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Ballet
America's glitterati are scorning Tae Bo and turning to ballet to get lean, sinewy bodies and some loveliness in their lives. But it's not all about tights, tutus and monocles. Sarah Jessica Parker is an enthusiast and we all know what she gets up to in the city. Ballet lovers speak of its sensuality and raw passion and the flexibility and enthusiasm of its stars. Delight your partner and learn to put your legs behind your ears with a course in ballet.
Ballet developed out of 15th-century court dancing in Italy. It soon spread to France and Louis XIV established it as a legitimate art form by establishing the Royal Academy of Dance in 1661. After this, the ballerina was born - previously men had danced all female roles, for modesty reasons.
At first, ballerinas were somewhat encumbered in their light, sprite-like moves by high heels and heavy skirts. However, one woman, Marie Camargo, was born to boogie and she didn't mind who saw her ankles. She got her tibias out for the lads and created a scandal, but the ballerina skirt continued to shorten. This new costume and the introduction of softer slippers made airborne movements possible for the first time.
Ballet got a needed boost in the mid-19th century, with Frenchman Marius Pepita taking control of the Russian Royal Imperial Ballet. Through collaboration with such luminaries as Tchaikovsky, he created a great collection of classical ballets. Ballet took hold in America and Britain in the 1930's and the twentieth century also saw the emergence of ballet icons, such as Margot Fonteyn and Rudolph Nureyev.
If you are over the age of 12, then a career as a professional ballet dancer is probably not on the cards. By this stage, you should have won a couple of championship medals, had a broken love affair and harboured a tragic family secret. However, this doesn't mean that you can't benefit from ballet. Regular classes will give you improved flexibility, muscle tone, posture and strength. Be careful though - if you have a sweet tooth, you may develop an addiction to Kinder Buenos and continue to move your mouth after you stop talking.
You ballet class will include work at the barre, stretching, learning basic steps and moves and, of course the pirouette. If you decide that ballet is for you, you will eventually learn to go 'en pointe' - standing and dancing on your toes. It doesn't matter if you have no prior experience of dance and you think that Pas de Deux is a Musical Youth song. These classes are designed for adults and your teacher will give you plenty of one-to-one instruction and encouragement.
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