What is done in a freshman level ballet class?

Jessica: What is done in a freshman level ballet class?
I’m currently writing a book, and my character takes ballet & pointe. She is in advanced classes. My problem is that I have a vague idea of what is done. I would like to present her as a true ballerina-in-training. Any additional info, such as what exercises are done or how a ballerina looks after dancing her whole life, is much appreciated.

So, basically, if you could tell me as much as possible about a freshman ballerina.

Answers and Views:

Answer by Boo
Its depends on where she’s dancing. If you mean freshman in High School and she goes to a normal public school she could look like almost anything. Many different body types do ballet. If she’s in college doing ballet or at a school for the arts she probably has a more specific body type. The ideal figure would be short (5′ 4″ or so) and petite. She would have large leg muscles, especially calves, from being on releve all the time. She would have arm muscle but not so much that her arms bulge.

In an advanced class you would start barre exercises with releve(s), tendu(s), and demi plie(s) and grand plie(s). This is mainly to warm up your muscles.

Next you would come to the middle with out the barre and do slower exercises with developes to work in balance. This is called adage.

Then you might do some combinations across the floor with turns (like pirouettes, soutenu turns) and leaps like jete(s) and assemble(s). This could be done in the middle or the room too. It depends on the teacher. This is called Allegro.

Then the class is over and the students will usually curtsy or bow to the instructor and be dismissed.

Answer by Moe
you could always buy a book with dance exercises.

Anyway, class starts at barre with plies and usually ends with stretching or grand battement. Then you move to centre and across the floor. Tendus are near the beginning of centre and also barre, and then adagio and eventually you move to petite allegro and grand allegro (small jumps and larger jumps). Then some teachers choose to end class with reverance.

Pointe for a professinol dancer is usually in centre during their regular class, but students normally have a seperate class. Usally an experienced dancer/class will only do about 1 or 2 combinations at the barre and then the rest of class in centre.

Also, if your character is a student, she might have a pas de deux class and a variations class.

I hope this helped some. good luck

Answer by dancedance
the ideal professional ballet dancer would be tall and very thin. probally around 110lbs and 5’9. a ballet instructor once said that the ideal color of her skin would be a pale pink.

usually in ballet class we start at the barre. our first excersize is-
plies- means to bend.
then tendus- to stretch
rondegenes and patachaveles- circle of the leg and step of the horse.
then frappes- to strike
then grande batmahs- big beating
then we end with a adagio- slow controlled movement <usually consists of envelopes and developes.
^im not sure of the spelling.
then we do floor work in the center. some times we work on the positions of the body. there are 9 total
-croise devant and derrier- to cross (devant means to the front and derrier meant to the back_
-efface devant and derrier- to shade
-a la catrione devant and derrier – to the fourth
-ecarte devant and derrier- to be open
-a la seconde- to the second.

we then jump grande allegro and petite allegro.

then we do across the floor combinations
a typical combination might be
tombe potebure glisade step grande jete step double piruette.

or they might practive patavalse across the floor- step of the waltz

hope this helped!

Answer by mintchip49
If she is a serious ballet dancer in training, she is attending a ballet academy that is more then likely affiliated with a ballet company. ( *Note- a “ballerina” is only the term used for the very top ballet dancer in the company. She would never refer to herself as a ballerina, but a ballet dancer. ) She would be dancing 20-30 hours of class a week as a H.S. Freshman. She might also be in a performing arts H.S. taking additional dance classes there. If she is studying at an academy she would be anywhere from 5′-5’4″ at that age. If she was over 5’8″ she would more then likely be dropped from the school. She would have long hyper-extended legs, feet with high arches and a top bump, short torso, long stretchy achilles tendons, long neck and small round head. She would weigh between 85lbs to 105 tops depending on her height.

Class would start at the barre (45 mins.) then put on her pointe shoes for center ( 20-25 mins) and across the floor (20-25 mins.) Class would run 1 1/2 hours. She would have a ten minute break for water and then start another class in variations or pas de deux (partnering with boys.) She would have 3 classes or more a day.

It is really hard to explain the steps in class without visuals, but here is video you could look at that would give a good advanced level class from one of the best teachers alive. David Howard.

Answer by Emma-Leigh M
normally, a freshman high school who is aspiring to become a professional dancer, would have around an hour and a half class of ballet at least 3 times a week. (usually more) in addition to other classes possibly pas de deux, variation. also they would usually take other forms of dance too, such as jazz, modern, and or tap.
in a normal class they might do plies, tendus, releves, round de jambes, battements, frappes, and developes at barre,
then in center they would do an adagio(slower, ex: delevopes, some turns, pas de bourees), petite allegro(fast quick, ex: jete batteaus, jetes, assembles, pas de chats,glissades, escappes), some sort of turn combo( maybe fouettes, pirouettes, or pique turns also maybe waltz turns), and a grande Allegro (big jumps, ex: grande jetes)

P.S. sorry for any spelling mistakes 🙂