Ballet-Fit Workout: Develop Strength, Control, Flexibility, and Grace with the Revolutionary Bodytorque Program

by Megan Connelly, Paula Baird-Colt, David McAllister

Overview

Not everyone can have the body of a dancer, but the program in Ballet-Fit Workout shows how to achieve many of dancers' desirable physical attributes: a strong, flexible spine; a toned, stable midsection; shapely, defined muscles; and sleek, graceful posture.

Written for people with no formal ballet training, this book uses clear, jargon-free explanations and detailed photos to teach the fitness techniques utilized by world-class dancers. Optimal health is the focus throughout Ballet-Fit Workout, and the author shows how classic dance training not only reshapes the body but also teaches mental focus and leads to a calm, refreshed mind.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781569754382
Publisher:	Ulysses Press
Publication date:	12/28/2004
Pages:	144
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 6.75(h) x (d)

About the Author

Noelle Shader was a dancer with the New York City Ballet under the direction of George Balanchine from 1976 to 1981. She then went on to teach as a dance lecturer at the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts until 1984 when she assumed the position of Ballet Mistress with the West Australian Ballet Company. She next danced with the Australian Ballet from 1989 to 1995 then returned to teaching at Victorian College of the Arts. She lives in Melbourne, Australia.

Table of Contents

	Foreword
	The Graceful Body
	The key movement principles	4
	Alignment	4
	Dynamic stability	4
	Rebalancing	4
	Awareness	4
	Holistic balance	4
	Connecting body and mind	6
	The aligned body	8
	Bony alignment	9
	Neutral spine alignment	9
	Dynamic stability	10
	Your center	11
	Neutral pelvic alignment	11
	Journey through the bones	12
	Feet	12
	Knees	12
	Sit bones and pelvis	12
	Spine	12
	Rib cage	13
	Shoulders	13
	Head	13
	Efficient Abdominals	14
	The deep unit	14
	TA and multifidus	14
	The pelvic floor	15
	Monitoring of superficial abdominal muscles	15
	Hips, legs and feet	16
	Upper back and arms	19
	Flexibility	20
	Overcoming movement habits	22
	Letting go of tension	24
	Breathing	26
	Imagery	26
	Injury prevention and rehabilitation	28
	Cross-training	30
	From start to finish	32
	Warming up	33
	Cooling down	33
	What to wear	34
	What to listen to	35
	Using the program	36
	Sitting on a chair	38
	Sitting cross-legged	40
	Supine	42
	Standing	44
	Prone	46
	Four-point kneeling	48
	Side-lying	50
	Awakening the Body
	Observing the effect on your collarbones	54
	Observing the effect on the sides of your ribs	55
	Observing the effect on your stomach	55
	Observing the effect on the back of your ribs using an elastic exercise band	56
	Observing the effect on the back of your ribs with a partner	58
	Breathing sideways into the ribs with awareness	58
	Spinal wave in supine position	60
	Spinal wave sitting on chair or ball	62
	Spinal wave in standing position	64
	Diamond-shaped pull-ups for pelvic floor awareness	66
	Deep and gentle abdominal lifts	68
	Mobilizing the Body
	Figure eights for hip	73
	Folding in front of hip	74
	Wall slide	77
	Figure eight arm swings	78
	Efficient Abdominals
	Knee falls to the side	82
	Leg slides and floats	84
	Curl-ups with oblique twists	86
	Scissor legs	88
	Bicycle legs	90
	The Articulate and Expressive Back
	Half cats	94
	Full cats	96
	Diamond press	98
	Diamond press, sitting	100
	Spinal roll-down, sitting	102
	Standing spinal roll-down	104
	Spinal twist	106
	Spinal twist variation on chair	108
	Hip rolls for the spine	110
	From Hips to Toes
	Knee circles for hips	114
	Knee falls to the side with a focus on outward rotation	116
	Alternating leg reach	118
	Pelvic press	120
	Advanced pelvic press	121
	Butterfly legs for the hips and inside high muscles	122
	Alphabet legs	124
	Ever-increasing knee circles	126
	Leg circles	127
	Metatarsal pull-ups and toe spreads	128
	Extensions and flexions of the foot	130
	Knee bends in parallel	131
	Knee bends in outward rotation	132
	Forward weight transfer	134
	Sideways weight transfers	136
	Calf raises in parallel on two feet	138
	Calf raises in parallel on one foot	139
	Prances in parallel alignment, inward and outward rotations	140
	The Arm and Back Connection
	Chicken wings	144
	Zig-zag arms	146
	Double arm floats	148
	Chin tucks	150
	Nose corcles	151
	Single arm floats, sitting	152
	Double arm floats, sitting	154
	Double arm floats, standing	155
	Alternating arm reach	156
	Four-point push-ups	158
	Full push-ups	160
	Full push-ups, one-legged	161
	Lengthen and Release
	Sideways neck stretch	164
	Diagonal neck stretch	165
	Opening the chest	166
	Upper arm and shoulder stretch	168
	Stretching the chest muscles with a hand on the wall	170
	Child's pose	171
	Lower back and side stretch for beginners	172
	Advanced lower back and side stretch	174
	Spinal spiral	176
	Easy cross-legs for buttock muscles	178
	Advanced buttock muscle stretch	179
	Frogs for the hip muscles	180
	Inside thigh stretch on the wall in parallel alignment	182
	Inside thigh stretch on the wall in outward rotation	183
	Beginner hamstring stretch, standing low	184
	Intermediate hamstring stretch, kneeling	186
	Advanced hamstring stretch, standing high	187
	Beginner iliopsoas, kneeling	188
	Advanced iliopsoas, lunging	189
	Standing thigh stretch	190
	Advanced thigh stretch	192
	Advanced back and leg stretch	194
	Roll down and walk out	196
	Big V press	198
	Sphinx	199
	Lunging calf stretch	200
	Kneeling Achilles stretch	201
	Walking over a stick	202
	Working on the wobble-board	204
	The authors	206
	The dancers	207
	Acknowledgments	208