Top 5 WORST Ballet Advice EVER ... and what to do instead | Ballet Reign

[@marutorres1587]

I feel like pull up is a good correction for more advanced students because it makes them inspect their position in a whole

[@balletreign]

True!! These are all much better suited for older/more experienced dancers 👍🏻

[@weijingsong7245]

Agree. Pull up imho is the best correction I received…

[@redfrag9607]

most memorable correction: "Mary, what was THAT?"

[@balletreign]

Hahaha I think every single dancer can relate 😂

[@curiousman1672]

Life Advice: If you find yourself in a place where no one has your back, move your back. Great post. 😃

[@balletreign]

This is gold 😂 thanks for sharing!!

[@larissaswayze]

Love how you two are always willing to talk about ballet training in such a detailed and nuanced way. I am a dance teacher working on my associates degree in Cecchetti and I have a super controversial one: “Keep your hips square in an arabesque.” Almost no one actually does this even when they say they are. If you look at photos and videos that are supposed to be examples of “square hips” in actuality they usually are somewhat (or a lot) open. In my degree we’re told to teach square ribs and allow an opening in the hips as long as it is a continuation of the leg’s rotation and the leg stays crossed behind. Yes, when dancers are little and their arabesque is low we don’t talk about open hips as they are too literal and they twist their whole body open. But as students get older they are able to understand how complex ballet actually is then we start talking about what goes into a beautiful (and healthy) arabesque, acknowledging that everyone’s body is different and no two arabesques are the same. One of my favourite quotes says something like “ballet is more architecture and less engineering.” Just some food for thought 🤪

[@balletreign]

EX-ACT-LYYYYY 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 we once had a teacher who strictly enforced the completely 100% square hips w/o arching the back. It was in that moment we realized that that is impossible 😂 def should not open the hips deliberately, as you said, we should be teaching a REALISTIC and honest yet clean arabesque position. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!!

[@dalajuliette]

I second this. I'm an adult beginner and when I first heard about staying square I was so confused. What's squared with what? Am I connecting dots? Which dots?

[@eggsandfish]

Oh my god yes!! Square hips in arabesque is anatomically impossible!!!

[@laurencleary6724]

my Cecchetti teachers always demanded "square hips" and I could never do it! I'm glad to hear that it's not just me 🩰

[@cassandratemple45]

When I was in ballet as a child my teacher would always tell me that my foot was sickled, but never told me what that meant or how to fix it. Now as an adult in beginner classes I really struggle with port de bras and my teacher told me, "keep you elbows where you can see them in your peripheral vision." I understand and respect what she was trying to tell me but even holding my arms wrong I could still see them in my peripheral vision.

[@balletreign]

Haha 😂 glad someone could relate! It’s very difficult when you’re given a reference point that isn’t constant and/or very vague and ambiguous.

[@SolElarien]

I know you asked for bad advice, but I’d like to share one of the best life advice I’ve ever received, it was just “learn to choose your battles”, meaning fight for what’s important and leave petty things aside. Love, Sol

[@balletreign]

Fabulous advice! Thanks for sharing 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻💕✨☺️

[@tracygoddess6719]

Must admit i use the point infront of your nose one with my littles. BUT I give a break dow of what I mean in a fun way. I put my hands on my hips and point (with my finger) to my elbow and ask the class if this is my nose? They giggle and say no. I point to my shoulder and as if thats my nose, again they say no. I point to my nose and ask if thats my nose and with great glee they all shout yes. Then I explain that their nose is in the middle of their body and thats where they need to point. After that little bit of effort, if someone is pointing their foot off center I can say oh no! Has your nose escaped and moved to your elbow? And they giggle and fix their alignment.😅

[@balletreign]

This is such a cute read! A fabulous way to drive the pointe (😝) home while still having fun. It’s great that you use the nose as a reference point but also explain the center of their body as their true devant. You go, Teacher! We’re cheering for u 🙌🏻🙌🏻

[@classicalchance7831]

What I tell my students as a ballet teacher about 5th position in the arms: "Look straight forward and move your fingers in 5th position. If you can see your little finger in the corner of your eye without your head moving, it's correct." I think this is a little more specific than "you should see your hands" and it works quiet well. :)

[@dreplogle1]

That is what I tell my students as well. I then stand sideways to them and show what happens when my hands go further back, and talk about how my ribs open. As Jordan and Eden said, it’s about communication which definitely includes demonstrations.

[@balletreign]

Awesome!! You go, Teacher! 🥳

[@vantilate]

I agree that "pull up" can be useful in certain situations. Personally, I find that being told to pull up a specific part is useful, e.g. "pull up on your supporting side" in a turn (soooo much better than "drop your hip" which just feels heavy). The one I love the most is "pull up your kneecaps" because it's so visible - contract that tiny little muscle on the top of your knee which yanks up your kneecap and you can literally see it in the mirror!

[@balletreign]

Yesss this one is so much better when made a little more specific 👍🏻✨ and yay for pulled up knees! 🙌🏻💕

[@cm5061]

"Open your ribs; pull your tailbone down", etc. Boy I do not know how to do that I may be stupid.

[@marianasiortiz5513]

I feel this, first time teacher said ‘close your ribs’ I was like ‘RIBS CAN MOVE!?’

[@chriscortez9090]

my ballet teachers always meant to lengthen your spine and (sometimes) expand your sholders

[@mceci8187]

I just love watching their ballet videos despite the fact I've never set a foot in a ballet class in my life

[@balletreign]

Everyone is a dancer deep down ☺️ we’re glad to have u here ✨💕

[@dancicorn]

I have been doing ballet for a while now but I have only recently learned how to properly turn out and my knee problems have completely gone away. I think it’s crazy that most ballet teachers don’t actually teach you how to turn out.

[@balletreign]

AAAAHHHH isn’t it crazy? So sorry about the pain that u went thru but so glad it resolved itself! And props to u for figuring out the turn out… not an easy thing to do on ur own 👍🏻😁

[@dancicorn]

@@balletreign Yeah thanks!

[@sunnyostrom4898]

I had a dance teacher who taught me to land from a jump with my knees straightened. Needless to say, I have bad knees now. That studio was an embarrassment and I was there way too long.

[@isabelaandzico]

Nice background music 🎼 you can’t go wrong with Diana et Acteon. I’ve never gotten the foot to nose correction because I was trained in Moscow and in Bolshoi school every movement of the legs is accompanied by a head, neck, arm movements - épaulement ! The only time you look forward is when the leg is à la seconde for grand battlements, any tendu, developé, rond de jambe en l’air.

[@brit1583]

The best teachers give sufficient detail and good context and often lots of great analogies. It’s not what you say it’s what the student hears……we all learn differently. I wonder how much the ballet world takes account of neurodiversity. And nowadays how much physical correction is allowable? There are some awful videos out there of students being treated so badly. You guys or someone like Claudia Dean so get the best out of people with a positive and kind approach

[@balletreign]

Yesss it’s so important to accommodate different minds and ways of learning. But physically abusing students is never acceptable although sadly it is quite common 😢. Thanks for watchinggg 😁😁

[@kerriemckinstry-jett8625]

Physical correction used to be such a given. I'm glad people are more aware now of how teachers should & should not touch students. Some gentle touching to help a student "get" how to turn their leg for a grande rond de jamb is actually necessary.

[@autisticdancer]

One correction I was surprised that I didn’t see on this list that one of the younger teachers at my studio was actually criticizing a couple weeks ago is to “suck in your lunch.” It’s very common to hear older teachers say this, and what they’re referring to is to suck in your stomach to get a better posture. But the way they phrase it is- questionable… The main thing my teacher was criticizing about it was that even though when teachers give this correction they *usually* aren’t implying that a student is fat, but it’s very easy to interpret it like they are, especially if they call out a specific person. Basically, the thing they are correcting is fair, but there are better ways to phrase it. That same teacher also admitted that back when she was a student being told to “pointe her toes” she didn’t realize she had to pointe her whole foot and would instead pointe her toes really hard but keep her feet flexed. 😂 I thought that was pretty cute.

[@balletreign]

we agree with u, We’ve heard that many times too, and it has unfortunately hurt many young girls 😔😔. Point your toes is always a funny one 😂

[@drh3rd]

Some bad advice can be... no advice. Not being presented by a ballet master in a 'moment' something that would aid... I reflect on these moments now and then. Like.. "wish I would have known that back then, at that time... "

[@balletreign]

YESSS 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@xanxaamaral8636]

my teacher taught me the "pull up" thing by making a student lay on the floor and lit pulling her by the feet and by arms, so pull up is: lenghten your spine and dont sit on anything (back, knees, hips,...)

[@susanpaul4752]

Loving your discernment in evaluating these perhaps well meaning, but actually misguided corrections and directions. Thanks for another sensitive and informative detail about ballet education.

[@balletreign]

Aww thanks so much! 🥹🥹

[@isabelaandzico]

Pull up to me means: ribs in, connect to your core and pretend like you’re putting on a pair of jeans straight out of the dryer. It reminds me to make me lengthen my whole body and control my hyper mobility, hyper extension and back flexibility.

[@kerriemckinstry-jett8625]

🤣 #relatable I have heard "put your toe in line with your nose"/"put your toe in line with your shoulder". I have heard "squeeze your tushie & rotate your legs out". Have you tried using these on non-ballet people? 😁 It's fun. My husband was trying to balance in some pose & I told him to, "pull up out of your hips", which caused a confused look & a hilarious explanation. 🤣

[@balletreign]

Hahahaha 🤣🤣 we should do that, that sounds like fun 😅. Glad someone could relate!

[@kerriemckinstry-jett8625]

@@balletreign Seriously, the stuff that's 100% normal to say in a dance studio is NOT normal for other people. 🤣 Weirdly, "pull up out of your pointe shoes" is actually a very useful visual & helps me with balance.

[@subtleworkings1164]

I think a lot of the standard cues focus too much on describing the look of the correct position, and not enough on how to make it happen in your body. The one that always baffled me most as a young student: "Imagine a string pulling up from the top of your head." Like, I definitely get where that image is coming from... but there aren't any muscle groups in the top of one's head!

[@balletreign]

Hahahaha you’re absolutely right! The way it’s described is so different from the way it works anatomically 😂

[@we.genuinely.think2882]

I actually didn't know what my teacher wanted when she said to keep the ribs in. Like I can't move my ribs? 😂 I know now what she meant an it makes sense but at first I was very confused. Another weird advise I got was to just think about turning when I turn to do doubles. I mean it worked for other students but for me just thinking about go up was the better advise because that's the part where I struggle more (mentally) en pointe than the actual turning

[@balletreign]

Soooo relatable!! 😂😂

[@MarshaNovak]

Worst ballet correction/advice is lift your leg from underneath as in grand battment. I often say trying to make sense of this led me to a career in kinesiology and physical therapy. To feel the turn out muscles is to put thumb on greater trochanter ( outside of hip) and fingers on sitting bone. Turn out by bringing thumb to fingers.

[@dronesclubhighjinks]

I watched this video yesterday during the premiere, but was not able to leave a comment then, so I’d just like to tell you I enjoyed the video very much! It was something a little bit different, and it’s so interesting to see how tricky communication can actually be. Something that is very basic, but can also sometimes be overlooked is that the instructor has to speak to the level of the students - so if somebody’s used to instructing intermediate level students, and then has much newer ones, maybe the newer ones don’t understand the same words in the same way. Sometimes kids or other shy people are afraid to ask questions. I don’t know if students are allowed to ask instructors questions in ballet class? The best ballet advice I, as a not-even-close-to-pre-beginner-level dancer, could ever give anybody is: to send them links to your videos and encourage them to watch Ballet Reign every Saturday!! I have been dropping your channel’s name into various comments sections when applicable (because I don’t want to be obnoxious with it as it might discourage potential viewers)! You are such a treat to watch with your enthusiasm and humour, as well as your clever editing! 😍👍🌼🙏🌸💐

[@balletreign]

Students should always be allowed to ask questions! It’s the best way to learn 😁 Thanks for sharing your advice, you’re too sweet! ☺️. Always appreciate your support of our channel, you’re a real one 💕🙌🏻

[@dronesclubhighjinks]

@@balletreign awww thank you!! 🙏😍😍🌼🌸

[@madelinejohnstone9950]

The worst one I’ve seen is “suck in your gut” or “belly button to spine”. Those corrections are supposed to get dancers to activate their abdominal muscles. In actuality, I find dancers just tuck their hips under and then can’t breath or move efficiently. The best correction I ever got was to lift up through your spine and and like your pulling a pair of tights up to your ears- this helps me activate my abdominals correctly.

[@balletreign]

Haha we’ve def seen those two produce interesting results especially in littles 😂. Thanks for sharing your tips!

[@kritee]

yes i agree with this one too. when i was little i was given this one a lot and i ended up with a bad habit of open ribcage loll

[@isabellefischer5145]

Yep. I've heard that in horseback riding. I can pull my belly button to my spine without engaging my abdominals at all. I immediately understood that wasn't what my riding instructor meant, but it took quite a while to figure out what she meant. I started getting it when somebody poked me in the belly and told me to harden the muscles against the poke... (Learning this type of things as an adult, I think we are especially stupid...)

[@victorialy7039]

I think with the being able to see your arms in 5th should be that being able to see your arms if you look up while your head is still looking straight out, it works extremely well for me, some of my teachers would even specify only seeing two fingers. Sometimes it’s more about explaining the details 😊

[@marianasiortiz5513]

I’ve been a victim of ‘pull up’ for real 😂 The first time I heard something like that I probs gave such a ‘what does that mean??’ Look that my teacher came to point out what to do jshdnsjsh I really liked this video! Was a bit confused about the turnout part but maybe that was a language issue 😅 (loved the número 1 tho jsjsjsjsjsjsj) It was really good to see you make examples of this! I learnt a lot ❤

[@mayaflorres]

i have a teacher that is very sarcastic and passive aggressive🥲 one time during adagio we did developpe to ecarte she screamed "look at your elbows" and if someone wasn't looking at their elbow she'd stop the music walk over to the person and say "[blank name] your elbow is the halfway point of your arm, where the little crease is" as if we didn't know where our elbows were💀💀and after that everyone made sure to always look at their elbows😭💀 it happened to me twice- it's very awkward and embarrassing...

[@balletreign]

Oof we’ve been there 😓. That’s def not the proper position, but if she asked for it, I mean… 🥸. But we know you’re doing your part, so that’s what’s most important ☺️💕

[@susanpaul4752]

I don't see a sign of passivity , just the aggression. There must be other teachers to study with. Find one.

[@mayaflorres]

@@susanpaul4752 ik she wasn't passive aggressive in this particular situation but she sometimes is passive aggressive. also i do have other teachers at the studio i go to but she is part of the faculty and i can't change that

[@voyaristika5673]

You make every topic interesting. Even those with just a cursory appreciation of the ballet should find your videos educational. My knowledge is maybe "close to moderate" so you're appealing to professional and layman alike. That must tie in with your gift for working with children.

[@balletreign]

Aww thank u for this! ☺️ glad u found this easy to understand 💕

[@drh3rd]

You may have covered this already... but a theme for a video which I know you guys are well versed in... hip placement. Especially the difference in arabesque, attitude, a la seconde'... open hip vs. "not". Russian open hip vs. western. This is one of my absolute teeth grinding things that I formed almost from when I began to study thru performing, and maintained to this day. I have a viscerally bad reaction to open hip extensions, placements, etc. I find them beyond unappealing for the most part, often sloppy. I am not fun to sit next to when these moments come across say, a video or on stage. Drive my wife crazy because I am driven crazy. Anyway, I could wax on for hours about hip placement in the myriad of potential positions. Just wondered if you guys would consider an examination of something like this?

[@balletreign]

Thanks for your thoughts and suggestion! Def a big topic, but we’d love to talk about it with y’all!

[@cateplink1633]

Once again you have given me great things for my books. I am learning more about classes and positions as I go on your journey.

[@balletreign]

Aww thanks sm!! Wishing you the best on your writing as always ✨💕☺️

[@mayaflorres]

omg im so sad i missed the premiere- i had a busy dance day😅 but i always look forward to saturdays bc of ur guys' fun videoss thanks for always making us laugh🩰💗

[@balletreign]

Haha glad we could make u laugh 😂 good work in the studio today! Rest up and enjoy ur weekend 😁😁

[@sueblaisdell2923]

But "toes" does rhyme with "nose" so it's easy to remember just as a reminder until you just do it automatically. Love all you videos !!!!

[@amityjoy3732]

Lol this is funny, My ballet teacher tells us to put our toes in front of our belly buttons, which I think is much more accurate.

[@nina-oh1fs]

another saturday another awesome ballet reign vid!! 4got to comment yesterday ahhh loved it obv

[@balletreign]

Aww thank u!! ☺️💕

[@laurenbashoura9575]

Not a ballerina in the slightest but as a teacher of young children, the first alternative I thought of to “put your toe in front of your nose” was “put your toe in front of your belly button.” Would that work? Or would the alignment still be off?

[@balletreign]

Good point! Def much more accurate! Assuming they weren’t leaning sideways 😂

[@chloekravatz84]

'Sing from the diaphragm' is my version of one of these. I CAN'T I don't control that part! You sing from your LUNGS! Horrible advice, 100% confusing

[@balletreign]

LOL yeah!! If we control it we’d never have to get hiccups 😂

[@ladykarolyn1]

Similarly when they always told us to breathe with our belly in order to sing. I spent years pooching my tummy out artificially before I finally had a teacher say "just fill your lungs and let your ribs expand without raising your shoulders. Your lungs aren't in your belly." I thought my terrible breath control was my fault all those years, but now I know that I was never training the right muscles and whatnot. I'm now very practiced in sticking my belly out for no reason though 😂

[@balletreign]

Haha thanks for sharing, so funny to hear about similar ineffective corrections in other arts 😂

[@ladykarolyn1]

@balletreign thanks for making a video about the merits of defining terms and, when in doubt, just saying what you mean! 😄 I'm in adult beginner ballet class, and I'm obviously prone to interpret things literally, so these tips are super helpful!

[@balletreign]

Aww we’re glad you find our vids helpful!! Always feel free to ask ur teacher if you have any questions… or drop us a comment and maybe we’ll address it in a future vid 😉

[@Kafoo_X]

Not a bad correction, but I thought I'd share that the comment my teacher made most often was "remember to breathe", especially before petite allegro.

[@balletreign]

HAHAHA SAME 😂😂😂😂

[@Elle-tt4kh]

We were told to pull up like we had a high ponytail in the middle of our head and someone was pulling it up

[@amwelty]

Yay, switching seats😂! LOL!

[@balletreign]

Just for u lol 😂✨

[@mermaidopulence8539]

So when our teachers say pull up they tell us which areas to pull up in. Like if we need to pull up out of our hips or pull up with our heads coming from a plié.

[@balletreign]

That’s great! Sounds like they’re communicating well with the class 👍🏻

[@mermaidopulence8539]

@@balletreign yes they are and that's what I love most about it. This studio isn't like most studios it's very loving and very accepting of all dancers of all body shapes sizes and colors and experience.

[@Estertje93]

The worst correction i got was to turn out my toes, so it looked like i was more turned out than i was in my knees 👍 plié should go over your middle toes and not just the big toe!

[@balletreign]

Absolutely!!! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@marie_oceanic]

Im not a ballet dancer, but when I heard pull up, my mind went to "pull up onto point" or "roll up from standing or position onto point" 😭

[@balletreign]

Pointe (😝) proven!! 😂

[@avatheuniverse]

genuine question, is it possible to teach yourself ballet via youtube lessons?? obviously you can't teach yourself pointe bc that's dangerous and stuff but I'm kinda scared to go to an actual ballet class as a heavier person that has heard about ballet culture surrounding weight and stuff like that. i would love to do ballet because it seems genuinely beautiful and fun but I've always been anxious about going to a class

[@balletreign]

We could do a whole vid on this! ☺️💕. In essence, you can prob learn steps and some of the basics from online platforms, but having a teacher who can communicate with you directly in real time will help you dramatically fast track your progress. (We do teach online classes for beginners via Zoom, which is a quite a step up from videos on KZbin, so if you’d like to learn with us, feel free to shoot us an email! 😁😁). But never feel ashamed because of how you look, where you come from, etc. Everyone should be able to dance for their own enjoyment no matter what ✨💕👍🏻

[@a-shadow-in-the-soul]

I’m doing this right now, as I live in a rural area and have social anxiety. I’ve picked some some picture books and watch the “basic” and beginner videos to,understand the steps and their names. I’m keeping it to easy and basic moves, just barre exercises, but it’s going well so far.

[@oxoelfoxo]

never gonna use this but watched anyway, haha

[@balletreign]

Hahaha Never say never! 😁😁. Thanks for watching 🙌🏻

[@themovinganna1948]

wing in attitude, like why

[@esstown]

The exact right devant spot for your toe is directly in front of the middle of your pubic bone - but we're not allowed to say that out loud, lol.

[@crunchybubblewrap]

"straighten your knees!" ok but *how*

[@balletreign]

LOL relatable 🤣

[@leticiagraziele6428]

Give us your advice now pleaseee🥺

[@balletreign]

What would u like to know more about? 😃

[@leticiagraziele6428]

@@balletreign I don't know I'm not a ballerina but I just love your guys' videos 😭😭

[@balletreign]

Awww 🥹🥹

[@stepsofgracedancestudio9953]

🩰🩰🩰

[@gzucc]

"pull-up" is the least helpful thing to tell any dancer. Keep your weight forward and dropped.

[@balletreign]

Right!! That’s a much better way to explain what you want to see 👍🏻

[@Chels-fz5uq]

Put your toe in front of your belly button? Most kids know where the belly button is, I think maybe?

[@balletreign]

This one is better for sure! Most kids are low-key obsessed with their bellybuttons 😂

[@sylfiden1]

Are you sisters?

[@balletreign]

What’s ur best guess? 🥸🥸