I have extensive ballet training and have been asked to teach classes to ballroom students. What does the ballroom student want to learn?? It seems to me that standing at the barre would be boring. Maybe 3 workshops, one for foxtrot, american waltz, and tango steps with a ballet flair to develop carriage and arm movements?? I need suggestions!!! What does the salsa dance student want from the ballet class?

Ballet is great for strengthening foot arches and insteps and encouraging balance in demi-pointe position. If anyone is shaky in their rise and fall in the standard dances, regular barre work will greatly improve their skills in this area. It also helps the arms for latin by encouraging softness and relaxed and beautiful hands. And bending the torso forward and backward to its maximum, an exercise regularly done at the barre, greatly increases flexibility of the back, making samba rolls easier.

This discipline is wonderful for creating core strength since you must hold your tummy in for the entire ballet class (usually 90 minutes) and for stretch, both of which are required for latin and standard ballroom. And having to do pirouettes on a high demi-pointe makes spins in latin child's play. In short, ballet is entirely complementary to ballroom.

It's not clear to me what your exact circumstance is. Are you "filling in" for teacher for a class of beginners? Are you working with more experienced dancers, trying to show them some ballet-type skills that would be useful in ballroom? What's your level of ballroom experience?

Since you talk about 3 workshops, I'm guessing you're dealing with beginners? Nobody else has answered your question from that perspective, so maybe I've just missed something, but just in case: no one else seems to have raised it, I'll mention the one (two?) thing(s) every ballroom dancer needs to know (but I don't think comes up in Ballet!): lead/follow and frame!

[This message was edited by Ralph on 07-02-01 at 11:42 AM.

[This message was edited by Ralph on 07-02-01 at 11:43 AM.]

Posture, balance, body carriage, motion,
posturing with balance, etc.

does anyone think this could help the hopeless spinner? the spin and turn lesson last month was great......... i'm practicing. is ballet a practical way to get help/

My "smirk" got deleted in that crotch joke.... Is this some kind of a joke??

I would'nt dismiss the "barre" exercises entirely. Those exercises build balance and muscle strength, which is what the ballroom dancer requires as well. It may be a little boring and hard work initially but when the ballroom dancers sees results on the floor. They will be more than happy to spend time there.

The modifications I would make to a barre routine are:
1.Amount of turnout of the feet.
2.Dancers should be allowed to wear their ballroom dance shoes.
3.Lines and shapes should be borrowed from ballroom.
4.Exercises that enable couples to work together (with a ballroom flavour).

Other useful techniques would be:
Spinning (all types include partnership spins)
Spotting while spinning.

I agree, standing at the barre can be boring, mainly if the barre-tender is busy elsewhere..

Thanks to everyone for your advice, even the joke was good. Keep the comments coming. ;-p

show them how to stand straight with a long back and how to relax the muscles of the back while stretching.
we do simple ballet routines before each training and its good.
ballet arm movement is different from latin arm movement (the source of latin arm movement is hip/upper body), also spins are done by a different way (done not so "classical style" as ballet).