Hate lifting weights? Give ballet a try

Dubai Did you know that doing ballet for half an hour would burn as many calories as vigorously lifting weights or wrestling for 30 minutes?

In a Harvard Heart Letter detailing the calories burned by people across three different weight categories, all three activities burned 180 calories for a person who weighs 57kg, and more as the person's weight increased.

Ballet uses almost every part of your body as much as any type of exercise — only it is done gracefully.

"Every single part of the body [is used in ballet], probably even the hair, face, you have to keep your neck straight, your jaw, and everything goes," Reiko M-Cheong, directrice of the Dubai Dance Academy, told Gulf News.

Yet however difficult the steps may be, you will never a ballerina lose her grace or composure.

Beauty of ballet

"Ballet is a fine art. But physically, it's really using the body fully like a sport," said Reiko, a former prima ballerina who trained in various centres of excellence including the Opera National de Paris Ballet.

"So, the difference is we have to be with music and we have to be graceful — beauty and physical elements together. That's the beauty of ballet."

The splits, jumps and pirouettes improve one's balance, flexibility and coordination.

"Ballet has everything — we go forward, you can flex your body. And then we have nice beautiful turns, we need more control," Reiko said.

"You have to have such concentration, such control. Then we always finish with jumps, jumping in the air — 16 to 30 jumps.

"Concentration gives you such a huge balance and coordination. That's why ballet is really a sport."

But ballet doesn't only work the muscles of the body but also exercises the mind.

Keeping up with the steps is a challenge many ballerinas face, including 18-year-old Razan Al Khamis, a student at the American University of Sharjah.

"Memorising the steps, that's what's difficult for me because when you see her [Reiko] doing it, it looks easy," Razan said.

"The actual counts and steps and going with the music are a bit difficult since the music is very low and there are no beats at all for you to follow and catch."

Strength

Having done ballet for seven years, Razan said it has made her stronger.

"It gives grace to you, that's one thing. Another thing is that it gives you strength in every single muscle you have in your body, that's for sure," Razan said.

For Ludivine Piffavit, 33, who started ballet as an eight-year-old, it is an addiction. "It's like I couldn't stop and it's something I really really need," the French mum said.

"I don't know why but I just need to have few ballet lessons during the week because otherwise I don't feel good.

"I think that's part of the challenge to do something difficult with your body but at the same time to make it very graceful."

Something for myself

But beyond getting fit, ballet allows Ludivine to do something for herself.

"For me, it's something I do for myself so that's nice. It's like my universe without my children and my husband. So it's nice to do something just for me," Ludivine said.

Dorothee Khan, 37, also a mother, shared Ludivine's sentiment.

"It gives you a break off your mother time and your work time. So, it's a good break because you push yourself to do the best and it's not just to do exercise," Dorothee said.

"For a mother, it gives you grace, it gives you good muscles, balance and good energy."

And the best thing about ballet is that anyone can do it at any age. "Any new dancer can come in to start to get flexibility. They can start at any age, it is never too late. Please don't think you have to be four, five years old to start ballet. Anytime, you can join," Reiko said.