how much to practice at home?

[Guest e1coli]

i would like to know what is safe to practice at home besides the usual barrework and stretches. i was thinking of pirouettes, turns etc. i'm able to do nice turns at home but i fumble during class. my home flooring is ceramic files and its not at all slippery.

 

any advice regarding turns and exercises to build lower back strength would be appreciated.

 

Thank you!!

[Mel Johnson]

Problem is, that ceramic tiles are HARD! So jumps are out, and if you stub your toe doing a frappé, you'll know it! Best that you practice simple things, like pliés and tendus and the other elements of barre working very slowly and carefully, and work for mastery. The big problem is that there won't be a teacher there, so you don't want to practice errors! If you've taken Pilates mat classes, some of that material can be practiced solo.

[Guest Terin]

Is it also dangerous to practice on hardwood floors? Like E1coli, I find it easier to do turns on my home flooring than at the studio, so that's what I like to practice.

[Mel Johnson]

If the floor isn't varnished and waxed, you should be all right, otherwise it will be quite slippery, and you will also track in the slippery stuff to the studio. There are two sorts of classic wooden dance floors for ballet. Hardwood flooring planks set on softwood floor joists, and the exact opposite.

[balletstar811]

How about the concrete basement? My dad and I made a "studio" for me down there, with mirrors, a barre, a stereo, posters on the walls, lighting... the only thing is, I have one of the portable floors thats only large enough for barre work. The rest is the concrete basement floor -- pointe work? I have rosin. Pirouettes are good on this because it is more slippery... but I am assuming I should not jump at all.

[Mel Johnson]

As long as you stay on the wood section, you're all right. Concrete is just a no-no. It shreds your shoes, it's way too hard, and even repeated relevés will be painful after awhile.

[Guest Terin]

Thanks, Mr. Johnson!

[Guest magickaldancer]

In my room i put up mirror tiles on one wall and a curtain pole in front for a barre! It looks really proffesional (i think) and doesnt cost much! I have laminate flooring which is quite good for dancing, but i end up using a lot of rosin. As for how often to practice, I practice almost everyday even if its just going through barre exercises!

 

Coral

[Mel Johnson]

Now, about practice at home in general: Practice only those things over which you have achieved control and correctness. You don't want to be practicing errors and just grind them in. If that means restricting yourself to plié, tendu, and rond de jambe, well that's it! Practicing mistakes just makes your teacher's job harder.