Think ballet is easy? Think again.
By Meg Lappe, Self
[post_ads]CrossFit and ballet are two very different types of physical activity. Both demand serious strength and skill, but in their own unique ways. CrossFit athletes are known for their toughness—tire slams, Olympic lifts, and loads of burpees—while ballerinas move elegantly through routines that require serious upper- and lower-body strength and agility.
For someone who's never practiced ballet before, it may seem like it's less of a challenge than hardcore lifting exercises that happen in a CrossFit gym. Dancers make it look so beautiful, it almost seems easy, right? But that's so not true—and Isabella Boylston, a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre, totally clears up the misconception in a video (below) where she teaches a group of CrossFit athletes some basic ballet moves.
[post_ads]CrossFit and ballet are two very different types of physical activity. Both demand serious strength and skill, but in their own unique ways. CrossFit athletes are known for their toughness—tire slams, Olympic lifts, and loads of burpees—while ballerinas move elegantly through routines that require serious upper- and lower-body strength and agility.
For someone who's never practiced ballet before, it may seem like it's less of a challenge than hardcore lifting exercises that happen in a CrossFit gym. Dancers make it look so beautiful, it almost seems easy, right? But that's so not true—and Isabella Boylston, a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre, totally clears up the misconception in a video (below) where she teaches a group of CrossFit athletes some basic ballet moves.
When Boylston asks the guys about their dance experience, just one of the men says he helped out his friend's dance company once. Boylston then gets them all to the barre and begins to teach them the basics, like demi-pliés, grand pliés, and pirouettes. She references moves they would all know—for example, she tells them a demi-plié "is basically like a squat, but turned out." CrossFitters definitely know how to squat.
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While their flexible Achilles' tendons help them with the plié moves, for all of the other tiny, repetitive movements (which ballet-inspired barre workouts are famous for) you can hear the guys complaining about their leg muscles "freaking out."
After spending time at the barre, Boylston takes the athletes to the floor to practice jumps, leaps, and turns, which is where things get interesting.
Watch the entire video below to see how it all went. And, you can catch Boylston on stage in her upcoming performances of Whipped Cream, Swan Lake, Aurora's Wedding, and Tchaikovsky's Pas de Deux all at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City this June and July.
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