5 Reasons Why You Should Pick Up Ballet

“Ballet? Don’t I have to be really young to pick it up?”

While most do begin their dance education at a young age, the pros of picking up this art form remain unchanged regardless of one’s age. Here are five benefits of learning this beautiful art form:

1. Posture From the beginning of class, we are taught to lengthen our spine and lift our chins. This changes the way we hold our bodies over time, minimising our tendencies to slouch and making us appear more elegant.

2. Confidence With great posture, comes great confidence! One of the most important things in Ballet is poise. When we move, we are trained to do so with our eyes looking forward and our chins held high, exuding an air of confidence. With time and practice, this feeling becomes imbued in us.

3. Weight Loss Do not underestimate the amount of energy it takes to last an entire ballet class -- research shows that you can actually burn up to 400 calories in an intense hour-long Ballet class!

4. Strength

Ballet utilises the entire body and requires a great amount of stamina, building lean muscles in the limbs and core. It enhances both physical and cardiovascular strength -- walking up the stairs will no longer feel like an ordeal!

5. Resilience

Aside from physical resilience, Ballet builds our mental strength as well. A lot of determination is required to push through this demanding class, but challenges shape who we are for the better after all!