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Finding the Perfect Ballet Tutor

Ballet is one of the most popular styles of dance to be taught in classes and schools and has been around for half a millennium. It originated in Italy during the renaissance but came into its own once it spread to France and Russia. The former is why there are so many French words for ballet techniques. Just look for a ballet dictionary online!

Ballet, as a style of dance, is designed with formal or professional performance in mind unlike some other types of contemporary dance which can be performed in relaxed social settings. The best ballet dancers have to undergo years of training to get as good as they are but doesn't mean there's no room for new ballet dancers looking to take classes with a teacher or professional tutor.

Ballet, in comparison to other styles, is famous for just how strict the lessons can be, especially in the way it's taught in the UK. Much like subjects in school, ballet students have to take exams to prove how well they can dance and there are 8 grades, which anyone taking music lessons might also be familiar with.

When it comes to learning ballet. Most students start quite young with classes in a ballet school and study for years. You can find lessons in your local ballet or dance school and ballet remains one of the most popular types of dance for young children to start learning.

In the UK, the Royal Ballet is the peak of ballet performance and have their home (for performance, at least) in the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London. In most of the bigger cities around the UK, you can catch ballet performances in your local theatre.

The Benefits of Studying Ballet

Since ballet is a physical activity, you'll enjoy many cardio benefits during your lessons as you get your heart beating and blood pumping. In addition to these benefits, despite how "light" ballet dancers might look, this is thanks to years of lessons and training.

There's an incredible amount of strength required in what they do so both your strength and endurance will improve as you practise and train. Just watch a ballet dancer go en pointe and you'll understand exactly what we mean about strength.

Ballet dancers need to be flexible, too, and years of effort goes into making them as flexible as possible. The grand jeté, where a dancer jumps into the air while performing the splits, is probably the best example of just how flexible you need to be. You won't be doing one of these in your first lessons!

Of course, strength, endurance, and flexibility are all useful but pointless without the coordination and experience to put it all together into ballet moves. Fortunately, with practice, you'll become more coordinated and graceful in your movements.

Since ballet is demanding, learning ballet in dance classes is a great way to learn discipline, especially for very young children who are excitable and could benefit from the strict structure that a ballet class offers.

Challenges in Ballet

Ballet is one of the most demanding types of dancing around. As we mentioned, it's one of the few styles of dance that isn't performed in relaxed social settings but rather in a theatre or on stage much like jazz and tap. Ballet is serious and the years of training required and codification of its techniques reflects this.

While there are more contemporary ballet schools and academies bringing ballet lessons into the 21st century, a lot of training centres and schools still focus on technique without exaggeration or a dancer's mannerisms.

However, the strictness in ballet teaching is probably down to just how difficult ballet can be. Ballet training is no joke and it would be difficult to succeed at the demanding moves ballet has dancers perform if their teachers allowed anything but perfect technique.

In ballet school classes, students are often taught with professional training in mind. The goal is for dancers to pass their exams, improve their level, and move up to a more advanced class. This means that ballet mightn't always be for everyone, especially certain young children. In short, ballet dancing is often taught in a very particular and traditional way and it isn't always for everyone.

Private Tuition in Ballet

A ballet school or academy mightn't be for everyone. As we said earlier, teaching in a ballet school or academy can be very strict with a huge focus on discipline and technique and you'll have to learn exactly what and how the teacher wants to you learn. While this might work for creating dancers for the Royal Ballet in London, it's not for everyone and a private ballet tutor could be hugely beneficial for children who prefer a different teaching style.

Tutors can also help any ballet students who are struggling with ballet as a supplement to the lessons they take at a ballet school, academy, or on their own. Students who struggle in their ballet lessons probably don't enjoy being bottom of the class and this can hurt their self-esteem. A ballet tutor can work with them independently without them having to worry about what their peers might think.

Tutors can also be beneficial for those new to ballet. After all, if you decide to start doing ballet in later life, you'll find that the dance classes at a ballet school or academy for people your age probably won't be at your level. Adults wanting to take up ballet can do so with a ballet tutor and later join an adult class at a ballet school or academy once they reach the necessary level.

Finding a Ballet Tutor

It's never been easier to find ballet, jazz, tap, or any type of dance tutors online. On Superprof, you just have to search for ballet and put in where you live (or where you want the ballet lessons to take place). You'll be presented with a list of professional ballet or dance tutors who are well-versed in the arts and ready to teach new and old students the intricacies of how to dance.

Many of the tutors offer the first lesson for free so make sure you make the most of each free class to try out several different teachers and tutors to work out which is best for you. If you're planning on getting a lot of lessons and spend a decent amount of money on your tutor, you'll want to make sure that their teaching approach works for you, their rates are reasonable, and that you get along since you'll be spending a lot of time in their company.

See if they offer free tutoring for the first hour and try a few different tutors out before deciding on the right one. Don't forget that you can also view their profile and read reviews from their other students to get a better idea of who the best ballet tutors are.

Whether you're at school, college, university or an adult, anyone can find ballet tutors online today!