Abdominal Conditioning for Dancers

Today I gave myself barre at my home just for fun to test out a few of the theories I’ve been working on for my next book. I wanted to focus on something technical that only a Professional Dancer with a Certification as a Personal Trainer would know. Something that your Dance teachers don’t know. (they don’t know everything, trust me)

Now I haven’t been taking class consistently by any means, but would still consider myself to be in good dancing shape. I noticed that my balance was very strong whether in passe, arabesque, attitude or the basic positions. I suddenly realized the correlation between my solid balance and my abdominal strength. See, I’ve been working very hard on my abdominal strength lately for my fitness TV appearances.

Abdominal strength is more than just Pilates. Dance teachers always try to push Pilates on students to improve their “core” strength. While Pilates is great, it’s not the solution to the problem. Abdominal strength through strength training is!

This exercise incorporates an element of instability

Take the oblique abdominal crunch bringing the knee to elbow on a physio-ball for example. (pictured above) This exercise engages the hip flexors in addition to the oblique abdominals in an active position. This exercise requires extreme core strength.

I could go on to tell you why this exercise will benefit you more than Pilates for example, but I’ll save that for the book! There are hundreds of exercises that you can do through strength training that will leave you feeling strong and energized as opposed to tired and lazy like Pilates can sometimes do.

Most of the exercises I have my Dancer clients do are standing up. Since you dance standing up, doesn’t make much more sense to strengthen you core muscles standing up rather than lying down like Pilates?

By the way, I don’t want you to think I’m knocking Pilates. In fact, I have a Pilates Mat Certification so I’ve been there, done that. Pilates is a wonderful way for injured dancers to stay limber while in a resting state. But eventually they have to translate all of that knowledge to standing.

Stay tuned for more information. In the meantime, have you purchased The Ballet Audition Preparation Guide like hundreds of dancers just like you? If not, you can get your copy <<HERE>>

Happy Dancing,

Nikol Klein, Professional Ballet Dancer/ Certified Personal Trainer and Nutritionist

My Next Ballet Book

What ballet tips and secrets are you dying to know?

Researching new topics for my next book!

I need your help deciding what subject to write my next ballet book about! Since The Ballet Audition Preparation Guide is selling so well, I know that you are all in search of the valuable information that your teachers simply aren’t telling you. As a Professional Dancer, I have been through it all, and have the tips and secrets you need to make it as a pro. Why not learn from my experience?

So now is your chance to ask the questions you have always wanted to know the answers to! Best of all, if I choose the subject you suggest, you get a free copy of the book!

So tell me, what ballet tips and secrets are you dying to know? I’ve been getting some wonderful suggestions on my Facebook Fan Page and want to give my loyal blog followers a chance to have a say.

Leave me a comment below! Good luck!

Also be sure to get your copy of The Ballet Audition Preparation Guide >>HERE<<

Happy Dancing,

Nikol Klein, Professional Ballet Dancer/ Author of The Ballet Audition Preparation Guide

Falling off Pointe

I’m hearing a lot about retirement lately from a lot of my young dancer friends. There is a common question whispered throughout the ballet community; How do you know when to retire?

I had a conversation with an old friend of mine, Matthew, who dances with Kansas City Ballet a few weeks ago and he brought up a few valid points concerning retirement. Would you rather go out with a bang, at the height of your career? Or be caught “falling off pointe” at 40?

When he said the “falling off pointe” I completely lost it in laughter. How many of us have seen this exact thing. A dancer hanging on to her career by a thread (or toenail), all the while doing the audience a huge disservice. How does an Artistic Director go about telling this once magnificent dancer that it’s time to hang it up?

Is your company’s principal dancer holding the rest of the company back? There is a company here in Southern California that has a dancer like this, and I could name about ten other companies with the same problem. While this forty-something Principal Dancer may have artistic qualities to add to roles, she needs to channel her passion in another way…perhaps through coaching.

Although dance is an illusion, when ticket sales start to plummet, you know that your loyal ballet-goers have seen through the illusion. Does anyone even realize that Darci Kistler is still dancing, for example? (I’m not knocking Darci in any way, just stating a fact)

On the flip side of the coin, dancers are retiring a lot younger than they used to. For many, the economy has made it so that ballet companies are having to make cutbacks. This is making the job search hard for young dancers and even for dancers who are experienced. Principal and soloist caliber dancers are being turned down by companies because they can use young, inexperienced dancers for free.

I don’t really know where I’m going with this post other than asking one question;

Do you want to be caught on stage falling off pointe?

Happy Dancing,

Nikol Klein, Professional Ballet Dancer/ Certified Personal Trainer

Author of The Ballet Audition Preparation Guide

How to Prevent Ballet Injuries

Ballet injuries are common career ending catastrophes for dancers of all ages. What may seem like a small ache or pain could turn into a serious injury if you are not making the proper adjustments to your technique. There are a lot of solutions offered that just mask the pain. If you do not get to the bottom of the issue that is causing the injury, it could be a life long struggle.

The following are a list of steps you can take to ensure you are doing the right things to prevent career ending injuries.

1.) See a Doctor- I know this may seem like a no brainer, but going to a doctor is one of the most important things you can do if you are experiencing abnormal pain. If you are attending a good ballet school, they should be affiliated with a Sports Medicine department or physical therapist in your city.

2.) Rest- You’ve heard this one before too. If you are experiencing abnormal pain, you need to stop dancing until you have the issue identified by a physical therapist. I know, you’re afraid that you will lose your part to your understudy, but how would if feel if you kept dancing and tore or broke something? Do your career a favor and take a much needed rest.

3.) Therapy- Once you have seen a physical therapist and they have diagnosed the problem, you need to follow through with your treatments. Your physical therapist may have you doing some strange exercises, but if you don’t follow through with them the injury will come back.

4.) Investigate- After you are finished with physical therapy and your injury seems to have healed, start investigating your ballet technique. Are you rolling in on your ankles? Are you gripping your hips? You might even want to see a Ballet Strength & Conditioning Coach like myself to help you work on technical weaknesses based on your anatomy and body mechanics. (Keep in mind that these are things that most ballet teachers are not qualified to recommend)

Sometimes your Ballet instructors, though they have your best interest in mind, will continue to tell you to force your turnout, etc. so that your body looks aesthetically correct for ballet. While this may look good, it may be doing disastrous things for your body and your career.

Take these simple precautions to prevent long lasting injuries and never be afraid to ask questions.

Nikol Klein, Certified Personal Trainer/ Professional Ballet Dancer/ Certified Nutritionist

Looking to get noticed in auditions this Winter? Check out The Ballet Audition Preparation Guide.

5 Healthy Tips for Dancers

You may not realize this, but Ballet Dancers have some of the most unhealthy dietary and lifestyle habits. These bad habits effect dancers from daily class all the way to auditions. We’ve all read the famous Ballerina’s books like Gelsey Kirkland’s Dancing on my Grave and hopefully have learned a lot from their mistakes.

What can you do to improve your health so that you can reach peak performance? Follow a few of these simple guidelines to boost your energy in everyday class all the way to performance time.

1.) Don’t skip out on Breakfast- After 8 or more hours of fasting overnight, your body desperately needs food fuel in the morning. Make sure you are eating a balanced breakfast before heading out to class in the morning.

2.) Stay Hydrated- I cannot stress this enough. If you are not drinking water or an electrolyte enriched beverage before and during class, your strength will suffer.

3.) Eat- The skinny, emaciated look is so 1970. Artistic Directors are looking for strong bodies these days.

4.) Soak and Stroke- A hot bath at the end of a long day of rehearsing is just what your body needs to relax and prepare for tomorrow.

5.) Take a day off- Sometimes you need a mental day of rest. On your days off, participate in functions or activites that do not involve dancing. You will feel a lot fresher when the work week begins again.

I hope you have enjoyed these 5 healthy tips for Ballet Dancers! If you’re feeling a little low on energy, chances are you are missing one of the above components.

Happy Dancing!

Nikol Klein, Professional Ballet Dancer, Author of The Ballet Audition Preparation Guide

The Ballet Audition Preparation Guide

Are you ready to get an edge on the competition?

Now you can with The Ballet Audition Preparation Guide! Learn the secrets that Professional Dancers use and get in to the Summer School or Company of your dreams.

As a Professional Ballet Dancer, I know that preparing for a dance audition can be a stressful task. I remember going to auditions nervous and uncertain as a young girl. I remember sizing up the competition based on silly things like what they looked like or what leotard they were wearing.

What I didn’t know was that focusing on what other people looked like and comparing myself to them wasn’t helping. It was actually setting me up for failure.

I’m sure you have done this before…compare yourself to someone else.

Through simple goal setting and confidence boosting exercises, you can rise above the competition and focus on what truly matters. Yourself.

When I was a young girl, there were no resources for Dancers who needed advice about auditioning. This is why I have put together a wonderful manual called The Ballet Audition Preparation Guide to help you through a smooth audition process.

Whether you are trying out for a Summer Dance program, a new school, or a Professional Company, these tips will help you feel confident in the audition! All types of dancers can benefit from audition preparation from Ballet all the way to Jazz, Modern and Theatre.

You can trust these tips and secrets because they have been working for successful dancers for years!

So go to balletaudition.com and download your copy of The Ballet Audition Preparation Guide to start getting noticed in auditions!

Freelance Ballet Dancer

With the economy in the state that it’s in and the Arts struggling to stay afloat, many of us Professional Dancers have turned to freelancing. I recently decided to become a freelance dancer as the company I was dancing for last season hit some financial trouble mid-season. Being a freelance artist helps me keep key hours open in my schedule to work, make money, and support myself.

The problem that I am finding with being a freelance ballet dancer is that there is nowhere to go for job postings! Now, I know that there are plenty of pre-professional schools here in Southern California looking for Principal caliber dancers for their Nutcracker productions. The problem is, how do you find them?

So I am writing this blog entry as a sort of job-search.

If you are the owner of a Southern California Dance School or a dancer with a school who knows that they are looking for Nutcracker Guest Artists, please contact me at nikol@balletaudition.com. I will be happy to send a resume, photos, and a DVD or links to my videos.

I know that there are hundreds of you who follow my blog, so please pass the message around! Do you want to see me appear in your Ballet School’s Nutcracker?

3 Secrets to Becoming a Better Dancer

We’re all looking to become the very best dancers that we can be. The truth is, there is no magic trick to improving your technique. Progress takes time, and with your dedication and hard work you will improve. Here are a 3 tips to helping you become a better dancer!

1. Focus on yourself. It is so easy to get distracted by the strengths of others. No two dancers are the same so don’t compare yourself to anyone else. Focusing on others is negative. Take that energy and put it towards working on something positive to help improve You!

2. Write down your corrections. I know this may sound silly, but it works. You should be writing down the corrections your teachers give you after class or rehearsal. That way you can think about it and work on improving. As a successful professional dancer, I even did this when I was a Principal Dancer! Writing down your corrections ensures that you are going into class the next day prepared and smart.

3. Every day is an Audition. If you walk into class with an attitude or a tired demeanor, your teacher will notice. Everyone has bad days, sure, but you need to approach each new day as an audition. If you put 100% into class, you will improve very quickly. Keep an open mind and a positive attitude! You never know who may be watching.

I hope these three tips enable you to approach your daily class routine in a more positive manner. For more secrets and tips visit balletaudition.com.

Diet for Dancers

I have received a lot of inquiries lately about Diet particularly for Ballet Dancers. The trend these days is not to look super thin, rather to be muscularly lean. Here are a few tips to get you in tip top shape before the 2009/2010 season begins!

1. Don’t use the word Diet. A better term that I use with my clients is “Meal Plan.” When we hear the word diet we automatically think of deprivation. Really, you shouldn’t have to deprive yourself of anything you like. You should, however, plan your meals out thoroughly so that you can have that favorite snack you crave once or twice per week. In moderation, of course.
2. Do not cut out Carbohydrates. The worst thing that a dancer can do is get on a low-carb/hi-protein diet. If you are eating primarily protein to lose weight as a dancer, you will have absolutely no energy. Stick with a nice carb to protein ratio.
3. Stay Hydrated. You should be drinking an electrolyte enhanced beverage during and after Ballet class or rehearsal. This will ensure you have enough glucose in the system and the energy supply to keep pushing in rehearsal.
4. Low on Iron? For female dancers, during that time of the month, we sometimes get low on Iron. This is from the blood loss during menstruation. Feeling lethargic, numb, and a bit queezy? Low Iron levels may be the case.
5. Don’t skip out on lunch. I know a lot of dancers who skip lunch in between rehearsals. This is the wrong thing to do! You need to refuel your body on your lunch break to get ready for the afternoon’s vigorous rehearsal schedule!

I hope these tips will you out during the 2009/2010 Season. Of course always consult with a physician or nutritionist before starting any type of diet plan.

Still trying to get a job in the professional dance world? Check out my Audition preparation website!

Ballet Audition Tips

Hello loyal blog followers! I am pleased to announce the launch of my new website, balletaudition.com. Here you will find all of the tips and tricks that the professional dancers use to get noticed in auditions!

I am sending out exclusive secrets to getting in to that Summer program, school, or company of your dreams!

Coming in September, 2009, Balletaudition.com is also the home of The Ballet Audition Preparation Guide where you will learn how to get an edge on the competition.

Don’t miss out! Go to balletaudition.com to sign-up to receive exclusive member only information! Find out the minute The Ballet Audition Preparation Guide comes out!