MADONNA, Katie Holmes, Charlize Theron and even Ryan Gosling are among the high-profile names to have professed a love of ballet-based workouts and for those who have always fancied channelling their inner Billy Elliot, this could be that long-awaited chance.
Scottish Ballet is launching absolute beginners’ classes at its Tramway base in Glasgow, offering a 10-week course aimed at those with no previous dance experience.
Participants will learn the basics of classical ballet including building vocabulary and knowledge, as well as confidence and co-ordination, in an informal environment.
Sharing a wealth of knowledge garnered from a lifetime at the barre is Preston Clare, who plied his trade as a professional dancer with Scottish Ballet for almost two decades. Since retiring in 2003, he has taught hundreds of aspiring dancers of all ages and abilities.
According to Preston, ballet can provide a wealth of health benefits including better posture, a stronger core, toned muscles, improved flexibility, grace and balance as well as offering a challenging workout for the old grey matter.
“The health benefits are fantastic because it gets you to use your brain as well as your body,” he says. “It trains your body to pull upwards because there are so many people who slouch when they are sitting in front of a computer all day.
"As we get older people naturally start to slouch – their shoulders are more rounded. This helps to re-awaken muscles and allows us to stand tall.”
Those who don’t have a classic ballerina physique – perhaps more KFC chicken than Black Swan – may feel daunted, but Preston insists they need not worry a jot. Ballet isn’t simply the domain of those with gazelle-like limbs as pliable as putty.
“I believe anyone can dance,” he enthuses. “It is not a matter of your size, rather whether you are using the muscles properly. It is amazing how many people have told me they have lost weight or can get into a smaller dress size since starting ballet.
"All of the movement comes from your central core muscles. We are using our core muscles right the way through the body and learning to execute the different moves properly. The class will be teaching things such as ‘muscle memory’, beginning with the feet and all the muscles there. We will then move onto the legs and then the arms.
“With the absolute beginners’ class, it is starting slowly – we certainly wouldn’t be expecting people to come and do pirouettes.”
The adult-only classes are aimed at women and men with no previous experience of dancing. In addition, Scottish Ballet offers a more advanced 10-week programme for those returning after a break or who perhaps did ballet in childhood and are keen to revisit it.
Whatever your level, insists Preston, these classes are perfect to whet the appetite. “Some people love moving to the music whereas others enjoy the stretch and being able to use their head in the correct way from a classical perspective,” he says. “The music is fantastic at Scottish Ballet because we have a live pianist which is far more enjoyable than a CD being shoved on.”
People are often surprised at how quickly they progress. “I wouldn’t call it homework but I usually give participants stretches to do at home to help keep things ticking over between classes,” he says. “There was a group of older women I taught who were learning to put their leg up on the barre.
“The next week they all arrived to class and had markedly improved. I thought: ‘You have all been in the kitchen with your leg up on the work bench.’ I said it jokingly, but they were all nodding away.”
As for attire, there is no need for leotards and tutus: comfortable workout clothes will suffice. Equally, if you don’t want to invest in ballet shoes while dipping a toe in the water, a pair of thick socks is ideal to start with.
Ultimately, the emphasis is on fun, fun, fun. “A dancer can’t be all tense,” says Preston. “My approach is to always have a laugh in class so that people relax and enjoy it – that way they dance better too.”
Scottish Ballet’s Absolute Beginners classes run at the Tramway in Glasgow from January 20 until March 30, costing £90 (£75 concession). For more information on how to book, visit scottishballet.co.uk
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