It's around this time of year that in between all the festive excesses of overeating, binge-drinking and too much partying, I make an early attempt to silence the whiney guilt-tripping voice in the back of my mind and make a mental note of what my new year's resolutions are going to be.
Like most, my resolutions are generally of the get healthy, get cultured ilk ie. stop eating junk, do more exercise and learn a language, but it's the exercise one that I never seem to crack. So, in a hapless attempt to fool myself that I might actually stick to my good intentions this year, I'm setting out to combine this year's exercise regime with all the things I love the most - fashion, drama and fun. So without further ado, let me introduce you to this year's fitness fad: Adult Ballet.
Yes, you read that correctly, Ballet classes are officially the cool way to get in shape this year. I came to this conclusion last weekend, shortly after revealing to my friends that I had just signed up for a ten week evening course at the English National Ballet. Expecting sharp intakes of breath, widened eyes and a general air of disbelief, disappointingly two of them actually proceeded to steal my thunder by nonchalantly revealing that they too had booked themselves into Adult Ballet courses. And as I consider these two individuals the barometer of all things cool and underground, I have naturally come to the exclusion that this is a trend waiting to happen.
Of course every fitness fad needs a poster girl - fans of the Trapeze have SJP, the surf world have Cameron Diaz, and Pilates devotees have Liz Hurley. Well, us après-work-ballerinas can go one better, as we have former Royal Ballet Principal ballerina Darcey Bussell to aspire to. Have you seen Darcey lately? She's the grand age of 40 but still whippet thin and as bendy as a rubber band. Yes, I know she's been training intensively since she was a child and I'm a dance virgin in my late twenties, but I like to have an unrealistic ideal to keep me going. And if it's a choice between stringy limbed Madonna and supple and sophisticated Darcey, I know who I'd rather look like.
So why ballet and why now? Well, in my mind it combines two of the most appealing fitness trends of the last few years - Pilates and Dance. Pilates and Yoga have long since been the exercise du jour amongst the fashionistas. And I don't need to tell you that in the past few years the number of trendy twenty-something women booking themselves into dance classes has sky-rocketed, a trend largely attributed to Strictly Come Dancing mania, as well as the rise of vintage style dress up and dance clubs popping up all over London.
But whereas two years ago all the cool cats were booking themselves into Jive lessons, now it's all about one-upmanship and finding something a little bit less obvious. And as our our love of throwaway fast fashion is replaced by aspirational high-end investment pieces, Ballet is emerging as the sophisticated alternative to joining the sweating masses feeling the burn on the treadmill. Ballet will whip you into shape as effectively as Yoga and Pilates (with Ballet not only have you got intensively choreographed dance steps, but you are also working on your posture, lengthening your muscles and ultimately increasing your flexibility) but it also has the added glamour of ballet as performance, and with that comes the ethereal ballerina look - leotards, Pointe shoes, tutus, dramatic headpieces and that oh-so-now prima style scraped back hair.
But perhaps what appeals most about taking an adult Ballet classis is the clandestine nature of it. So that while your colleagues are flocking to the bar to get the drinks on Thursday nights, you're running to the bar to stretch out.
Adult Ballet - where to book:
English National Ballet £85 for 10 week course
Central School of Ballet £8 per session
Pineapple Dance Studios from £7 per session
City Lit £109 for 12 week course
Like most, my resolutions are generally of the get healthy, get cultured ilk ie. stop eating junk, do more exercise and learn a language, but it's the exercise one that I never seem to crack. So, in a hapless attempt to fool myself that I might actually stick to my good intentions this year, I'm setting out to combine this year's exercise regime with all the things I love the most - fashion, drama and fun. So without further ado, let me introduce you to this year's fitness fad: Adult Ballet.
Yes, you read that correctly, Ballet classes are officially the cool way to get in shape this year. I came to this conclusion last weekend, shortly after revealing to my friends that I had just signed up for a ten week evening course at the English National Ballet. Expecting sharp intakes of breath, widened eyes and a general air of disbelief, disappointingly two of them actually proceeded to steal my thunder by nonchalantly revealing that they too had booked themselves into Adult Ballet courses. And as I consider these two individuals the barometer of all things cool and underground, I have naturally come to the exclusion that this is a trend waiting to happen.
Of course every fitness fad needs a poster girl - fans of the Trapeze have SJP, the surf world have Cameron Diaz, and Pilates devotees have Liz Hurley. Well, us après-work-ballerinas can go one better, as we have former Royal Ballet Principal ballerina Darcey Bussell to aspire to. Have you seen Darcey lately? She's the grand age of 40 but still whippet thin and as bendy as a rubber band. Yes, I know she's been training intensively since she was a child and I'm a dance virgin in my late twenties, but I like to have an unrealistic ideal to keep me going. And if it's a choice between stringy limbed Madonna and supple and sophisticated Darcey, I know who I'd rather look like.
So why ballet and why now? Well, in my mind it combines two of the most appealing fitness trends of the last few years - Pilates and Dance. Pilates and Yoga have long since been the exercise du jour amongst the fashionistas. And I don't need to tell you that in the past few years the number of trendy twenty-something women booking themselves into dance classes has sky-rocketed, a trend largely attributed to Strictly Come Dancing mania, as well as the rise of vintage style dress up and dance clubs popping up all over London.
But whereas two years ago all the cool cats were booking themselves into Jive lessons, now it's all about one-upmanship and finding something a little bit less obvious. And as our our love of throwaway fast fashion is replaced by aspirational high-end investment pieces, Ballet is emerging as the sophisticated alternative to joining the sweating masses feeling the burn on the treadmill. Ballet will whip you into shape as effectively as Yoga and Pilates (with Ballet not only have you got intensively choreographed dance steps, but you are also working on your posture, lengthening your muscles and ultimately increasing your flexibility) but it also has the added glamour of ballet as performance, and with that comes the ethereal ballerina look - leotards, Pointe shoes, tutus, dramatic headpieces and that oh-so-now prima style scraped back hair.
But perhaps what appeals most about taking an adult Ballet classis is the clandestine nature of it. So that while your colleagues are flocking to the bar to get the drinks on Thursday nights, you're running to the bar to stretch out.
Adult Ballet - where to book:
English National Ballet £85 for 10 week course
Central School of Ballet £8 per session
Pineapple Dance Studios from £7 per session
City Lit £109 for 12 week course
Hi great reading your ppost
ReplyDelete