101 Reasons to Study Ballet - # 25 Warm Your Body

Reason # 25 Warm Your Body

The ballet barre is a series of exercises that warm your body to perpare to dance. A good ballet teacher knows how to warm you up properly. Professional dancers are careful with their bodies and this warm up has developed over 300 years. Every barre workout alternates the big and small muscles groups accelerating the exertion needed in a gradual method. Most dancers like to develop a warm up routine that they do before class starts. These pre-class warm ups can be simple :
Examples
> Roll head to right slowly and then left
> Roll wrists slowly out and in
>lying down on their back the dancer assumes a low passe, legs parallel and then turned out
> Reach up slowly to releve then slowly roll down to touch the floor
There are many more warm up exercises that dancers add to their routine before class.
Ballet will warm your body and help you gain a healthy body.
http://www.theballetcenter.org/

101 Reasons to Study Ballet - #26 Perform

Reason #26 - Perform

Ballet is a performing art. Whether you want to perform or go to see a ballet performance taking ballet classes will help. There is nothing like stepping on stage to perform for an audience. The thrill and magic of performing is something special. Ballet requirers strength, resilience, elegance and grace all at once. It takes lots of patience and practice to learn but you will feel fulfilled when you step on stage. Ballet is a challange of yourself to be the best you can be. If ballet is your passion and you are prepared to put in the hours of  ballet classes and rehearsal, then it may be that you are prepared to aim high for a career in ballet. Ballet can be studied at any age. Not everyone who studies ballet will become a professional dancer.There are many ballet companies that need extra dancers for large productions like - The Nutcracker, Cinderella  or The Sleeping Beauty. Often students can audition for these parts.
                People who study ballet develop strong bodies, spatial and temporal awareness, flexibility and improve their coordination. A proved scientific, long-term bonus is that, it has been shown that people who study ballet retain the flexibility brought about by ballet classes throughout their adult lives. Join a ballet class today.
http://www.theballetcenter.org/

101 Reasons to Study Ballet - #23 Port de Bras

Reason #23 - Port de Bras

Port de bras is the French term used for the graceful arm movements of a dancer.  It is also a designated set of exercises designed to improve the quality of the arm movements. A complete ballet class will include a port de bras section.  The port de bras of classical ballet is meant to be a graceful and harmonious accent to the movements of the legs and the rest of the body. The correct execution of port de bras the arms should move from the shoulder or some teachers say the middle of the back and not from the elbow. The movement should be smooth and flowing supported from the tricept muscles. The arms should be softly rounded so that the points of the elbows are imperceptible and the hands must be simple, graceful and never flowery. Ballet dancers have beautiful arm muscles from working on port de bras. Join a ballet class today and develop great arms. http://www.theballetcenter.org/

101 Reasons to Study Ballet - #18 Learn 5 New Positions

Reason # 18 - Learn 5 New Positions

There are five positions of the feet and arms in classical ballet. All basic moves start from and end in one of these five positions. The basic ballet positions for arm and feet do not have French terms like most ballet steps they are simply known as First, Second, Third, Forth and Fifth position. All ballet steps and positions are done with the legs turned outward.

First Position - Your heels are together  your feet should be turned out only as far as is comfortable. It is important that you feel completely balanced in this position remember the goal is to move and keep the position. make sure your feet aren’t rolling forwards or turned out so far that you feel you are going to fall over. Arms are rounded in front of the body.

Second Position  -  Legs are turned out feet are apart.  The space in between your feet should be about one and a half lengths of your foot. Arms are out to the side but a little rounded.

Third Position  - Legs are turned out. The heel of one foot is placed next to the middle of the other foot. The heel of your front foot should be touching the arch of your back foot. One arm is rouneded up over head the other arm is rouned to the side.

Forth Position - one foot is directly in front of the other, turned out, with a space of about the distance equal to one foot’s length. One arm is rouned above the head the other is rounded in front.
Fifth Position - Your front toe should be in front of your back heel. This is the most difficult of the five positions. The goal of this position is to get your front foot so far across your back foot, so the back foot is almost hidden. You are in your best turn out so that you are standing front toe to back heel, and back toe to front heel. But to execute this position takes years of training unless you were born with perfect turn out. Some professional dancers never master this position perfectly. Arms are held over head rounded.

Learning ballet is a challenge. It is a contest of skill, strength, special effort and control. Join the challenge start a ballet class today. http://www.theballetcenter.org/

101 Reasons to Study Ballet - #17 Bunhead

Reason # 17 You Can be a Bunhead

What is a bunhead? It is a term used as a playfull name for a ballet dancer or ballet student. Female ballet dancers wear their hair in a bun for class and for most performances. You can't just wear a bun hair style to be a bunhead you must take ballet class, read ballet books, watch ballet videos and go to ballet performances. Basically in the most essential respects; fundamentally you must walk, talk, eat, sleep and dream ballet. There is always something new in the ballet world to see and discuss. Ballet is a living breathing art form and you can be part of it. Go to see a ballet or take a ballet class. http://www.theballetcenter.org/

How Do I Become A Professional Dancer

                   To become a professional dancer it takes - hard work, dance classes, a good healthy diet and a true passion for dance. Find a good dancing school, one that has professional dancers on staff. Most ballet companies have an apprentice program. Often dancers are hired into ballet companies from their apprentice programs. Do your research and find the best program for you. 
                   Apprentice Programs look for students with potential for a professional career in dance,
his or her physical capabilities and strengths, attendance in classes, self discipline and maintenance of a suitable body weight. Ballet students should attend at least 5 ballet classes per week, pointe class for female students and rehearsals for performances. Time on stage is very important. You need experience on stage. Dancing in a classroom and performing on stage is different. 
                   Audition - learn how to audition. Go to auditions before you need to  - there are auditions for Summer Ballet Intensives, Apprentice Programs, Trainee Programs and professional paid jobs. Audition until you feel strong and comfortable.
                    A dancers job is demanding both physically and emotionally. It takes long hours of classes, rehearsals and performances. 

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that dancers and choreographers earned a mean hourly wage of $16.55 as of May 2010 (www.bls.gov). States that had the highest level of employment for dancers were California, New York, Nevada, Hawaii and Missouri.

www.theballetcenter.org

How To Choose A Ballet School

What do you need to know to find the right ballet school.
First - Find a professional ballet school, even if you only want to introduce your child to ballet. It is best to learn proper technique. Take a look at the schools website. Look for a school with a professional ballet company in residence.
Second - Visit the school. Talk to the staff. Ask how many students have become dance professionals.
Look for a professional setting at the school. Ask about the dance floor. It should be a "floating dance floor".
Third - Small class size allows for more individual instruction. The teacher can catch any problems before they turn into bad habits or improper technique. Proper names of steps should be taught. French is the vocabulary of ballet.
Fourth - There is no license issued by the government to teach ballet so anyone can teach ballet. Ask for information on the teachers background and look at the schools website and read the bios of the teachers. A good school will have a good website with lots of information for you to read.
Fifth - look on Youtube to see if the school has videos posted so you can see the students and teachers.
This is a good start on how to find a ballet school for yourself or your child.

Dance Recital Costumes

One of the most exciting times of the year is when costumes arrive for annual dance recitals. At The Ballet Center, we try to keep costumes appropriate, affordable, and of course, beautiful!

Whether they have full fluffy tutus for ballet classes, shimmery shiny sequins for tap and jazz performances, or soft and flowing costumes for modern dance numbers, you can be sure a LOT of thought has gone into each and every selection.

What kind of costumes do you like best? Have you been happy with the costumes your children are wearing? We'd love to hear your thoughts!

The Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid

This Hans Christian Andersen Fairy tale tells a story filled with magic and love.

The Little mermaid saves the life of a young man and falls in love with him. With all

her heart, she wants him to fall in love with her too. But for this romance to have any chance at all, The Little Mermaid must give up the sea, leave her family and friends behind and become an earthly human. The Little Mermaid visits a Sea Witch ( a wicked Sea Witch ) for a special magic spell to fulfill her dream to be come human.

Her adventure on earth begins.

The Little Mermaid is a charming ballet for both young and old.

Wed May 16– 11:00am

Wed May16 -  12:15pm

Sat May 19 – 1:00pm

Held at;

Ballet Long Island

1863 Pond Road

Ronkonkoma, NY 11779

Tickets: Adult - $16, Child - $6,Senior Citizen - $6  Group Rate available

For tickets and information  www.theballetcenter.org
Call 631-737- 1964

Dance Scholarship Auditions

As a not-for-profit dance organization, our mission is to make dance available and affordable to everyone.

To help accomplish this mission, The Ballet Center has a long history of offering a broad scholarship program to encourage and support our serious dance students. 

The Ballet Center offers significant reductions in tuition for those who qualify.  During the 2012 – 13 school year, Artistic Director Debra Punzi will offer fifty (50) scholarships to deserving students. 

Scholarships are full or partial and depend on skill or financial need. The Ballet Center is the only school on Long Island that offers this great scholarship program. Many of our students have gone on to professional careers in dance: teachers, professional dancers and choreographers. Ms. Punzi believes serious and talented dancers should be rewarded and encouraged.

Serious about dance? Apply for a TBC Scholarship.

Scholarships are awarded through the audition process. Students wishing to apply for a scholarship must file an application and audition at The Ballet Center, 1863 Pond Road, Ronkonkoma, NY 11779.

Audition Dates:
Sat June 23 - 11:00am
Wed July 18 - 7:00pm
There is a $10 application fee.

For more information Call 631-737-1964 or email balletlongisland@aol.com