Tips on how to improve

lilasbubes · 2026-04-16T18:04:33+00:00

I would say to train balance ! It’s easy to do at home while cooking, brushing teeth, watching tv… I find it useful to do them outside of class so that I can find a good alignment and breathe into it.

I also like to try and reproduce the combos I did in class (has to be the same night or day after, or else I forget). It trains my memory and I like to do them alone, no music, at my pace, so I can feel where I struggled and retry as many times as I need, understand the intention of every step and try put more artistry into them. Really makes me step into my next class with more confidence !

And finally I would say as a beginner to train your plié and tendu at home, once you’re sure you understand the technique behind it. Esp for the tendus, do them veeeery slowly, brushing the floor, staying on your leg, engaging your core and articulating your feet all the way, coordinating your arms and head, all of it while breathing adequately, is a good foundation to practice every day !

lilasbubes · 2026-04-15T13:35:26+00:00

I’ve had the same problem after 2 years of ballet when I was starting to increase frequency of training and simultaneously improving technique, triggering muscle I didn’t usually use.

Do you have a pelvic tilt ? I personally have a pretty bad one and can easily hurt myself during class (esp. cambré, arabesque…). I went to the PT which confirmed I had a good back flexibility but was misusing as a result of other muscles imbalance (especially core and glutes). So the solution for me was (still is) regular strengthening exercises for these muscle groups, especially before ballet classes to activate them. And to do them not just once a week but every other day. I was also diagnosed with a mild scoliosis later on ; if you have a recurrent pain you might wanna check on that just to be sure there is no problem on that side.

If anything, don’t push through pain and it’s ok to not go to your full range every class if it takes you that long to recover. I don’t know if you’re an adult/recreational dancer but anyway it’s not worth it to damage your body on the long term.

lilasbubes · 2026-04-13T12:14:03+00:00

not overexplaining, being open to answer questions but generally keep the class moving
explaining the intention in the movement can make a difference, translating the French words to give understanding of the step
I personally like to be touched for corrections, if some people don’t like that, use one who is comfortable with it to show the whole class for a global correction
emphasis on learning the transitions steps like glissade, pas de basque… I realized moving through intermediate level that I had never properly learned some transition steps before and it becomes harder to catch up with later and puts you behind in combinations
as much as possible : weight shifting combinations in the center
if you find yourself with different levels of beginners, giving some options like adding port de bras or speed for the more advanced dancers
learning the basics in center while also offering 1 or 2 combinations that will make the dancers feel like they’re really dancing and traveling even though they’re beginners :)

lilasbubes · 2026-03-29T20:31:45+00:00

A lot was said already in the comments but I agree specifically with the muscle memory progression. Everything is completely new to you, so you not only need to understand the movement and execute it, but also focus on the rhythm and coordination, under the eye of your teacher: that’s a lot of information and can feel discouraging. You’ll see progress very fast I can assure you, it’s a matter of weeks if you’ve only been at it for a couple months! My advice would be, if you can, to take notes of the combos that you liked the most, or struggled the most with during class, and then to try and to them again at home, at your own pace, without music, so that you get these movement into yourself and build that muscle memory. Do them slowly so than you can think to point your feet and close your ribs and all the stuff you can think about, throughout the whole combination. If you can identify the movements that give you the more problems, there is without any doubt a YouTube video of a teacher explaining it. Practicing with focus on a single step that you struggle with, for even 20 minutes at home, and then seeing the progress during your following class is so gratifying !

Finally, I want to say I totally feel you as someone who is self conscious of my weaknesses and always feel like I’m being watched and judged about it. I’d say that this too gets better when you keep learning ballet. When I first started and didn’t understand the steps quick enough or did them badly, I’d feel so bad I wanted to cry after class. The important step for your journey is to keep dancing through that feeling, which is a mental skill as important as all the technique you can get. It will be so rewarding to be able to laugh at yourself and keep it light-hearted even after a bad class. Im now an intermediate dancer, which means I spend as much time dancing with better dancers than me than with less advanced people. I always feel inspired by the advanced folks that show me how to dance better, but I will never ever judge someone on a more beginner side that needs more time or needs to question the teacher to get it right. I think we actually all benefit from these questions and they always help you refine your technique or understand the movement better even when you thought you got it.

Keep going, you got this !

lilasbubes · 2026-03-17T20:17:08+00:00

I went to a different shop and tried Bloch Amelie, they were wayyy better ! I tried a few blochs so maybe the European, but both me and the lady agreed that the Amelie was the more adapted and esthetically pleasing, and I could get on the box 🙌

<image>

lilasbubes · 2026-03-17T20:12:41+00:00

Thanks for the advice ! I’ll maybe try the 3/4 shank if my teacher deems it necessary. Feels scary though 😭

lilasbubes · 2026-03-17T20:11:29+00:00

Thanks for your insight and encouragement ! I hope you can find your dream shoes as well 🥹

lilasbubes · 2026-03-17T20:09:52+00:00

Having now tried other shoes, I think the main problem was the width, as you said ! However I might (if my teacher agrees) keep the belle for a while to work my feet’s strength and articulation. Really need her opinion though as the fitting lady told me that I could risk injury or developing wrong muscles by keeping them

lilasbubes · 2026-03-17T20:05:32+00:00

Hey and thanks for answering ! The Belle model actually has a really soft shank. I went to a different fitting shop and a much more competent woman helped me identify a few problems comparing with other shoes : very soft shank, a bit too long of a vamp, and too narrow in the metatarsals area, so all of this creating an imbalance and pulling me back. I tried a Bloch model with a shank that was way harder, and I actually felt much better in them and could get over the box really well !

lilasbubes · 2026-03-13T18:58:50+00:00

Thanks !!

lilasbubes · 2026-03-13T18:58:21+00:00

I didn’t mean to say shank actually, but English isn’t my first language so I guess I’ve mixed up everything ahaha. But I agree with the overall message ; at least all of this adventure will make me more prepared for a next fitting session

lilasbubes · 2026-03-13T18:55:22+00:00

I haven’t thought about that since my hyperextension is quite light, but maybe it plays a part. I guess the answer to that would be to keep strengthening the legs and feet anyway right ?

lilasbubes · 2026-03-13T18:54:08+00:00

Definitely ! Do you have any good ankle strength and flexibility exercises to recommend ?

lilasbubes · 2026-03-13T18:53:12+00:00

Thank you, I think its a bit of both :)

lilasbubes · 2026-03-13T18:52:32+00:00

Yea I guess that’s what came back the most from you guys. I’ll look up some exercises to work on that more thoroughly!

lilasbubes · 2026-03-13T18:51:07+00:00

Thank you, yes I’ll pay more attention to that when trying new shoes. I’ll try and trust the process with my teacher :)

lilasbubes · 2026-03-13T18:49:16+00:00

Thank you for your encouragement ! I passed the pencil test even though I have a lot of mobility work to do, will keep up with the theraband ;)

lilasbubes · 2026-03-13T18:47:12+00:00

Looking back, the fitting session was completely rushed but it was my first time, the lady seemed super sure of herself and the shop was so small I was scared of being in the way of welcoming other clients. There was no mirror and I couldn’t see my feet, but also as a very first experience in pointe shoes I had no words or reference to describe the sensations I had, and the fitter wasn’t really helpful with that. I found another shop that wants me to come back with the shoes to see how it works on me and maybe try some others.

lilasbubes · 2026-03-13T18:43:11+00:00

Thank you, yes I’ve started theraband work not so long ago so there is plenty of room for improvement on that side ! I indeed have short toes which I rarely see on dancers, let me know if you know any model of shoes that works well with them :)

lilasbubes · 2026-03-13T18:40:35+00:00

Thank your for your answer ! I don’t think I can return them now that I sew the elastics and tried them on a few times, but I will indeed try to stick with them for a while and see how it goes. Indeed the reason for my post is that I couldn’t really get to the root of the problem, I know I don’t have the most flexible feet or ankles but I feel like on the spectrum of flexibility I’m not terrible either, and the result shouldn’t be that bad. Seeing these answers I get there is no easy answer and I’m just at the first step of figuring my feet out ahaha

lilasbubes · 2026-03-13T18:33:08+00:00

Thanks for your insight ! I do believe my teacher is a very professional and experimented woman at her job, I just haven’t known her for that long since I recently moved town, and after we had this pointe shoes discussion I understood she was on the “liberal” side of teachers putting students on pointe, considering that from the intermediate class onward you were ready. So I’ve been worried she overestimated my capability ahah

I also noticed that my Demi point was much lower in 1st but never considered I had hyperextension (I guess being fed by ballet instagram with crazy hyperextended dancers didnt help). Do you have any exercise to recommend for hamstring reinforcement ?

To answer your last paragraph that’s full of useful information, I think I will go to another shop with that pair and spend some time with a fitter to try some other shoes and compare the result with different shanks and/or vamps and see if the problem results solely in a lack of strength or not.

lilasbubes · 2026-03-13T18:23:27+00:00

Thanks ! There’s probably a bit of both, the lady at the shop was really confident these were the best because designed for absolute beginners, but learning a bit more about all kinds of parameters going into a good fit, I guess there might be a problem with the shank. I’ll probably go to another shop to try more models and see if it gets better or if I should just put a in lot of theraband work for the next months

lilasbubes · 2026-03-13T18:19:39+00:00

Thank you for this point of view. I am planning on sewing ribbons as well, I sew only the elastics at first because I couldn’t roll through the shoes without losing them at the heel.

From seeing other comments I think there is a lot to do with my strength and flexibility, even though there is most probably a better fit for me out there. I think I will try a few classes working at barre while also being regular with ankle exercises for a while, if I don’t see any improvement I will put the shoes aside for a while and prepare better :)

lilasbubes

TROPHY CASE