When you first begin trying ballet you need to be patient and do not expect it to be easy in the beginning, something that anyone who does it will agree with. You want to do everything you can to make it as easy as possible and with the ballet barre this should be possible and you can learn at your own pace.
Before you can use it, you must know what a Barre is. You have most likely already seen one, but just don’t know that you have. The Barre used in ballet is the handrail that the dancers use in studios for practicing. Generally it is mounted on a wall, but there are also some that are free standing. All are roughly waist high and have a diameter of 1.5 inches.
Any exercises done using a Barre are not going to be done fast, because in order to learn you will need to make use of slow and repetitive motions. There is no reason to feel bad about using the ballet Barre as a kind of crutch, because all beginners learning this type of dancing use it. The Barre’s other purposes are to prepare a ballet dancer for a partner and to support those who have weak ankles. Since weak ankles are not suitable for ballet dancing, the Barre can help to strengthen them as much as possible.
It is recommended that you keep yourself in pointe shoes at all times. Chances are the sole of your shoe will be too thick and you’ll end up wobbling, so make sure that you file it down to a point that your foot will be able to sit flat on the floor. Remember that even if the pointe shoes are worn out, they are still better than wearing soft shoes.
When it comes to ballet, the strength of your toes is extremely important, perhaps more than you know. You would be advised to do exercises in which your foot is moved in an upward position using your toes and the reason being it can considerably strengthen your toes. Pointe shoes are made so sturdy specifically for this reason as they maximize the resistance amount for you to build the strength you need in your toes.
So there you have the basics of using a Barre bar. I know this isn’t what you were dreaming of when you started ballet, but all beginners have to start somewhere, and in most sports or arts beginners hate the beginning. When you finally master the art of ballet and you are ready to step away from the barre bar, you will be grateful for the time that you spent on it!
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