As we trade in our state-of-the art studios for kitchens, garages and anywhere else we can mimic conditions for a good barre class, here are some tips we’ve discovered that you can use to create your own home ballet oasis.
Flooring – Life Without Marley
Building your at-home barre class from the ground up, the first thing to consider is flooring. Marley, as we all know, is a studio essential for dancers, but there is a substitute you might have an easier time acquiring.
“I saw friends in other companies across the country starting to use shower pan liner as substitute flooring, so I looked into it,” says Houston Ballet First Soloist Allison Miller. “Turns out, it has a very similar feel to the marley that we use in the studio. It has made keeping up with class and pointe work so much more enjoyable, as the wood floor was causing me to grip my muscles incorrectly. I was able to pick up a 5×6 foot square of the shower liner at the hardware store and, paired with the pink barre that my husband surprised me with, I have a great home studio now!
While you can put a shower pan liner down on your regular hard flooring, you may want or need to take the lesson elsewhere.
“With three people under the same roof, it became important for me to have my own space for taking class and staying in shape,” explains Houston Ballet Principal Ian Casady. “Creating a smooth, level, portable floor made it possible for me to stop doing workouts in the living room, and that has been helpful for everyone. I built it out of three pieces of ¾-inch plywood boards, each 2×4-foot, for a total floor space of 4 x6 feet. Those boards are mounted to a frame made of 2×2-inch lumber. I ended up adding more support strips to the frame after dancing on it for a few days.”
Anything Can Be a Barre, if You Just Believe
Dancers across the globe are reaching for everyday objects to DIY their way to their own at-home barres. Chairs, kitchen islands and just about anything of the right height can be used.
“I’ve found the garage to be the spot most conducive to a ballet class,” states Houston Ballet First Soloist Oliver Halkowich. “I began my dance training in a garage. The humidity and concrete bring a nice sense of nostalgia to my daily workout. I’ve experimented with a ladder and barstools as my ballet barre but the ladder jiggled and the stools spun so I’m now using the recycling bin. It has a nice handle on it that is almost the perfect height and I can give it a nudge if I need it moved a bit further for a balance. As I drop my tailbone and open my chest, I’m reminded to recycle.”
If you rather have the actual barre feel, a quick build might be for you.
“Ballet Class every morning is like a ritual for me,” says Houston Ballet Principal Karina González. “When I found out how many weeks we would be at home without our daily rehearsals routine, I got so nervous. One afternoon, my husband surprised me with a beautiful small ballet studio in the garage. He was able to build it by buying a small set of supplies. The barre is made of a 6-foot closet pole and two metal shelf and rod brackets. The floor is made of a 4×8-foot sheet of plywood, ½-inch thick, with a 5×6-foot shower pan liner on top. I never thought I’d love my garage so much. Now, I am ready every morning enjoying our new way of training, virtual ballet classes.”
Class Itself
We hope you are utilizing this down time to enjoy the multitude of classes that are happening around the world from your very own living room. Check out these lessons from our Ballet Masters, and keep dancing!
by Jacalyn Lawton