Ballet to improve arm styling?
- Thread starter jen88
- Start date
dancin_feet
New Member
Definitely. Ballet does wonders for arm styling. Gives you fluid and clean movements that can then be modified to suit the particular dance you are doing.
There isn't a whole lot of emphasis on arms in ballet class for a while. For about an entire 9 months, an adult beginner will probably only see 5 arm positions. They usually leave out the arms for a very long time. They work on the lower body with arms rarely changing positions then start adding actual dance arm movement months down the road. I wouldn't go that route unless ballet is something you wanna do. Ballet classes are way too hard, and emphasis is on the lower body. It's just incredibly cumbersome if all you want is arm styling.
But... you could buy ballet videos instead. I don't mean instructional videos. Performance videos will show you a whole lot more ballet arm style than instructional videos will.
There are other reasons I find ballet virtually useless for ballroom, swing and the things the people on these forums are into.
Your legs are always turned out at the hips in ballet. That's completely different than all of these social, ballroom, swing dances.
Partnering in ballet is all absolutely choreographed. It's not one bit social. The only actual leading & following which occurs is supporting the girl during certain moves, and the girl is the one who realistically initiates those movements. The guy kinda comes along behind her, and makes sure her movement continues. Also, the couple is almost 100% always in shadow position (aka tandem). Adults really never do get to do any partnering in ballet anyway. The females must be en pointe for pas de deux, so that takes at least 1 year. Any place that does have pas de deux class will have it filled up with company girls and apprentices.
I keep thinkin of more stuff to add...
Chaînés turns (sounds like "shanay") and pirouettes would be useful to learn, but you can learn stuff like that without putting yourself through ballet classes.
Ballet is also more jumpy than you might have noticed. Next time you see a ballet, watch how much jumping is going on. All of those different jumps that they teach in ballet classes won't be applicable in the social and ballroom dances.
But... you could buy ballet videos instead. I don't mean instructional videos. Performance videos will show you a whole lot more ballet arm style than instructional videos will.
There are other reasons I find ballet virtually useless for ballroom, swing and the things the people on these forums are into.
Your legs are always turned out at the hips in ballet. That's completely different than all of these social, ballroom, swing dances.
Partnering in ballet is all absolutely choreographed. It's not one bit social. The only actual leading & following which occurs is supporting the girl during certain moves, and the girl is the one who realistically initiates those movements. The guy kinda comes along behind her, and makes sure her movement continues. Also, the couple is almost 100% always in shadow position (aka tandem). Adults really never do get to do any partnering in ballet anyway. The females must be en pointe for pas de deux, so that takes at least 1 year. Any place that does have pas de deux class will have it filled up with company girls and apprentices.
I keep thinkin of more stuff to add...
Chaînés turns (sounds like "shanay") and pirouettes would be useful to learn, but you can learn stuff like that without putting yourself through ballet classes.
Ballet is also more jumpy than you might have noticed. Next time you see a ballet, watch how much jumping is going on. All of those different jumps that they teach in ballet classes won't be applicable in the social and ballroom dances.
Hi!
Arm styling is something I really want ("need" might be a better word right now!) to work on. In latin, you can make it your "signature" by finding something that you feel comfortable with, looks good and interprets the music well. It just takes time. I wouldn't say don't do the ballet, but I would say that if you watch ballroom/latin dancers, it would probably be more meaningful for your own efforts.
Some of the female dancers I think have good arm styling? Gaynor Fairweather, Carmen, Karen Hardy, Joanna Leunis, Jukka Haapalainen .... loads more but this is a start!
My teacher gives me lots of feedback and tips, but he also tells me, try lots of different moves, be natural, relax, and practice a lot ..... and if it doesn't work, try something else!
Arm styling is something I really want ("need" might be a better word right now!) to work on. In latin, you can make it your "signature" by finding something that you feel comfortable with, looks good and interprets the music well. It just takes time. I wouldn't say don't do the ballet, but I would say that if you watch ballroom/latin dancers, it would probably be more meaningful for your own efforts.
Some of the female dancers I think have good arm styling? Gaynor Fairweather, Carmen, Karen Hardy, Joanna Leunis, Jukka Haapalainen .... loads more but this is a start!
My teacher gives me lots of feedback and tips, but he also tells me, try lots of different moves, be natural, relax, and practice a lot ..... and if it doesn't work, try something else!
Theres nothing I can recommend more than taking balle to improve your dancing. Sure its not the "same" thing as taking a ballroom class but then if it was it would be called "ballroom" and not ballet
Considering its a ballet for ballroom class it would be very valuable.
Adult classes tend to have more in the way of port de bras than a childs beginning class as adult can handle the hand eye thing and they want to make the adults feel like their "dancing"
Also learning ballet arms teaches you the "rules" of arm styling i.e all arm positions come through first so your arms aren't so wild and "spastic"
No other kind of dance will condition you as fast as ballet. Theres a little bit of jumping in adult classes but not as much as adult class due to risk of injury but if you can jump its fun and invigorating.
Ballet teaches you a technique and displine of movement that can be applied to all forms of dance as long as you realise the differences and apply the technique intellegently.
Being that your looking at a ballet form ballroom class then I sugest taking it.
Considering its a ballet for ballroom class it would be very valuable.
Adult classes tend to have more in the way of port de bras than a childs beginning class as adult can handle the hand eye thing and they want to make the adults feel like their "dancing"
Also learning ballet arms teaches you the "rules" of arm styling i.e all arm positions come through first so your arms aren't so wild and "spastic"
No other kind of dance will condition you as fast as ballet. Theres a little bit of jumping in adult classes but not as much as adult class due to risk of injury but if you can jump its fun and invigorating.
Ballet teaches you a technique and displine of movement that can be applied to all forms of dance as long as you realise the differences and apply the technique intellegently.
Being that your looking at a ballet form ballroom class then I sugest taking it.
NielsenE
Active Member
I'd say definately do it. I took about 3 months of an "adult beginner ballet" course and my coach saw significant increase in posture and arm styling. Even if all you see is the first few basic positions, just praciticing moving through them and hold the arms out properly will help greatlly.
(I've also gotten good results from Pilates and Yoga, but that was more for flexibility and center strength. Ballet all the way for arms and center....)
(I've also gotten good results from Pilates and Yoga, but that was more for flexibility and center strength. Ballet all the way for arms and center....)
SDsalsaguy
Administrator
Welcome to the DF sylvanna! 
Ummm, quick question:
Ummm, quick question:
...don't you mean Sirpa Sutari? :wink:sylvanna said:
ooops! yes I do.... 
.... sound of tongue tripping over complicated names! and fingers typing faster than brain is processing!
Seriously though, arm styling may just come through confidence? I know that as a beginner, I was wary of extending my arms out of my normal sphere of physical comfort; now it's more natural and less awkward feeling, so I can experiment more. Just like everything else in dance, some things come more quickly than others - and it's different for each and every single person - vive la difference!
.... sound of tongue tripping over complicated names! and fingers typing faster than brain is processing!Seriously though, arm styling may just come through confidence? I know that as a beginner, I was wary of extending my arms out of my normal sphere of physical comfort; now it's more natural and less awkward feeling, so I can experiment more. Just like everything else in dance, some things come more quickly than others - and it's different for each and every single person - vive la difference!
MadamSamba
Member
Welcome to the forums! 
Ballet is also fabulous for teaching you balance and boy does it help during those mutiple salsa turns!
Ballet is also fabulous for teaching you balance and boy does it help during those mutiple salsa turns! Learning balance is one of the best parts esp when they give you a seemingly simple combo ike tendu front 3 xs in 5th pos. then tendu back opposite leg.
Though transfering your weight back on to both legs when closing can be a problem in some ballroom steps as long as you aware of it you'll be fine. Sides eventually you'll be able to transfer weight at a drop of a har that you wont even notice
Though transfering your weight back on to both legs when closing can be a problem in some ballroom steps as long as you aware of it you'll be fine. Sides eventually you'll be able to transfer weight at a drop of a har that you wont even notice