turnout trouble…

I’m pretty new to ballet, but it’s already obvious how important it is to be able to “turnout” your feet and hips. Trouble is… I’m just terrible at it! To make matters worse, one side is clearly much worse than the other and I have no idea how to redress the balance.

As you can see, currently I’m at about 150˚ and have a long way to go before I’m fully turned out in first position – let alone third.

The best resources I’ve found for understanding this have been at The Ballet Blog turnout section, which I’m sure most of you have already read. The most important discovery I’ve made is where turnout actually comes from. Isolating those muscles – which are deep in the glutes, not the hips – has already helped me understand where I need to focus when I’m practising in class.

Now that I know where to pull for turnout, I’ve noticed that my left leg really strains and it reminds me that I did tear that hamstring when I was about 16. I hope it’s not too late to rehabilitate this injury and I hope I can do it safely! If anyone has any tips or recommendations, I would be so interested!

It seems like it’s going to be a long road…!

Ballet Rookie x

 

dressing the adult ballet figure

If there’s one thing that’s been intimidating about starting ballet, it’s figuring out how to dress myself. I want to wear something form-fitting so I can see if I’m hitting the right positions and movements, but I need some support for those grown-up curves! Aside from the depressing discovery that, as a UK size 8-10, I’m firmly considered Large in any ballet wear… (Sad face!) The most frustrating thing for me has been finding a way to support my 34C bustline, which, in ballet, is considered enormous.

Plume Camisole Leotard in Navy, Bloch Warm-Up Shorts, Revolution Convertible Tights, Bloch Canvas Slippers.

Unlike gymnastics leotards, Ballet leotards tend to have very delicate designs with thin straps and sheer accents. The focus of the design is often at the back. To compensate for the fact that you can’t fit a sports bra under any of these designs, they come with either “full front lining” or a “bust panel”. The full front lining is just an extra layer of fabric on the front, and the bust panel is a little bit like the secret support you sometimes get in tank tops.