I’m
a dancer with English National Ballet (London) about to enter my 8th season
with the company. My daily routine starts at 10:15am. We begin every day
with a Ballet class, warming up at the ‘Barre’ for around 45 minutes.
It's designed to slowly get the body going by warming up the
muscles and gaining flexibility. Throughout the ‘barre’, the exercises
become increasingly harder and more challenging. Then we start to train in the
centre for balance, coordination and orientation. This consists of pirouettes
and finishing the class with Grand Allegro (big jumps).
We
then have rehearsals throughout the day for the upcoming
production. On rehearsal days we finish the day at 6:30pm,
however show days can be
very difficult and long. We often finish at 10:30pm for weeks, if not
months at a time during production time.
I am
massively passionate about the ‘behind-the-scenes’ and the social media side of
ballet. I have a great pride in connecting with people and showing everyone the
reality/hard work it takes to be a professional ballet dancer.
I
created BalletFriends.co.uk as
a platform for dancers to showcase their own view on ballet. I release
monthly interviews with dancers from all around the world. I also created a
space for bloggers to increase and further their audience with topics all
related to ballet. I have an instant access to 25K+ followers across my
@BalletFriends social platforms. I get a real kick from knowing that I started
with (0) and now I have built an audience that are loyal and passionate.
I’m
also very enthusiastic about travelling the world and seeing different
cultures and cities. I consider myself very lucky to have seen many parts
of the world on tour with English National Ballet.
The
past two years have been amazing! I’ve been to China, Singapore, Colombia,
Oman, Paris, Spain, and some fantastic cities throughout the UK.
What
type of supplementary training do you do? What benefits have you seen from this
training?
I do
a lot of body weight ratio training in the gym at work, 3-4 times a week. I
work a lot with a square standing frame where I can do pull-ups and bench press
for chest and torso strength. We have a personal trainer at English National
Ballet who keeps an eye on us all the time. Many of us have tailored
and specific programs made for us.
I
feel great benefits from building strength in the gym. It really helps
with partnering, especially roles which require having to lift a lady
above your head with locked out arms. Many roles require having to
hold partners for many minutes at a time while supporting their whole body
weight. I do a lot of neck strengthening and rotation cuff
strengthening. It's common for male dancers to get injured from
partnering. The durability and endurance during a Pas de deux ‘partnering’
can be extremely difficult at times. I have also danced roles which
have required me to lift other men. Using the gym in a controlled manor and
with perfect form can have huge benefits on a classical ballet body.
At
what age or stage in your dance career did you realise supplementary training
was necessary?
My
initial realisation of how supplementary training is completely necessary to a
ballet dancer was about three years ago. As a dancer with English National
Ballet we perform at the Royal Albert Hall. It is a vast venue in comparison to
many other theatres. Everything is twice as hard for stamina because it is such
a big space.
I
have recently introduced HIIT training ‘high intensity interval training’ to my
routine. I feel this has really improved my durability and endurance for high
impact ballet, especially for shows.
What is the support system
like at the English National Ballet for dancer’s health?
The
sports science team at English National Ballet is excellent! English National
Ballet and GJUUM LTD work very closely and seamlessly to support the dancers
with sports science. We have constant measurement of our fitness
throughout our season. We also have annual tests, so we can compare results
from different years to see how we have progressed in certain areas.
Do
you feel there is a different attitude towards supplementary training between
male and female ballet dancers?
There
are definitely differences between the male and female training programs. For
example, the men will do a lot of weight training to gain maximum strength for
partnering and leg training for stabilisation in landing jumps. The ladies
often stick to core stability exercises and body weight ratio exercises to
keep/gain strength without bulking. Even though our exercises may be different
in certain ways the structure for all employees are the same.
How
do you juggle all you do and make time for supplementary training?
Sometimes
it can be difficult to train as our timetable can be extremely busy and heavy
on the body. I often make a great effort to train in the morning before work
starts or at the end of the day if I still have the energy.
What
supplementary training do you do on tour?
A
member of the GJUUM LTD sports science team is always with us on tour,
whether it's national or international touring.
What
is your favourite strength or aerobic exercise to perform?
I
really enjoy doing pull-ups as I feel it really helps me with my back, arm and
grip strength. I also enjoy doing HIIT cardio on the rowing machine.
What
is your least favourite strength or aerobic exercise to perform?
I
have to say I don't enjoy exercises which involve my lower back. I've had some
back injuries and spasms in the past. I now take extra care and I'm very
cautious about my form when I strengthen my back with exercises. This used to
be a challenge for me however I now feel like my patience has paid off
and I have overcome my phobia.
How
can we find you on social media?
I’m
very active on my social media accounts.
Here you can follow my life and daily
routine as a professional ballet dancer -
