Stress Management and Ballet

[hart]

I just started ballet in late June, and I absolutely love it; however, I sometimes have difficulty keeping a balanced perspective about it. It seems like a very "high maintenance" kind of endeavor to me. This tantalizes my conscientious, high- achieving, dedicated nature but also has a tendency to wear me out.

 

A full-time doctoral student and part-time psychotherapist and college instructor, I absolutely have to be sure to keep my stress levels in check. I used to do this through a nice hard run where I could breathe in the crisp autumn air and enjoy the beauty of nature. However, as part of my "Be Good to Your Achilles Tendons" campaign, I have subsequently had to decide between ballet and running, and I have chosen ballet for now. My problem is that it really takes a hard, vigorous run to get my stress levels down. I have found that no other physical activity comes close to running, in this regard.

 

My question is twofold:

 

1. What kinds of things have helped you keep ballet in perspective so that ballet continues to enhance your life rather than take it over?

 

2. What suggestions do you have for vigorous, cardiovascular exercise that can help me manage my stress levels without hampering ballet or causing injury?

[Mel Johnson]

I think that as you gain experience and competency in ballet, you should notice an upsurge of physical relief from tension and stress. Your activities as a doctoral candidate and a college instructor as well as the PT should help you keep your attention balanced and focused in the right places at the right time.

 

As your level of proficiency in ballet advances, you should notice that it becomes its own stress modifier, and that you can supplement the ballet classes with Pilates and/or Gyrotonics or other such modality which can be used aerobically. I don't know where the standard evaluation of a ballet class as a non-aerobic activity came from. While I was still on active duty, I brought our Physical Training Officer to an advanced ballet class. His comment was, "My God, it never stops. This actually is aerobic!"

[citibob]

Swimming is the most commonly cited full-body low-injury cardiovascular exercise. Biking can be pretty vigorous too --- and it takes "no time" if you commute by bike.

 

Sorry about the perspective business. Ballet is certainly high maintenance and it has taken over my life at least a few times. I finally decided as long as it was going to do that, I might as well make a profession out of it so as to be "respectable". So I got serious about it while in graduate school. Now I'm a PhD with a professional dance career and a murky future. Managing ballet in your life never gets easier, only harder.

[Funny Face]

Hart: When I lived in Chicago, I took ballet class at the Ruth Page School and was also a competitive race walker, so I COMPLETELY understand your desire to work out your stress and achieve the kind of high that I believe can only be achieved by oneself. If we are on the same wavelength, I think what you are referring to is not only filling yourself up with gulps of fresh outdoor air and getting your heart pumping, but reaching that point after the 3rd mile or so when you aren't even aware anymore that your body is putting forth effort. Now is prime time in Chicago -- probably mid 50s, yes? Incredible time of year. Nothing like a walk at dusk in the Windy City in fall.

 

I strongly suggest switching over from running to race walking or even 'just' power walking (about a 12 minute mile), and do that along with your ballet. You'll notice that not only wll your achilles heels thank you, but your thighs will become much more stretched out and your calves will take on a better shape. It is extremely compatible with ballet.

 

More good news. There is an extremely active racewalking contingency in Chicago. When I was there, it was led by former racewalking Olympian, Augie Hirt. I don't know who's heading it now, but it was a great group of young people who got together regularly in the Lincoln Park area and enjoyed socializing together as well (not pointless bar scene stuff).

 

 

Please look into this. I think you'll find the two a great mix. I've been a walkaholic my entire adult life, and it has only enhanced my dancing, never hurt it. Also, while ballet requires complete focus on the task at hand, racewalking allows me to go inward -- to not think about the workout, but instead about creative solutions to problems, etc.

[hart]

Funny Face,

 

We are DEFINITELY on the same wavelength. Thank you so much for your reply! I have a feeling it is going to be a little disheartening for me to have to walk the same lakefront path that I would normally run, but I will definitely take your advice and give it a try. Also, I wanted to let you know that I also dance at Ruth Page. Having read some other posts, I think you might have taken classes with my instructor, Rodney. Am I right?

[Garyecht]

“Stress” is one of those things we love to complain about it seems. Although I think exercise (any that you enjoy) generally makes you feel good and hence reduces stress in that you are feeling good during and for a time afterward rather than feeling anxious, I think the key to managing anxiety lies more so in the mind and less so in the body. If you have a problem that you are worrying about and it has a solution, then just implement the solution. If your problem has no solution, then it does no good to worry, or so the saying goes. Easier said than done, I know.

 

I do think feeling stressed is regarded as a socially desirable characteristic. If we are stressed, surely we are working hard at something important. A little anxiety is just part of life. If we don’t have enough, we will create it. At least that’s my take on it.

 

When I was a graduate student, I combined school with an athletic career. In fact, I made more progress in my sport during my graduate school days than at any other time. And I didn’t find it that difficult. I just scheduled my time religiously and kept to my schedule. Of course that was a very long time ago, so perhaps I’ve just forgotten what it was really like.

 

For cardio vascular exercise, I do run, about 30 minutes each noon, M-F. I do cardiovascular exercise for weight control rather than for running fitness. I run in a nearby park on soft ground, run slow (60% maximum heart rate, which is optimum fat burning) and stop and do a 20 second stretch about every 5 minutes. I find this kind of running easier on my joints than allegro in ballet class. Day after almost any ballet class, my joints feel it. If I go for a time with no classes and just run, no problem whatsoever.

[Garyecht]

“Stress” is one of those things we love to complain about it seems. Although I think exercise (any that you enjoy) generally makes you feel good and hence reduces stress in that you are feeling good during and for a time afterward rather than feeling anxious, I think the key to managing anxiety lies more so in the mind and less so in the body. If you have a problem that you are worrying about and it has a solution, then just implement the solution. If your problem has no solution, then it does no good to worry, or so the saying goes. Easier said than done, I know.

 

I do think feeling stressed is regarded as a socially desirable characteristic. If we are stressed, surely we are working hard at something important. A little anxiety is just part of life. If we don’t have enough, we will create it. At least that’s my take on it.

 

When I was a graduate student, I combined school with an athletic career. In fact, I made more progress in my sport during my graduate school days than at any other time. And I didn’t find it that difficult. I just scheduled my time religiously and kept to my schedule. Of course that was a very long time ago, so perhaps I’ve just forgotten what it was really like.

 

For cardio vascular exercise, I do run, about 30 minutes each noon, M-F. I do cardiovascular exercise for weight control rather than for running fitness. I run in a nearby park on soft ground, run slow (60% maximum heart rate, which is optimum fat burning) and stop and do a 20 second stretch about every 5 minutes. I find this kind of running easier on my joints than allegro in ballet class. Day after almost any ballet class, my joints feel it. If I go for a time with no classes and just run, no problem whatsoever.

[Funny Face]

Yup, Rodney was the guy. Also, Larry Long was teaching advanced class there. I haven't kept up with what's happening at the school in some time. So, you are in that vicinity, which means you are in a great walking area. Don't worry about 'humbling' yourself to walk instead of run. If you find the racewalking club (I'm sure there is a web site -- I recall there being one), you'll find that some of them are plenty fast. I often had joggers comment when I passed them by. You WILL get the benefit of the endorphins, I promise. And years from now, your knees will thank you. After all these years, it's still difficult to convince people that racewalking really moves. Let us know how you fare, okay?

[sylphide]

Wow Hart!

 

I feel exactly like you at this moment!!!!

Just wanted to tell you that you are not alone....

[motionmemory]

I am glad you raised this issue. I too have had similar issues with keeping perspective and balancing stressors. I started ballet 2 years ago as an adult while in the research phase of an MD/Phd program. I found ballet a great stress relief and a great joy, and went about 4 times a week. I am now back in my 3rd year of med school and rarely get to go to ballet. I see myself losing the hard-earned little bits of strength and flexibility I had acquired. Initially it was very sad. A true sense of loss. Also a loss of connection. I love ballet and I had to give it up. ... or so I thought.

 

The thing is, ballet is so multidemsional. It is in many ways, a state of mind and being as well as a physical activity. When I can't go to ballet, I still think ballet. I picture ballet moves in my mind, while in surgeries I am able to relate the coordination of certain techniques with dance. I do releves while in the OR. I keep my mind ballet-active. And then the really difficult part: going to class on an irregular basis, even if it is only once a month or less sometimes... but I do it. I still go. And amazingly, I found out that I can still enjoy class!!!! I make heroic efforts to make it to class. Having had to sacrifice my passion for ballet in order to do what I need to do now makes me savour every second of ballet classes I do attend. The other thing is - and important to remember - I plan on dancing for the rest of my life. We sometimes lose sight of this. We think ballet = young. Even adult beginners fall into this trap. But the truth is, most of us who truly love ballet will dance for the rest of our lives, so if I have to temporarily cut back on ballet to tend to another area of my life, that is o.k. Ballet is within me and always will be. Another thing to remember is that ballet is a process. It doesn't happen overnight.

 

More specifically to your situation: I do think that since you just started in June, ballet may be more of a stress since the moves are not quite automatic, you may not yet have muscle memory. But I assure you (and you see I am a fairly new beginner myself)... with just a little more competency, you will see that ballet can and does take you to great great heights regarding endorphin release and a feeling of "otherworldliness".

 

Other questions to ask are: what specific aspect of ballet is stressful for you? Is it that you expect too much of yourself? Have you ever felt stress-free after ballet, if so what was different about that class... did you do something well? did someone compliment you? Is your mind fully present in class or are worrying about other things? I find that subtle things (often psychological) can impact one's reaction to ballet class.

 

Things that helped me were 1) don't compare yourself to others, 2) GET LOST IN THE MUSIC, 3) work on one thing at a time, especially in the beginning. For example, you might work on port de bras or simply trying to achieve good form in second position. YOu might work on tendus. YOu might work on keeping your leg straight and feet pointed. Only work on a few aspects at a time. Before long, keeping legs straight and feet pointed becomes second nature. Before long, you will have a beautiful second position arms, Soon, tendus will be second nature. When this happens, you will at least be able to completely let go and get lost in the music for tendus and degages, soon other aspects of barre will come. Center work is great in beginning class. Balances are very dance-like. Just work on balances. I think at your stage you should stick with ballet... don't get discouraged. Supplement if you like with other things, but really, ballet class will become cardiovascular before long. As you build the muscles and the stamina, you will be able to feel the effects of the ballet exercises more. When I started out in beginning classes, I didn't feel nearly as "tired" or "Worked out" as I do now when I take a beginning class. I have heard this from more advanced dancers as well... beginning classes can be quite challenging when you have the right technique precisely because they are slower!

 

I apologize if I did not really respond to your question. But I think it would help if you could try to identify as precisely as possible what aspects of ballet might be causing or adding to your stress, because in my opinion it is not that ballet is not as good a stress reliever as running... I think there are other issues and reasons that complicate the matter and it is helpful to address these. Along the same lines, ballet teaches one a lot about oneself... it did me! It has taught me great lessons for life which I still use.

 

Keep dancing!

[motionmemory]

I am glad you raised this issue. I too have had similar issues with keeping perspective and balancing stressors. I started ballet 2 years ago as an adult while in the research phase of an MD/Phd program. I found ballet a great stress relief and a great joy, and went about 4 times a week. I am now back in my 3rd year of med school and rarely get to go to ballet. I see myself losing the hard-earned little bits of strength and flexibility I had acquired. Initially it was very sad. A true sense of loss. Also a loss of connection. I love ballet and I had to give it up. ... or so I thought.

 

The thing is, ballet is so multidemsional. It is in many ways, a state of mind and being as well as a physical activity. When I can't go to ballet, I still think ballet. I picture ballet moves in my mind, while in surgeries I am able to relate the coordination of certain techniques with dance. I do releves while in the OR. I keep my mind ballet-active. And then the really difficult part: going to class on an irregular basis, even if it is only once a month or less sometimes... but I do it. I still go. And amazingly, I found out that I can still enjoy class!!!! I make heroic efforts to make it to class. Having had to sacrifice my passion for ballet in order to do what I need to do now makes me savour every second of ballet classes I do attend. The other thing is - and important to remember - I plan on dancing for the rest of my life. We sometimes lose sight of this. We think ballet = young. Even adult beginners fall into this trap. But the truth is, most of us who truly love ballet will dance for the rest of our lives, so if I have to temporarily cut back on ballet to tend to another area of my life, that is o.k. Ballet is within me and always will be. Another thing to remember is that ballet is a process. It doesn't happen overnight.

 

More specifically to your situation: I do think that since you just started in June, ballet may be more of a stress since the moves are not quite automatic, you may not yet have muscle memory. But I assure you (and you see I am a fairly new beginner myself)... with just a little more competency, you will see that ballet can and does take you to great great heights regarding endorphin release and a feeling of "otherworldliness".

 

Other questions to ask are: what specific aspect of ballet is stressful for you? Is it that you expect too much of yourself? Have you ever felt stress-free after ballet, if so what was different about that class... did you do something well? did someone compliment you? Is your mind fully present in class or are worrying about other things? I find that subtle things (often psychological) can impact one's reaction to ballet class.

 

Things that helped me were 1) don't compare yourself to others, 2) GET LOST IN THE MUSIC, 3) work on one thing at a time, especially in the beginning. For example, you might work on port de bras or simply trying to achieve good form in second position. YOu might work on tendus. YOu might work on keeping your leg straight and feet pointed. Only work on a few aspects at a time. Before long, keeping legs straight and feet pointed becomes second nature. Before long, you will have a beautiful second position arms, Soon, tendus will be second nature. When this happens, you will at least be able to completely let go and get lost in the music for tendus and degages, soon other aspects of barre will come. Center work is great in beginning class. Balances are very dance-like. Just work on balances. I think at your stage you should stick with ballet... don't get discouraged. Supplement if you like with other things, but really, ballet class will become cardiovascular before long. As you build the muscles and the stamina, you will be able to feel the effects of the ballet exercises more. When I started out in beginning classes, I didn't feel nearly as "tired" or "Worked out" as I do now when I take a beginning class. I have heard this from more advanced dancers as well... beginning classes can be quite challenging when you have the right technique precisely because they are slower!

 

I apologize if I did not really respond to your question. But I think it would help if you could try to identify as precisely as possible what aspects of ballet might be causing or adding to your stress, because in my opinion it is not that ballet is not as good a stress reliever as running... I think there are other issues and reasons that complicate the matter and it is helpful to address these. Along the same lines, ballet teaches one a lot about oneself... it did me! It has taught me great lessons for life which I still use.

 

Keep dancing!

[balletowoman]

Funny Face, what is the 'technical' things to look out for when power walking? Is it *just* like a fast walk, or do you have to do something correctly to achieve the right outcome? For eg, what are the arms doing when power walking. Do you have to just follow the movement, or do your arms make an additional effort?

 

I always felt like running was 'too much' for me... So, I think power walking can be a good idea. It's about the same temperature here in Scotland right now, so it's quite 'invigorating'!

[Guest djb]

Cycling on a stationary bicycle is the only type of non-dance aerobic activity I've been able to keep up, mainly because I can read while I do it.

[Funny Face]

Power walking differs from race walking in that the latter requires a certain twist of the hips in order to achieve extremely high levels of speed. Power walking is not as complex. It is not as fast, but it is certainly much faster (eventually) than normal walking, and provides great aerobic beneift. The most important thing to remember in power walking is to really stretch out your stride. As to the arms, I always kept mine above the waist, pumping with my hands in fists. That is most comfortable for me. It feels efficient and gets my heart rate up. However, in Steve Reeves' book, "Power Walking," he advocates swinging the arms back and forth in a pendulum motion, from a 30 degree angle to a 45 degree angle -- back and forth. In other words, his arms, which are looser as opposed to sharply bent, swing from down at his side up to his waist or a little above, and back. It's also important to keep your chest erect, your head up, and breathe deeply. You want to work through the heel and toe of your foot as well. This is a vigorous, springy walk. Outside of taking good care of your feet (occasional blisters, etc.), you don't need to worry about injuries to the knees, ankles, shins, etc., as with jogging or running. Your legs should feel very stretched after a power walk.

[Tiffany]

Hart,

I think that you will find (as you study ballet longer) that it will give you the endorphin rush that running used to, once classes challenge your body as much as running did. Ballet classes do that for me. I'm working on a PhD as well (wow so many people are in graduate school, we all are quite intelligent!) and ballet is a wonderful release...I try to make myself let go of worries about papers and classes for the entire class and when I am finished with class I feel like a new person, ready to tackle my studies again. I have studied ballet for a long time, since grade school, so that does make my situation a little different.

 

On a different note, I once took a running class as an undergrad with a friend and I never learned to like running as my friend did...I was just glad to get my 1.5 mile time down enough to get an A!! I really do think, though, even though I didn't learn to love running, that ballet will become more rewarding as you study it further.

Edited November 14, 2003 by Tiffany