Ballet has been around for centuries and is recognized as an entertaining art performance globally. The dance showcases elegance, beauty, grace, pose and core strength. If you decide on learning ballet, you will develop overall body strength, flexibility and coordination. This dance is enjoyable but requires hours of training, practice, dedication and exercise.

There are some basic techniques you need to be familiar with if you want to succeed in ballet. Ballet is a beautiful way to stay healthy and active. Ballet is a delicate dance and can be demanding on you and your body if not prepared. Here are some techniques that will teach you how to dance ballet professionally:

1. Ballet barre

Ballet barres are usually installed in classrooms and ballet studios for training. However, if you are practicing at home or at a gym facility, you can always get a portable barre to use during your practice. The free standing ballet barre is essential for proper stretching and strengthening your body posture when preparing to dance. The stationary handrail allows ballerinas to hold onto it lightly for balance.

2. Balance

As a ballet dancer, you are expected to achieve balance by maintaining the center of gravity of your body, while minimizing postural shifts. To become an excellent ballerina, you will need to learn the art of balance. The first step is to master this through the ballet barre.

Once you are confident on your feet and can hold your weight, you will be able to balance your entire body. Soon you will be ready to dance with grace without any support.

3. Pointe

The correct ballet slippers will help you with your ballet performance and enhance your movements. When you buy your ballet slippers, ensure they fit correctly and start using them immediately for your training sessions. Initially, you will learn ballet with your feet flat on the ground, but over time, you will be able to tippy-toe across the dance floor. This is also known as the pointe technique.

The key for how to dance ballet professionally is through lots of practice. After rigorous training, you will be able to support your body weight on your fully extended vertical feet and can invest in more sophisticated pointe shoes.

4. Learning the basics

To succeed in ballet, you should learn the basic movements and positions. You need to know what preparation, dress style and exercise are necessary to get you started. There are basic foot movements and poses to learn. Learn the proper placement of your feet and how to style your pose. It is essential to know that every ballet movement and posture starts and concludes with the basics.

Look for a good ballet training dance class or school to get started in the right direction. Don’t forget to make notes on the essential ballet terms as these terms will be used often during training.

5. Fundamental positions

There are basic foot positions and arm movements you should be familiar with. Practice in front of the mirror so that you can see if your arms and feet are properly positioned. Learn all the key positions for your feet, arms, body and head. Wear the proper ballet clothing to help your movement and to allow body flexibility.

The fundamental positions teach you alignment, poise and beauty. Once you learn the fundamentals, all other complex movements and steps become much more comfortable to develop. The fundamentals are a must if you want to become a professional ballet dancer. Precise positioning cannot be avoided.

6. Turns and twists

Ballet involves a lot of sophisticated turns and twists. There are many types of spins involving different step and rotation movements. There are even turns you will complete on one foot with your leg raised at 90° degrees. There are other turns where the leg is slightly bent at 145° degrees.

Practice is one way of mastering these turns and twists. You also need to watch past performances to understand the technique, posture and styles the ballerinas have used to perform ballet turns successfully without falling.

7. Practicing

If you want to become a professional, you have to keep practicing. Try out different ideas, but ensure you maintain the basics and apply the main techniques. There are going to be different stages involved for you to become a professional dancer on stage and performing for theatres.

If you want to learn how to dance ballet professionally, pay attention to detail and to the advice your teacher is providing. Mistakes in ballet are easy to detect, so you want to ensure perfection before you get out there and start performing professionally on stage. Make notes from other professional dancers and observe their techniques.

8. Experience

To become a professional dancer, you require an incredible amount of determination and self-motivation. Gaining experience through on-stage and live performance will give you more confidence in your abilities and techniques. There are many ballet dancers, so you want to be the best and to ensure you are always selected for various ballet performances. Take part in competitions and try out any stage ballet to get as much experience as you can.