Ballet Class Etiquette THAT NO ONE TELLS YOU🌹

ladies and gentlemen this is ballet rain so perhaps you are a new ballet student looking to step foot into one of your very first ballet classes or you are a seasoned ballet student looking to up your professionalism by a couple notches or you're just a happy little ballet nerd looking to learn more about ballet culture if you check any of these three boxes in any degree then this video is for you today we're going to be giving you huge ballet etiquette tips to boost your confidence in the classroom and to make you shine and stand out in a quiet elegant sort of way this is actually kind of funny we're heading back to our roots with this video because one of our very first videos ever was a ballet class etiquette video it was a really really old video and we went through some of the five basic points of ballet etiquette today we're kind of expounding on that and we're going to share with you not the basics anymore these are some pretty obscure high level etiquette so make sure to watch this video all the way through to see what they are and to see where you are in your ballet etiquette levels if you're ready for the video then tap the like button and let's go every single culture has its own set of etiquette rules and ballet which does have its own culture and it's kind of its own little ecosystem is of course no exception so we like to think of ballet etiquette less of just like oh manners and more of the actual rules of the road kind of thing they're very crucial they really help the class run smoothly keeps everyone in order and with and lets the class run with as few disturbances as possible unfortunately a lot of time not just in valet but in general etiquette can become perceived as Obsolete and kind of oldfashioned and irrelevant but we really think that etiquette is a a key component to having the classes run smoothly and it's also just a really great way to honor the classical arts and the people you're enjoying it with so in our first etiquette video we stressed a very important etiquette tip and that is to never ever be late always be on time even early if you can for valet classes rehearsals etc etc etc however while we 100% stand by that and that is true and that timeliness is King when it comes to ballet etiquette we of course have to acknowledge that sometimes life just happens in reality it is impossible for any one person to be early 100% of the time right maybe you missed your alarm maybe the traffic on the 121 was really really really bad or maybe you got stuck talking to your chains on neighbor over the hedges and now you're late to class it happens that is a very real scenario that can definitely happen to anybody so I think part of etiquette is like obviously doing everything in your power to avoid the situations of possibly being late but true etiquette goes beyond just the prevention of the mishap and goes into how to gracefully recover when those mishaps inevitably do happen so in the instance that you are a little bit late and you arrive to at the studio studio and class has already started the appropriate thing to do would be to enter the classroom but don't just walk in stand at the bar and catch on with everybody else you would wait by the door like just inside the door until whatever combination they're doing finishes yeah music's done yeah once the Music Stops then is is customary that you would go up to the teacher and you would say I'm sorry I'm late can I please join class and the reason why you would ask that is because sometimes if you're too too late you actually can't join the class and so basically you're saying you know I know late is it too late for me to join and generally if you're 5 10 maybe even 15 minutes late the teacher will say yes you can join class if your teacher does give you permission to join the class the most polite thing to do assuming they didn't give you a specific bar spot to stand at sometimes they will tell you yes you may join class please stand behind so and so yeah sometimes they'll do that if they don't do that take a quick glance around the room and select a bar spot that is very respectful probably not in the front of the class but take a good suitable humble and respectful bar spot that is not like interfering with the danc who have been there earlier than you once you selected your respectful bar spot it is probably a good idea to start warming up like as fast as humanly possible do some paa do some tandu some light stretching you know things like that be watching the teacher and picking up on the next combination while doing it so you'll be able to you know catch up and rejoin the class at its current standing now if you happen to be 30 or more minutes late to class it is unfortunately I mean depending on your level of course if you're in the younger like primary levels it probably doesn't matter that much but in the upper level is most definitely too late to join the class in this case you have two options to go from here you could a just call into the front desk let them know which class you're supposed to be attending and just let them know you're not going to be able to make it please excuse me or option two you could still go into the studio and ask to observe class and at that point you could probably just say hey it's probably too late for me to join but can I watch and most teachers will say of course because observing class is actually very very beneficial even if you can't actually attend if it's too late for you to catch up you can still learn a lot from watching the teachers will most likely very much appreciate that and it's also beneficial for you they always tell you watch and learn it is definitely a valid learning method that's also the same thing for like if you have an injury or like something like that I mean don't go in if you have the flu if you're not contagious you're still able to go in and watch class and you'll still learn something it'll be beneficial to you of course the teacher would be very much Happy it shows that you're still engaging and it shows that you're still improving your mental game when it comes to your ballet technique if not the physical anyway that was how to gracefully accept being late gracefully recover and still get benefits from whatever tragic Twisted Fate life may hand your way [Music] the next etiquette tips are regarding the bar and these are the on that are really really going to make or break your bar experience for you and your fellow classmates I feel like some of it is just like not really talked about yeah or explain in a verbal way it's just like you somehow just learn it but it's also very confusing if you don't really know what the rules are so anyway we're going to talk about those we're going to break it down for you yeah we're going to break them down for you and make it hopefully a little bit more digestible so so when we start first combination of the day and we're having one hand on the bar the general rule goes that you always put the left hand on the bar first yeah so that you're working your right side so yeah the general rule of thumb if the teacher does not specify which hand is on the bar left hand on the bar the next one is kind of like an oldfashioned thing I feel like I don't know if many people do it anymore but it is still a valid etiquette practice and this etiquette rule is when you're going to assume you're a position to prepare for the exercise at the bar is you'll never turn away from the bar to put your hand on the bar you'll always turn towards the bar as if you're doing a suit new to change sides you know I think it's so that everybody kind of turned around the same direction and it looks very uniform and very beautiful I think when you see all the people just turn the same direction rather than it just being kind of halfhazard like anyone turns whichever way they want that's the only reason I can think why yeah it's one of those weird ballet culture things that somehow nobody talks about yeah yeah to be honest no one will take offense if you turn the wrong way I don't think they would anyways but in general turning towards the bar tiny tiny Nuance but it shows that you're polished yeah you know not that you're not if you don't do this but it's just that little extra thing on top that just sets you apart a little bit yeah exactly so when it comes to actually standing at a bar assuming you are using those like portable bars that are in the center of the floor if you're on the wall bars it's very simple you exactly you just space yourself nicely the bar give space to your front and back it's very simple but on the portable bars it might be a little bit different depending on the size of your class you may have two three or even four people on each portable bar yeah and so because there's so many hands on the bar right you want to make sure that you're not you know doing all of this we're going to take this through from two to three to four people cuz obviously if you're single person on the bar you're not going to have anybody to worry about exactly so if you have two people on the bar it is proper for you both to stand on either sides of the bar so one on one side one on the other side and standing shoulder Tosh shoulder more or less with your backs together so you're facing the opposite direction obviously with both the left hand on the bar and the left hand on the bar you will be facing the opposite direction and that's because when you take the bar your hand is naturally going to be more in front of you and if that person is facing you if you start traveling you could definitely have some interference going on so if you're standing closer shoulder to shoulder then you won't have that issue you'll be able to still move forward and come back to your original position without messing with anybody's hands now in terms of going three people on the bar this one again is fairly simple you just add an extra person you would have two people on one side and then one person on the opposite side and that one person has to be in the middle between the other two the two that are facing each other will definitely have to do some jump situation with their hands as they move forward along the bar and it is respectful to be the one to lift your hand off it's also a good test to make sure you're not relying on the bar too much you should be able to you should be able to easily gracefully transfer along the bar and not be like shuffling and sliding and stuff like that and the same thing goes if you have four people in the bar you'll have two and two on either side yeah back to back yeah back to back after this it becomes kind of self-explanatory the same rules apply even if you had four five 6 seven eight however many people on the bar that you could possibly fit additional rules might apply like if you're doing something big like grut M for instance it is courteous to turn slightly towards the bar to avoid kicking the person in front or behind you just being Mindful and being respectful of the other people that you share the bar with it is definitely a bit of an art being intuitive so when you cross over cast each other's hand you got to kind of like watch and just like be aware of people which I mean ballet is a corporate art form so you know it's good training at the bar it sounds really complicated but we try to explain it but once you've kind of taken enough classes and you've danced with enough people is kind of like the same as like dealing with intersections on the road you let this person go and then you let this person go and then the Turning Lanes you know like it all has order and for most people if you've been driving for a long time it feels like second nature like you don't even have to think and it's the same thing for when you're working at the bar you know exactly how to stand where to put your hands Etc so yeah that's kind of like basic hand placement at the bar and it just really helps everyone be able to cooperate and function properly and be able to still focus on their technique without being hindered by somebody else or being hindered by somebody else final point for bar etiquette is regarding when the teacher is demonstrating often times the teacher will take a bar spot amongst the students in a place where most of the students can see them for ultimate visibility at this point if you are standing at that particular bar it would be courteous for you to step back and give the teacher their space so that a the teacher can has the space to demonstrate what they need to demonstrate and B so that you're not obscuring the view of the other students this also goes for any other time that someone else is demonstrating yeah if like the teacher has some other student demonstrate is courteous to you know hop off the bar for a little bit and just give that student some room to properly demonstrate that is the end of this segment regarding bar etiquette for our new ballet dancers out there that are just stepping foot in the studio hopefully this makes it a little more accessible and you feel like okay so I now I get it yeah that is it for all the bar tips I know it was a lot hopefully they helped and now we're going to move on to C [Music] this next portion of the video is specifically male dancer etiquette and yes you guys are so so special you have your own very specific set of additional etiquette rules the first male danur etiquette rule is that you should always participate in moving the bars so if you're going to be using portable bars for bar work it would be lovely if you helped move them onto the floor if that means getting into the studio a little bit early to help move them then do it and especially after the bar work is over and you're transitioning to Center you would help move the bars out of the way for Center girls that does not mean that once bar is over you canack kick back and get a snack the general rule is if you worked at a bar you will assist moving that bar with that being said if you are a mail dancer and you have already carried the bar with or without assistance if you got it let no I got it just carry it off and then after you've carried your own bar out of the way it is curious to take a glance around the room and see if there are any other bars that have not been carried away yet maybe they're the girl who is on the bar all by herself and has no one to help her carry it off you can offer to assist carrying that bar off as well in addition to your own girls make sure you let him do his duties let him help you if he insist that he's got it he's got it step back let him take it they're going to be lifting y'all in a sec anyway so like let them warm up let them have their warm up let them practice on the bars first I feel like this one is one of the more General and more like widely known edut rules for the men I feel like most of the time they are encouraged very much to carry the bars off or at least help carry the bars off yeah the second etiquette tip for the danor pertains to going across the floor during your Center work so ordinarily as a male dancer you would allow the ladies to go first as the traditional rule says ladies first so you allow them to go first and the men would will kind of wait till last and they'll all split themselves into groups and then go at the end unless otherwise specified yes if you have a live pianist then this concept is not actually just manners and courtesy it actually has a practical purpose because often times once the ladies groups are done going across the floor The Pianist will actually slow down to allow more time for your angelic B even if you're doing pure what sometimes they'll slow down corner and Corner Up and Up Up Up and [Music] one get time to turn and up and and and up and but yes The Pianist will slow down a little bit to make some extra time for the D that being said there are exercises that don't require the men and the women to be split if you are in a group going across the floor with girls it is polite to let her have the downstage side of you like if you're going in groups of three for instance and you're the one boy amongst two girls you would let them kind of go closer to the front or downstage of you and you take the upstage position again courtesy ladies first this one's more of a man thing but it is also kind of practical for the teacher sake cuz they'll be able to see everyone a little bit better men generally being maybe a little taller maybe jumping a little higher um and all of that if you take the upstage position no matter how high you jump you'll be up here will still be able to see you and her cuz she won't jump as high naturally unless she's Natalia OVA if she's Natalia alova then then you just got to jump higher sorry so that's a kind of a small one again I don't think this one is really talked about or mentioned hardly at all unless you have like a very oldfashioned teacher of course if you're an audition and you have numbers and you have to stand in a specific number order that's not it's irrelevant that's irrelevant but in general classwork this is a good rule of them I'm sure many have had the privilege of being taught these etiquette rules but if you weren't here you go here you go the next etiquette tips are going to be kind of under this umbrella term of General ballet etiquette tips and we're going to Rapid Fire through these real quick get your pen and paper out the first one obviously and I think we said this informally in another video but girls if you're wearing point shoes do not let the ribbon stick out these are considered a cardinal offense a felony if you will a felony so avoid those at all costs tuck them in if your neighbor's ribbons are sticking out ribbons this also goes for like the end the tips of your point shoes you know when the satin starts to get worn and it starts to fray keep those trimmed like clean and trimmed because when it's kind of just all frayed and just hang in there it gives a very like it's and unkempt sort of look exactly so you want to keep it neat also when it's long it can kind of come loose and just leave little bits of sh set shreds all over the floor that's true we want to avoid that that's not Cur in general just be neat you know like keep your hair out of your face make sure your tights are not ripped no big huge jewelry watches earrings Etc just like keeping a nice tidy appearance exactly the second one to the big one this one obviously will apply to some and not to others but if there is a piano in the studio especially when there's a Pianist playing never ever ever ever ever lean on the piano like you know do one of those or don't don't hands off the piano this one's definitely for manners but also just the fact that Pian are very delicate instruments and yes putting a couple of fingers may not do a whole lot but it's like out of respect for the instrument and more so for The Pianist of course and also don't put things on the piano that's a big one as well kind of like a Sacred Space you know it's like you you you must you must rev the piano you know musicians you you treasure the instrument and because it's some of their art form that's coming into our art form we got to respect them you have to respect it one more note regarding the piano is please never block the pianist's view of everybody else in the room The Pianist is contrary to popular belief is not just looking at her sheet music and just kind of like playing by herself the pianis is all always looking around the room trying to gauge where we are in the combination and trying to see whether his or her Tempo is suitable for the dancer and also trying to make eye contact with the teacher to see should we be wrapping up the song now or should we repeat it a couple more times or do you need me to go slower for the men now and he or she will be always watching the room and if you start standing right in front of her it's going to really hinder the pianist's ability to do that The Pianist probably out of respect won't tell tell you where to stand or where not to stand but out of courtesy and respect it is a best practice to never block The Pianist view this one's kind of an obvious one as well no food in the studio I mean this still kind of vary depending on your Studio's policies but in general it is a best practice not to bring any food into the studio out of respect for the space and for the other dancers and your teacher obviously that being said if you have like something like diabetes and you need to carry stuff with you at all times then of course discuss with your teacher let them know the situation and of course they'll make accommodations it's not that big of a deal clearly communicating your needs is honestly the most polite most courteous thing it makes sets everybody at ease and also helps better understanding between the whole class but if you have no excuses don't bring any snacks to class especially don't eat in class the next one is very much related to you know the rules of the road in ballet class there are various types of traffic flow depending on which segment of class you're in whether you're at bar Center partnering going across the floor going in groups coming forward there are lots of different traffic rules so if you're going across the floor diagonally corner to corner the traffic is going in a straight line so once you're done do not stop in the corner you must walk Round the back keep that traffic flowing forward and then back and then line up for the other corner cuz usually we go across the other way and even though traffic is kind of going in one strip this back corner here is not really free game to just stand usually you want to stay to the side give the dancers the full space in the full room just out of courtesy and also safety now if we're going in groups from the back moving forward usually there'll be groups of like six or eight yes going forward once you have reached the mirror please do not MOS on back through the dancers don't do that that is asking for a collision and it's very unsafe instead you're going to pull a Moses part the Red Sea go forward out and then back and then back again I feel like all this feels much more self-explanatory when you're in class and you're kind of gauging the direction where people are moving and things like that but if it is your very first class we understand it's very overwhelming you don't know where people are coming from and where you need to go where you need to be so hopefully these are going to be good guidelines to help you flow with the direction of traffic rule of thumb is keep things moving you know exactly just keep things moving [Music] so perhaps during class there is a low level emergency you maybe you have asthma and you need to get your inhaler or you saw your chains on neighbor trimming the hedges outside of the studio and clearly he needs a little bit of help what would you do in this scenario so if you need to temporarily excuse yourself Midway through the class um the most polite thing to do is to wait until the music ends of course if it's an emergency emergency and like you need to get out of the studio like right now then you can skip the step but in most cases wait till the music ends and then you can raise your hand or go up to the teacher and let them know that you need to leave give them the reason why in the most brief concise explanation and then once they get you permission you can leave the studio and then return when you're ready most teachers are pretty understanding if like you know you're saying hey I'm not feeling well can I get some water yeah or even if you just need to use the bathroom exactly most teachers are not going to be like no it's more just letting them know that you're going to be out for a second and then you'll be back a lot of teachers will also ask you the question can you wait one more exercise or can you wait a couple more minutes and it's perfectly okay to say no if it's a no of course if you can then it's up to you but if the answer is no just politely say no and of course they'll excuse you however if you know you're going to need to leave Midway through class for whatever reason maybe you have a very important phone call that you're expecting or maybe you have a specific time you need to take a specific medication and you need to step out to do that it would be most polite to let the teacher know ahead of time before the class even begins that is again communication is the key to all aspects of etiquette and it takes so little effort just to be like hey so at 8:00 I need to go take this medication so I may step out of class or hey I'm expecting a really important phone call at 3:00 so around Center I'm probably going to have to step out but I'll be back and then the teacher will at least know what to expect then at that point during the class when it gets to 3:00 and you know you have your phone call you can just go up to the teacher and raise your hand they'll just be like go ahead yeah exactly it's like yeah go ahe go ahead go ahead go ahead so that way during the class it's less obstructive because you got the talking out of the way beforehand so it just helps everybody to have a much better experience same goes for if you have to actually leave the class early maybe you have to leave early for a dentist appointment maybe you have to leave early because you have to drive your chainsaw neighbor to his dentist appointment in this case the same rules apply tell your teacher beforehand and when it comes to the time for you to actually leave class it is polite to go up to the teacher give them a curtsy or a bow as is suitable for you thank them for the class you can maybe even wave your classmates on the way out and then you're free to go on your way these etiquette rules regarding you know leaving the studio the most important Paramount thing is communication it's nice to let the teacher know that firstly everything's okay I just need to step out for a second and it's also nice to communicate your reasons so they don't just think you're walking out on the class for no reason or worse yet something catastrophic has happened and like there's a real legit emergency that they should be concerned about right and so it gives people in mind to the teacher and it's also helpful for your relationship with your teacher to be able to be on those terms where you can openly communicate letting each other know what's happening and kind of balance those expectations you have for one anothers a little bit of a tangent I can hear you guys now oh my God I love you guys' hoodies oh my God your hoodies are so cute if you want to know where we got them I mean it's kind of obvious because it literally has our Swan on it but these are ble rain merch hoodies yeah the shop is linked above below very conveniently you can't possibly miss it they're fleece line on the inside they're super soft and stretchy and comfortable and they even have a majestic romantic Hood look at that it's thick you guys a thick it's thick if you want to be you know cozied up in a big potato sack of balet nerdness then check out the merch linked above and [Music] below our final segment of this video is pertaining to the very end of of class how do you properly leave the class When teacher dismisses you etc etc this is obviously going to be different for every school and every company but as every teacher yeah it's it's very individual the so the way class ends is generally we have a full reverance with music where the whole class can take the reverance and bow or curtsy and thank the teacher for the class after this class is officially dismissed and you are technically free to go but but don't leave just yet add an extra sign of gratitude each dancer will go up to the teacher personally and thank them for the class and we'll also go thank The Pianist personally you can curtsy or bow and say thank you for class same goes for The Pianist and then you can file out the door additionally if you were say in a partnering class or a PTA class and you dance with a partner or multiple partners then in addition to personally thanking the teacher and The Pianist you would also go and thank all of the partners that you personally worked with for your partners it can be a little bit more casual you don't necessarily have to bow or curtsy to them you can just go up to them and say thank you you maybe good job today thank you it's much more casual but just show a sign of appreciation to them for their hard work and for their collaboration with you and almost kind of to celebrate the progress that you both made in your partnership in terms of POTUS additionally if there's any other people in the room who are watching class say it's an audition and there's like a bunch of other people who are sitting and writing notes about you maybe the big head director is coming to observe your class you can go and thank them as well and different things things like that make sure you always thank the authorities in the room because it shows your appreciation and also communicates your honor and your respect towards them so that's always a good thing to do after that's all said and done then you are free to leave the studio officially and get ready to do it all again thank you very [Music] much so there you have it everybody those were pretty much all ballet etiquette I think that was most of them yeah of course these ballet etiquette tips are all in addition to the other valid etiquette tips that we have done on this channel we've actually have a whole playlist we've compiled them into a little bleet etiquette package for you guys and it will be linked over there in that corner and also in the description below if you want to know all the ins and outs of ballet culture anyway I think that is all for us for now this is B rain signing off until the next video [Music] bye so pre please so please plus please plus please plus the like please plus the like button [Music] [Applause]

Channel: Ballet Reign

Views: 52,547

Keywords: Ballet Reign, Ballet Nerd, Ballet Nerds, Jordan and Eden, Ballet, Dancer

Id: JZHq8EZ4bnU

Length: 28min 23sec (1703 seconds)

Published: Sat May 25 2024