Dance & Choreography
Adult Ballet: Fun, Friendship, and a Host of Wellness Benefits
Master Class: Students with Washington Ballet’s Nicole Graniero (2nd from Left) & Oscar Sanchez (Kneeling)
Willow Dance Center Owner & Director Kathy MacDonald (Far Left)
Photo Courtesy: Elizabeth Druback Celaya (3rd from Left)
Willow Dance Center Owner & Director Kathy MacDonald (Far Left)
Photo Courtesy: Elizabeth Druback Celaya (3rd from Left)
By Elizabeth Druback Celaya
As I enter the studio on a Saturday morning, sunlight streams through the tall windows, creating long bright rectangles across the floor. The smell of sweat and dust permeates the air. A pile of shoes grows in the corner as dancers arrive and swap out sneakers for ballet slippers, greeting each other and checking in on family, plans for the weekend, and nagging injuries. Barres are moved to the center of the room and set in straight lines, with towels for mopping sweat draped over them and water bottles strategically placed for easy access. By the speakers, the teacher chats with students leaving the previous class before turning to the growing group of new arrivals arranging themselves at the barre. “Let’s get started!” she says, and we do.
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So begins weekly ballet class, but this is not a class for professionals, nor are the barres full of young students. In this studio one discovers that ballet offers a special joy — along with a multitude of benefits — for the adult student, too. Long relegated as a pursuit of childhood, ballet holds particular benefits when embraced by adults, including exercise, mindfulness, memory, coordination, balance, and not least of all, friendship and fun. For too long, dance, and ballet in particular, was considered something fleeting, something only for the young, thin and flexible, and something you outgrew. Dreams of pink tutus and dancing en pointe were the stuff of childhood, to be left behind when you reached a certain age. Luckily, in recent years, interest in ballet for adults has exploded as more adults of all ages and abilities step into the studio and discover that ballet offers a special joy — along with a multitude of benefits — to the adult student.
At the barre this Saturday morning: a librarian, a student, a data analyst, a retail associate, a doctor, a retiree. We are parents and grandparents and spouses. We have years of life under our belts — illnesses and injuries, career successes and layoffs, relocations and more. We’re of all sizes, shapes and abilities. Some of us have danced for decades, others for mere months. For some, this may be a first class. What unites us is a love for the special combination of art, athleticism, rigour and grace that is ballet, and our gratitude at being in a space that accepts us as both adults AND dancers.
Like many who found new hobbies during the pandemic, I reconnected with ballet as an adult in early 2021 in an effort to feel grounded during that time of upheaval. Although I grew up dancing, after a fifteen-year hiatus, I was nervous when re-entering the ballet studio. My body was not used to much physical activity, and I had forgotten many steps, but I needn’t have worried.
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Students During a Class
Photo Courtesy: Elizabeth Druback Celaya |
As I stepped to the barre that first day there were introductions around the room, some chatting about how everyone’s day had been, and then we began. There were no questions such as, why are you here? Why do you want to do this? Aren’t you too old? There was no need for such questions. We were all there for the same reason: we wanted to dance. Whether confronting a global pandemic or dealing with the everyday challenges of mid-life, ballet provides an opportunity to be both mindful and to disconnect, to ease aches and pains while also pushing our bodies to achieve more, and to relax into the ease of familiar rhythms while tackling new challenges.
Elizabeth with New York City Ballet Principal Dancer Taylor Stanley
Photo Courtesy: Elizabeth Druback Celaya |
Movement and Physical Growth
If you ask any of my fellow ballet students taking the adult class what their goal is, most will say it’s to keep moving for as long as possible. After all, some of the most obvious benefits of ballet are the physical benefits. Over time, a regular ballet practice will build strength, tone muscles, and increase flexibility. Each class follows a progression that is functional and intentional, slowly engaging different parts of the body. Repetitions at the barre build strength and skill along with artistry and musicality, progressing from small movements of the feet and ankles to large swings of the legs and stretches of the back, torso and legs. After a long day sitting at a desk, running errands, or running a household, ballet offers a chance to stretch and realign achy muscles and joints. Yes, when we’re warming up there are lots of pops and groans coming from across the studio. Most of us are dealing with something that doesn’t feel quite right — a sore back, an achy knee, a muscle pulled from lifting a child, tending a garden, or just sleeping wrong. But ballet feels good, and as adults we can commiserate in our common aches and pains while also appreciating how ballet helps us to gain strength and flexibility and soothe some of the stiffness resulting from our 21st century lifestyles.
Ballet is also excellent for enhancing coordination and balance. Balance is an integral part of the practice of ballet, and students gain skills in balancing on two feet and one, with some dancers choosing to advance their practice to work en pointe. Coordination is another skill that is honed in ballet, as exercises require coordination of arms and legs, along with more subtle positioning of body, head and torso. As we age, building these skills becomes increasingly important as we seek to keep our bodies moving and able to support us.
Despite what we might think of ballet as a very precise and rigid dance form, adult ballet allows for a wide range of modifications. Students are encouraged to find what feels good to them and make accommodations for injuries or other physical limitations. Good teachers will offer a range of options and let adults exercise their judgement about what feels right. |
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Leaning into Learning
One of the quickest lessons you learn in the studio is that ballet is hard. It’s a common refrain in the adult ballet classes I attend. And while ballet IS hard, one of the things that keeps me coming back each week is a love for the challenge of ballet, which offers an opportunity for ongoing learning. Did you know that every classical ballet class starts the same way? Whether you are an absolute beginner or an etoile at the height of your art, you are stepping to the barre to begin with repetitions of pliés -- gentle bends at the knee that are the foundation of many ballet movements. There is something beautiful in the idea that no matter how good you are, you begin at the beginning each time. This reminds us that we can always push to improve even the simplest of movements. I look forward to the familiar repetitions and the opportunity to continuously hone my skills. Ballet is an art, after all, and it asks of us what any creative endeavor does — that we attend to it with regular care, attention and openness to growth. |
"Whether you are an absolute beginner or have years of practice under your belt, ballet requires a beginner's mindset. There are always new steps to try and new combinations of steps with which to experiment. There is always something you can improve. Every class brings the opportunity to challenge yourself." ~ E.D.C. |
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Note: At Willow Dance Center, partnerships with professional companies and visiting teachers bring a rotating series of Master Instructors to the studio from entities such as New York City Ballet and Washington Ballet. These master classes offer students a special opportunity to learn from world-class professionals. |
Ballet also provides the opportunity to learn something new in every class. Whether you are an absolute beginner or have years of practice under your belt, ballet requires a beginner's mindset. There are always new steps to try and new combinations of steps with which to experiment. There is always something you can improve. Every class brings the opportunity to challenge yourself. Despite a gentle striving for excellence -- lifting your leg higher or infusing more musicality into your movement -- it is done not with a sense of pressure and judgement, but rather for the pure joy of trying. Rediscovering as an adult how fun it is to learn, practice and hone a new skill is yet another of the benefits of an adult ballet practice. |
Annual Halloween Class: Students Don Costumes & Dance Along to “Spooky” Songs. (Left: Kathy MacDonald, Director)
Photo Courtesy: Elizabeth Druback Celaya |
Mindfulness and Memory
Ballet offers a pathway to mindfulness. We all carry the weight of adult responsibilities, and probably know that mindfulness is a practice that can help us focus and reduce stress, but it can be hard to find the time or the willpower. Enter adult ballet — a built-in mindfulness practice! Attending class requires that you clear your mind of everything else. You can’t follow the steps if your mind is elsewhere; instead, you must focus on counting, coordination, precision and timing. You are constantly reminded to breathe and to connect your breath to your body to support your movement and infuse your steps with intention and grace. Remember, ballet is all about making something quite physically challenging look effortless! Your memory gets a workout as well because every class brings new combinations of steps to learn. I often set myself a challenge to remember as much of the combination as I can when it’s first demonstrated in an effort to exercise my memory. Traditionally, exercises in ballet class are begun on the right side before being repeated on the left. At the studio I attend, we swap this monthly, starting everything on the left side every other month. This is a special challenge set for us as adults that not only ensures that our bodies are being evenly trained but also pushes our minds outside of our comfort zone. In the same way we might turn to crossword puzzles or Wordle, ballet challenges us mentally with lasting benefits. |
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Fun and Friendship
The world of ballet that I encountered as an adult is so much richer than that of my childhood. I've not only reclaimed a place at the barre, I’ve formed new friendships and found a new community of like-minded people, which may be the greatest benefit of all. Adult ballet offers an opportunity to be in a common space with others, often across multiple generations, lifestyles and interests, establishing important social connections. This lends itself to a special sense of freedom that I find only in the ballet studio, where these differences are erased by our common love for dance. Fittingly, most of my fellow students point to grande allegro as their favorite part of class. Grande allegro comes near the end of class, and is a series of larger jumps and movements that travel across the floor. This is a chance to let go and dance, and soak in the feeling of moving freely with joy. While I enjoy grand allegro, I have a special appreciation for reverence, a classical ballet tradition that has fallen away in many studios. Reverence is a bow or curtsy, but it is really an opportunity to show gratitude — to our teacher, to our accompanist (if there is one), and to ourselves and our fellow students. We offer thanks and appreciation to ourselves for showing up, for making the time for this worthy endeavor. We appreciate our fellow students for being there with us, multiplying our fulfillment with their presence and passion. In adult ballet class we laugh often, and we don’t judge ourselves or others. We accept our faults and limitations with grace, and we revel in the thrill of a new skill conquered. We work hard, sweat a lot, and enjoy the rush of a good workout. We applaud when a fellow student performs with particular grace or technique. We support each other when life throws us curveballs, and we welcome in new students as others come and go.
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Themed Class: ‘50s Night
Photo Courtesy: Elizabeth Druback Celaya |
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Elizabeth Druback Celaya is a seasoned community development professional with over 20 years of experience dedicated to preserving and strengthening communities through social innovation and meaningful change. Deeply passionate about localism and small business, she thrives on discovering hidden gems and uncovering the rich stories and history woven into the fabric of each place she visits. A lifelong dancer, Elizabeth began ballet at age three and has recently rekindled her love for the art form as an adult.
Outside of work and the studio, she finds joy in motherhood, tending her garden, and getting lost in a good book. Follow Elizabeth on Instagram. |
"Ballet is for everyone! At Willow Dance Center, the absolute beginner class has the most students! Just join us! We’d love to have you." ~ Elizabeth Druback Celaya
Cunneen-Hackett Arts Center
Dance Studio 2nd floor 12 Vassar St. Poughkeepsie NY All photos and class references feature Willow Dance Center. |
