We’re getting ready to pirouette into the spring with the launch of a wonderful new course. A six week course in Adult Ballet will be beginning on 21st February running on Wednesdays at 11am-12pm. As well as traditional ballet exercises we’ll be mixing things up a little with some fun and contemporary twists.
Natasha Trigg will be leading the course. She’s a professional ballerina who has performed at the Royal Albert Hall for the English National Ballet and teaches a variety of ballet based classes.
We’re excited about the ways in which ballet will complement and further the work we do in the yoga studio. At first glimpse the rigidly disciplined world of ballet might seem anathema to the more open yoga approach. What’s interesting is that there are many ways in which the outcomes we are heading for are similar. The doctrines of repetition, practice and balance are common to both. We can’t wait to give it a try!
Benefits of balletLeave your preconceptions of waif thin prima ballerinas and pink tutus at the door. From an exercise point of view, ballet is in many ways like a combination of pilates and endurance training, building muscle and agility. It’s little wonder that many professional sportsmen and women use ballet to complement their training and to develop strength, flexibility and balance. Michael Jordan even accredited his agility on court to his ballet training.
Regular participation in a ballet class will help you to grow a fluidity and fluency of movement as well as improving your alignment and breath. Positions such as the Port de Bras correct sloppy posture. Meanwhile the repetition of movements can strengthen and tone the core muscles as well as your arms, shoulders, buttocks, legs and feet. All this goes towards producing the long and lean dancer’s shape. We’ll have some of that!
Think about itIf that wasn’t enough, studies have shown that participation in a ballet class sharpens cognitive function. Meta-analysis found that ballet is a useful foil age related mental impairment such as dementia. Paying close attention to your teacher and learning choreography while judging the space around you challenges your brain to constantly synchronize with your body.
We are incredibly fortunate to have confirmed such a wonderful teacher in Natasha Trigg. She began her training at the Royal Academy of Dance in London at the age of 10 and has jetée’d and arabesque’d her way around the world, performing with The Sarasota Ballet Company in Florida, Murley Dance Company, The New English Ballet Theatre and English National Ballet. You might even recognise her from billboards in London where she is featured in the Lexus car adverts.
Sign upRegular participation in a ballet class will help you to grow a fluidity and fluency of movement as well as improving your alignment and breath.
Our course begins on 21st February and will run for 6 weeks meeting on Wednesdays at midday. Head over to the Workshops page and get your name down to avoid disappointment!
We’re also going to be offering school holiday Nutcracker workshops on a weekend for age 3 and above. Do contact us if you’d like to put your child’s name down. Working with the story of the Nutcracker as inspiration the class will step into a magical land far away, where Clara and her enchanted Nutcracker go on a wonderful adventure. The children will learn extracts from the production as well as acting and story telling skills. Do get in contact if interested, as we anticipate this will sell out very quickly!