How to get a ballet dancer's body? i'm 14 and need help?

Question

i've started ballet 2 months ago and i've seen many ballet videos and questions regarding this issue.

i understand that ballet dancers need slim and long limbs. and well, i have rather big thighs. and they look scary when i'm in leotards and tights. worst when i look in the mirror. i'm not sure whether it is fat or muscles but how can i smallen them without building muscles? do pilates help? did it help you?

and also arched feet. my teacher is very obsessed with that issue. my feet over pronates causing me to have flat feet. how can i increase my arch and make it higher? and also how can i make my toes and feet longer?

oh and yes i understand about exercises but i have health conditions so is their any lighter exercises?

well, what is required in a ballet dancer's body actually? can you list them? and is there a way to acieve more of a better ballet body?

Answer 1

first I have to say this to Melana I am 5ft 9 1/2in and 112 pounds not 120 and Pilate's will help and go vegetarian don't eat bad food don't drink soda only tea diet tea and just dance =^..^=

Answer 2

keep taking ballet class. take yoga and pilaties also. this will help build your muscles (trust me, you need muscles for ballet. the last thing you want to do is get rid of them) and help your focus and balance.  

as for your arch, go to discountdancesupply.com. they have arch enhancers and such there that really work!

Answer 3

the following aspects are what a perfect ballet dancer would have. but as all dancers know, there is no such thing as being born with this ideal body. some of it is genes, sometimes luck, and sometimes, you must change your body to achieve your goal. your comment on "making your thighs smaller with out building muscles" frightens me deeply! as a dancer you must have muscles! there is always that fear factor that you'll end up looking like an overly tanned and oiled body builder if you try to develope muscles but if you excersize the right way, you can build long and lean muscles that will help you to dance to your full potential. as for your thighs? it's fat. not muscle. if you've only started ballet 2 months ago then you most likely do not have "scary huge muscles." this is not to be mean, only me bing frank. thats what you want in ballet really. you need people to be frank with you and tell you the truth or there is no way that you will ever know what people truly see when they look at you; which is what ballet is centered on. it looks as if you have someone that is helping you out on that. your teacher. at first, it may seem like shes being to tough on you but in reality shes only trying to help. pilates is a wonderful way to get into shape for ballet! but its mostly for your core (your abs). feet with high arches are hereditary but if you work your feet well your point can improve. notice how i said "can improve" and not "will improve." you can work your feet all you want to but nothing is going to get better if you dont do it correctly. if you dont mind spending about 150 dollars you can purchase Pro Arch. its a device that you put your foot into to stretch out the foot muscles and strengthen your ankles which is also really great forr you arch. which brings me to your issue on pronation. this is a serious problem and must be fixed right away. when you pronate your ankles it means your not distributing your weight evenly around the foot. imagine drawing a triangle on the bottom of your foot connecting your heel, your pinky toe, and your big toe together. your wieght should be distributed evenly between these 3 areas. right now, the outside of your ankle (on your pinky toe side) is not strong enough to pull your weight over to that side of the foot. so you lean onto the inside of your ankle. most of the time, this is caused by forcing your turnout. this will eventually ruin your knees, create bunions, and wreak all sorts of havok onto you. if you're serious about dancing this needs to stop immediatly. it can ruin a dance career very quickly. to test to see if you're forcing your turnout try this: 1)stand in first position. if you plie to turn out and then straighten your knees, stop now. do not ever do it again. thats called wrenching your knees and its terrible for them. if you didnt plie to get to first, go onto step two. 2) while in first, plie. look at your knees to see if they go over your middle toe. they probably dont. if they do (be honest with yourself) then its just a problem of weak ankles. if they dont, try amore turned in position. when dancers start out at a late age they develope problems like these easier. you probably envision the perfect 180 degree turnout that you see in pictures but most of the time people arent born with that natural ability. remember: turnout comes form the hip. its a ball and socket joint. turnout does not come from the ankles, knees, or feet. thats just where it ends up. you CANNOT make your feet and toes grow! plus, it wouldnt help you at all in ballet. just drop that. moving on... you said that you have "health conditions." what kind of health conditions? it sounds like you're trying to find an easy way out of exercising. you can do ballet but you cant excersize? if this is really true, try doing theraband excersizes. they require minimal effort and help your ankles mostly. dancers usually need to have long legs, a slim figure, good turnout, high arches, strong muscles, long extremities(including the neck), and tough skin. dancing is a really tough career and to succeed you must work terribly hard. just keep at it and remember why you're putting yourself through it. because you love dancing. if you're dancing for another reason, stop now. try something easier. merde!

Answer 4

Continue your ballet lessons don't stop, you will notice when you have  years in ballet training.

Answer 5

There isn't a such thing as a "ballet body". I'm going to give you the best advice I have ever been givin. "Be comfortable in your skin". I don't have what people are calling a "ballet body" either. Don't worry about it. I took ballet when I was 2 1/2, then I quit, then I started again when I was 9 1/2. I'm going on my 3rd year of ballet in September, and I don't care. I'm the biggest, tallest girl there is in my ballet class. So don't sweat it. Just be comfortable. And if you want, ask your ballet instructor if you can wear a dance skirt or some shorts to class. Good luck sweetie! :D

Answer 6

I've been doing ballet for 19 years, and I know exactly what you're talking about. I don't think it's as big a deal as you think. There are many women who do ballet who aren't 5'9'' and 120 pounds. I don't think there is much you can do about your feet. They may change a little after years of ballet, but they won't change much. As for your thighs, there really isn't much to worry about. I'm also a runner and I played soccer until I was out of college. My legs were and still are rather big. It's nothing to be ashamed of. If you're worried about chubby thighs, squats and lunges are your thing, but they will build muscle. If you want, you can try pilates, but I really think it's a waste. Just be comfortable, and know that every woman is built differently. Your body is no less than some other girl in your ballet class. Just be happy with what you've got :)

As for achieving a "ballet body" you will see some changes over time. They won't be big changes, but they will definitely happen.