Ballet Barre Pilates - Body Sculpting, Grace & Balance
What you'll learn
- Spine health, learning postural habits that create a lean dancers look.
- All levels Ballet Barre, low-impact strength for entire body.
- Pilates mat work, becoming centered, balanced and grounded.
- Rhythmic movement that creates grace, joy and a feel-good sensation.
- Releasing stress and tensions, freeing the shoulders, neck and upper torso.
- Effective work-out for the entire body; back, arms, legs, core, ankles and feet.
Requirements
- Beginner friendly. It is possible for all levels and ages to take this course.
- You will need a chair to use as a Ballet Barre.
Description
Welcome! I am Niamh Condron, your instructor today, and I'm going to tell you about your new course!
Here you have five classes of Ballet Barre Pilates, a unique fusion that will work out your body in ways that few other exercise classes can. Each class is one hour long, combing Pilates, Ballet Barre and a little cardio, to make up a well rounded, body sculpting, fitness course. The classes will lift your energy levels and increase your range of motion while giving you a beautiful posture. These 5 lessons are low-impact exercise classes, meaning they are easy to follow and suitable for all levels and ages.
To start, you will need a chair in the place of a Ballet Barre, and a Pilates or Yoga mat to sit and lie on. Don't worry if you have never done Ballet before in your life! We are working out using manageable, yet highly effective, ballet exercises that you can follow and benefit from. Wear comfortable clothes and make sure you have enough space to stretch out. You are going to feel lean, long and strong!
We begin each class warming up the entire body and loosening away any tensions. Using the back of the chair as a Ballet barre, we learn Ballet technique sequences that engage your core, legs, back and arms. These sequences are low-impact strengthening exercises that lead you to becoming centered, balanced and agile.
A variety of the Ballet sequences we are learning are rhythmical and musical, and always clearly developed. This rhythmical repetition of movement helps with weight loss and also results in a calming of the mind and an increased body-breath awareness. This also feels quite like fun and raises your vibration!
Opening the shoulders and correcting postural habits is a priority in this course, especially considering that we are all spending way too much time on our phones these days! I'll be teaching you how to relax and let go of any stress that may be lingering anywhere around the face or upper body. When you learn to let go of unnecessary tensions, you will feel lighter and your movements will become more and more graceful. Just like a dancer!
The incorporated Pilates work builds your abdominals and creates a healthy spine and neck. We are learning how to tone the upper arms, wrists, and upper back. We are stretching out the lower back area and sides while creating strength around the waist. With this development of strength you will be finding more possibility in your body to access a fuller range of mobility that will assist your Ballet work. Plus, you will feel freer in your daily activities as you go about the rest of your day, and week.
By training in Pilates, we tone the essential body areas needed to be able to free and lift the chest area, and relax the neck and shoulders. Your energy will rise and your unique essence will start to shine through your skin.
When we think of Ballet, we think of the hips! Yes, there are plenty of deep squats and inner leg stretches! We are opening the hips and loosening the top of the legs in an effort to move towards increased flexibility. Also building strength in the inner thighs, calves and ankles to prepare for a little jumping. Warning! There is a little cardio and endurance work in each class! Just a little and it's totally manageable. Hooray!
During your Ballet Barre Pilates course, you will work out your feet, discover the possible range of movement they have and you will learn how to stretch your toes. We are creating stability from the ground up. Happy feet! You will feel taller by the end of the course, strong and lengthened, with your feet standing firmly on the ground!
Enjoy and have fun while learning!
See you there,
- Niamh
Who this course is for:
- Any interest in feeling healthy and vibrant, becoming strong and toned, and increasing flexibility.
Instructor
Great to meet you. I am Certified with YogaWorks, Los Angeles, California, since 2010. I hold a BA and an MA in Dance (1999/2018) and have worked in the movement, and health and fitness sectors, for all my professional life. I've been teaching Yoga, Pilates, Barre and Body Conditioning for over 20 years and it's been a completely, wonderful journey so far.
I'm from Ireland. Dublin is my first home. My name is Niamh, which is an Irish name. It's actually pronounced Neeve, because in the Irish language the last 'mh' is pronounced like a 'v'.
Throughout my career, I have travelled with my teaching work; all over Europe, and to the USA. It's been an incredible experience up till now, very awakening. I have been invited to be a teacher at various festivals and events, as well as coaching Yoga to the Irish Rubgy team, back home in Dublin.
I am currently a lecturer at the IAB Performing Arts Institute, in Barcelona, Spain. I teach on the BA course there; Body Conditioning, Yoga and Pilates. The facilities are gorgeous and it's a total joy to teach the actors and dancers studying there.
I've been teaching Vinyasa Flow Yoga for 11 years. I've taught in many Yoga Studios; in Ireland, Spain and California, as well as in my own settings. I've been a teacher of Body Work and movement in a number of Dance Centres, and, I've worked as a trainer for Professional Dance Companies. Pilates, Barre and Body Conditioning are an important part of my work and I often combine these practices to create interesting and upbeat classes. Designing classes and sequences is super exciting to me, my dance background always lends a hand in that.
I am now based in Sitges, Spain, where I live with my 8 year old daughter. She is stunning, smart and takes after her mother! She dances in my Creative Dance class that I run for kids and she often comes to help me with my personal Yoga and Pilates practices by massaging my feet, or, better still; lying on top of me!
All my life's experiences of anatomy, human movement and body work merge to create your Vinyasa Flow Yoga, and, Ballet Barre Pilates classes here at Udemy. I wholeheartedly look forward to working with you and sharing the transformative moving-practices energy with you.
Teaching is my passion. Teaching is my joy. My gift to you is this. I hope to share this passion and joy with you, here at Udemy.
See you on the mat real soon,
- Niamh