How should I prepare for beginners ballet?

Question:I am starting an adult beginners ballet class in about a month - how should I prepare for it? Should I start doing any kind of stretches etc to get my body used to it? Any advice at all would be great.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I am starting an adult beginners ballet class in about a month - how should I prepare for it? Should I start doing any kind of stretches etc to get my body used to it? Any advice at all would be great.

I would recommend that you start stretching every day. This will help get you in shape for your class. Also, try using an elliptical trainer a few times a week or a light jog around the block to increase your cardio stamina. Running can be bad for your joints and tighten leg muscles, so make sure to stretch before AND after. I would suggest the New York City Ballet work out DVDs. They have good stretches and center floor exercises to prepare you for ballet. Even if you've never done ballet before, they break down the steps and you can rewind and repeat if necessary.

I hope I helped! Have fun, you'll be glad you started ( :
Feel free to e-mail me for more advice or tips

kay:
work on flexibility and endurance.
stretch legs, sitting on floor, reaching for toes,
practice pointing correctly and while in tendu etc roll through half toe, STRENGTH in legs. check out:
The Ballet companion [ book ]
by gaynor milder
or someone like that
its amazing!!!!!!!
has everything u need to know about ballet, how to do stuff right, etc. i love it!!!

I'm not sure why people think they have to prepare before they start classes. The classes themselves will help with flexibility, strength, and everything else you need to dance.

it depends......are you doing ballet just for fun? or are you a more serious dancer whos starting pointe? if you havent danced before you can devleop bad habits, so be careful. try to work on your flexiblity and turn out, and every class starts with plies as a sort of warm-up no matter what the level...so do those too :)

most of the time, u shouldnt do anything until ur teacher tells u how 2 do it right. try stretching. work on ur splits. dont try 2 over-do it. u might pull a muscle. then u might not b able 2 dance at all. support urself w/ ur arms and hands. w/ ur center split, gently try 2 put ur elbows on the floor. DONT OVER-DO IT OR U WILL BE SORRY! good luck!

I am also starting a beginners ballet class :)
Can't wait but also nervous!
Anyway I bought the New York city ballet work out videos 1 and 2, I also bought a book called "Step by Step Ballet Class the illustrated guide"
The workout video was actually really hard the first time but it gets easier every time you run through it, and you can rewind.
I am totally working on my stretches especially my splits, make sure to warm up and take it slow though ;)
Oh and I looked up a bunch of ballet words to learn, most of ballet uses french words it can be a mouthfull.
Well have fun dancing, and good luck.
Oh wish me luck on my classes too!