When we think of ballet, our brains usually conjure up images of delicate ballerinas in tutus and pointe shoes. It’s a bit hard to wrap one’s head around the fact that a dance form that looks so feminine can also have male dancers. Ballet dance may be considered feminine, but it’s just as suited to boys as it is to girls. It’s just that male ballet dancers don’t have to wear ballet shoes and tutus.
In fact, male ballet dancers are extremely muscular and strong, so much so that their build can be compared to that of athletes. Males have bigger bodies and more weight and need more extensive training than women to perform this dance form. Most of their role in ballet performance is to lift women and make soaring jumps, which requires adequate strength.
For this reason, male ballet dancers are made to exercise and work out to build strength that’ll help them play their role in a ballet performance.
Let’s look at the many types of exercises and training that male ballet dancers have to do, making them as strong and athletic as they are.
Aerobic Fitness Exercises
Male ballet dancers have to lift female ballet dancers. The average weight they lift during a performance is about 50kg, and sometimes, they have to keep the women lifted for several minutes. They also have to make smart turns and tricky jumps. All of this requires them to have a lot of stamina. For this purpose, male ballet dancers have got to do aerobic fitness exercises to help them build cardiovascular strength and strengthen their joints and muscles.
Strength Training Exercises
Male ballet dancers also do strength training exercises routinely, which makes them very strong. Without strength training exercises, male ballet dancers won’t be able to lift weights and undertake physically extensive moves during the performance. And it’s not just the performance that they need the strength for, but also the hours of practice they’ve got to do before each performance.
Flexibility Training
Another reason male ballet dancers are so strong is that males have got to start their training young. Males are generally less flexible than women, and if they wish to do ballet dance, they’ve got to start young. Flexibility training exercises improve their flexibility, especially around the hip area, and help them build overall strength.
Weightlifting
Male ballet dancers have to perform exercises for aerobic fitness, strength building, and flexibility improvement, but they also have to maintain a balance because they want to build strength and not mass. For this reason, they’ve got to lift heavier weights but with fewer repetitions. They work on building core strength so as to improve their balance.
Considering the type of training male ballet dancers receive, it’s no doubt that ballet dancers are very strong. The secret to the flawless movements you see on stage is the strength that they’ve built over the years.
If you’re a male ballet dancer who’s looking for a place to shop for ballet essentials for the next show, look no further than More To The Pointe.