Time for our next question. This time, we would love to hear you opinion on the barre practice – how important is it? A preparation for any movement, or remains of an old system?
Join in the discussion in the comment fields below, and check in when we post our answers as usual on our respectable sites.
Thanks to everyone for your support!
Check Out our Answers:
Catherine’s answer is posted here.
Henrik wrote a post on Barre-practice in his Tools of the trade-column on Tights and Tiaras earlier. His further answer will be posted in the comments-section.
David’s Answer: coming soon!
Cait from The Dance Buzz answered this question on her blog–check it out!
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
For me, barre is the beginning of a day. “No morning without a barre” has become a slogan in my life, whether I like it or not. The barre is the basic training for any dancer, the place where you take all the pieces of muscle that is your body, and put it all together, to prepare yourself for what’s coming. I have written a post on Barre practice on Tights and Tiaras earlier as well.
But then, we are all different! What do you think, how important is barre practice? Post your answer here on the comments!
Catherine mentions a “zen-state of mind” when doing barre in her answer. I kind of think it is rather hard work, sometimes, even fighting with myself, far from a relaxing state of mind. The Zen comes later
ta-ta
H
Not to get too deep here but my answer is based on one of my personal philosophical beliefs… true freedom is born of deep discipline. It’s only from years of continued study, untold hours of scales & drills, that I can pick up my violin & play my own interpretation of Bach or Barber. Since I only have a few years of dance experience, I don’t have any expectation of being able to exercise that same kind of freedom of expression in dance, it’s just still out of my range. So with regard to barre, to me, barre work is like scales & drills, it’s the place where the necessary skills for freedom of expression are built. I am fortunate that because I have a great appreciation for discipline, I have a great love for things that are practiced in great discipline. As much as I love the artistry of classical ballet, it was the precision and focus of the art that really drove me to want to learn it for myself. As much as I enjoy center work, especially when I get to work on pointe, I can literally spend hours at the barre. I find the pursuit of perfection that takes place at the barre addicting!
~Lorry
Lorry, this answer should get premiered! I don’t want to ad anything here! Great answer!! Totally agree!!!
Lorry–I am also a fan of this answer! How very true!
if you are a ballet dancer barre work is extremely important. i’ve seen teachers give a center barre (warm up exercises in the center without the barre) but i do not agree with it. sure you can get warm with out the barre but you cannot get properly placed. working at the barre enables you to learn how to use the correct smaller muscles without falling over
warming up in the center your larger muscles (quads especially) will automatically take over therefore teaching you to grip and work with brute strength rather than delicate placement. ballet is so very fine-tuned you must use the barre to learn to work correctly. while of course ballet requires strength and stamina, having proper alignment and placement makes everything possible 
unlike lorry i have no wish to spend hours at the barre however! i like and appreciate barre but am always glad when it’s over and we can get on to the the fun stuff!
I know the feeling, I am not an hour-barre-fantatic myself either. You are very right about the muscle-work, and not doing barre makes you not only more “tightened” and unflexible, it makes your thighs grow, which is not necessarily a good thing, especially not for female dancers…
Thank you for contributing, as always
I don’t think I agree with the center barre either really. Perhaps as a “special challenge”, but not really as regular fare…
I love both the barre and the center! It’s so interesting to see how everyone is different!
As a complete beginner, I’ve got to say that in my first two lessons Barre practice has been invaluable. I feel like I learn the most from these exercises, compared with the centre where I seem to spend a lot of the time confused! I also feel working at the Barre makes me concentrate more on the technique of the movement, whereas the centre makes me concentrate more on the musicality of the movement. Just thought I’d share my absolute beginners view!
David–complete beginners have just as valuable an input as anyone else around here! Thanks for sharing your view!
A beginners view can often be the clearest one, as he has no bad habits and perceptions from before
Thanks for sharing!
Loved this question since I get it from my students all the time! Posted my response here: http://tiny.cc/ala5y
Thanks for answering this Cait! I loved your response to the question…well said!
oh my goodness! barre is beyond important, it essential! (in ballet, of course) i look at the barre as the warmup and theory of class. I spend time there studying the steps, making them clear, feeling them in my body so when i get to center, i can translate my theory into practice and actually perform in real time what i’ve done at the barre. sort of like a test – the barre is the study guide and center, petit allegro, and grand are all the exams i’ve been preparing for!
For me, barre is super important. I’m just a recerational dancer, so I usually rush to my studio following a long and busy day. Arriving, changing, entering the studio – all done in a rush. But then placing the hand on the barre, smiling to my fellow dancers, the first seconds of music, the first plié – welcome home. Barre is for me the time where I can calm down from my hectic schedule, and fully concentrate on something else, albeit difficult. Of course it is also the time where everything needs to be done with utter care, as ballet is all about a perfection that can hardly be achived (if at all), and it’s exhausting. But it’s also a beautiful routine that helps me to “calm down” and relax, while at the same time working as hard as I can. The barre itself gives me the stability to concentrate upon myself, my movements and body.
Plus it’s a welcome feature that helps me feel at home everywhere – I’ve danced in various parts of this world so far (recreational, of course), and I can say that the barre in my US studio made me feel at home, just like the barre in my home studio does. It’s a bit of a virtual home away from home, a home found in movements and, well, a long piece of wood.
Thank you, Fayet, for sharing your experience! I recognize the feeling of being “home” at the bar a lot – as a dancer, I perform in different stages and theaters around the world. This can be both tiring and confusing, but when I grab the bar to start a class, I always know where I am, and I’m familiar with the routine. This can be calming if you are “homeless” somewhere!
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