except pointe work where the minimum age is 12 years old

  • professional (ex) dancers who want to train more mindful or recovering from injury

  • contemporary dancers who find ballet training beneficial for their work

  • dance teachers who are unfamiliar with teaching ballet classes or are looking for inspiration

  • athletes who want to improve their coordination and flexibility

  • anyone who enjoys ballet training

 

 

 What does it do?

  • creates strength and long lean muscle tone in the entire body

  • promotes concentration, memory and focus

  • increases mobility and elasticity

  • cultivates posture and elegance

  • develops coordination

Some of the principles may stand in stark contrast to conventional ballet training. Yet many years of observation and experience give us the confidence to promote this approach and to trust its benefits and effectiveness. 

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There are four levels to the Holistic Ballet training. Find out which Ballet Class Level is the most suitable for you.

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