Having been a professional ballet dancer my whole career, a daily ballet class has been as routine to me as breakfast! How and why should you apply ballet to your training?

During my dancing career, my 1hr 15 mins morning ballet class was the way I kept my body in shape and practised techniques to improve my strength, muscle balance and coordination. This was usually followed by up to 6 hours of rehearsing in the studio, so rarely was I ever sat on my bottom.

After stopping dancing full-time to set up Sleek Technique ballet fitness (with business partner and fellow dancer Flik Swan) everything in my daily routine changed. I found myself in front of a computer more, on trains up and down to London and in and out of meetings. I only get into the Sleek studio to train myself 30 mins 4x a week on average now but despite the new routine and the vast difference in the number of hours I devote to exercising, the one thing that hasn’t changed much is my body. Why?

Ballet is Flik and I’s common passion and the way we have both kept in shape our whole lives, we have always wanted to pass on the body benefits of our training and incorporate them in whatever we do. With Sleek we have created compact workouts that combine authentic classical ballet technique (the likes of which dancers have used for many years to hone and tone their dancer-like physiques) with all our current fitness knowledge. Delivering these highly effective classes live online, makes them convenient and accessible for women everywhere.

Can every woman benefit from barre and ballet-based fitness, even if they have never danced before?

Absolutely, especially if you have never done ballet before! Aside from getting your body in great shape, ballet and Sleek in particular has a strong focus on muscle symmetry, good posture and injury prevention. These things translate out of the studio and see women standing, sitting and moving differently in everything they do. Our Sleekers have seen amazing improvements with chronic back pain, hip and shoulder issues to name but a few as well as visible transformations in their posture, tone and shape.

For those that might be a little nervous about trying ballet fitness, what should they expect?

There are a fair few ballet and online barre-based workouts out there now, none of which you will be expected to pirouette or grand jete across the floor. There are no pointe shoes or tutus involved. With a Sleek class, what you will get is a focused 30 to 45-minute workout with its roots in classical ballet but adapted to work for even a novice. You don’t even have to be in a studio, classes can be taken live with two-way interaction online from the comfort of your own home. We work in ballet flats, bare feet or socks and no equipment is required other than a chair to act as your barre.

Why is this kind of authentic ballet workout good for the body?

We work all the muscle groups with a focus on switching them on in the right order to encourage good technique and maximum benefit from every exercise. We spend a lot of time correcting posture and stretching out muscles to decrease bulk, increase flexibility and maintain supple joints which in turn avoids injuries and helps with all manner of aches and pains.

Which class would I recommend for a beginner?

Our Barre Technique or Ballet Bootcamp are a great intro and are suitable for everyone. You get a great all-over body workout while getting a chance to really nail the right technique. No equipment is required other than your laptop a chair and a mat or a towel. Flik and I offer everyone who gets in touch on [email protected] a complimentary class to see first-hand if it is for them. I would urge everyone to ditch any preconceived ideas about ballet fitness and try the Sleek 7-day FREE Trial. Everyone can benefit from working smarter, not harder!

Victoria Marr

Co-founder sleekballetfitness.com