Many think of ballet as a beautiful fantasy reserved for little girls or the physically gifted, but ballet technique offers amazing benefits that can take your fitness level to new heights. Here, world-class ballerina and creator of Everyday Ballet, Tiekka Tellier shares 10 reasons to try ballet. 

1. Posture, posture, posture! Beyond looking taller (and slimmer!) standing up straight increases mental alertness and communicates confidence and authority. And who doesn’t need an antidote to all that slumping over computers, tablets, and smart phones? Ballet builds incredible posture that makes you look and feel fantastic!
    
2. Balance. Ballet literally teaches you how to stand on your own two feet (or one foot, as the case may be). Whether you are in flats, heels, or athletic shoes, time spent doing ballet helps with everyday balancing acts and adds “poise” to everything you do.
    
3. More Core. People admire the extended arms and legs of the ballerina, but it’s incredible core strength that drives such physical grace. Ballet teaches how to initiate and sustain movement using deep abdominal muscles. Learning how to move from your core transforms how you carry yourself, bringing ease and lightness to all your activities.
    
4. Terrific Tone. Doing ballet is like all the muscles of your body giving your skeleton a hug! The entire body is activated and lifted. And there is simply no better workout for developing lean, shapely legs and buns!
    
5. Mind Body Connection. Ballet makes you go deep inside to feel every last muscle. The connection with the music and emphasis on details leaves zero headspace for planning dinner or worrying about work. Ballet brings you into your body in a nuanced way that develops steady focus and wonderful body awareness. 
    
6. Musical Inspiration. Ballet music is fabulous and not something you usually get on Pandora. Listening to beautiful music adds a unique dimension to your workout that can really awaken and inspire you both mentally and physically.
    
7. Beauty. Ballet channels fitness through a concept of beauty rather than brute force. The result? Ballet engages the senses beyond just “feeling the burn” and lets you enjoy beauty as part of your workout. And with every drop of sweat you’re also becoming educated in one of the most respected dance forms in the world.
    
8. Endless Variety. With hundreds of steps and an infinite possibility of combinations, ballet is never boring for the body or the brain. The many types of ballet movements continually challenge and build a versatile physique and agile mind. 
    
9. Total Body for Life. Ballet is a way of moving that becomes part of how you are. It is a sustainable fitness practice that develops flexibility, length, tone, agility, strength, endurance, grace, coordination, awareness, balance, control, and general physical ease and confidence that stays with you far beyond the walls of the studio.
    
10. It just gets more interesting! You never really do the same plié twice. Once you start mastering some aspect of ballet technique, there’s always another layer to provide a new level of challenge. Ballet always gives you more to learn, practice, and enjoy!

ABOUT TIEKKA TELLIER

Founder and creator of Everyday Ballet, Tiekka Tellier spent sixteen years in professional ballet dancing starring roles on many of the world’s great stages. As a ballerina, she’s been recognized with medals at the Prix de Lausanne and the USA International Ballet Competition. She has also been featured on the cover of Dance Magazine and is the recipient of a Princess Grace Foundation Award. Now Tiekka brings her lifelong passion and experience to Everyday Ballet. This inspiring and challenging fitness program makes real ballet accessible to all with specially designed sequences and a friendly, holistic approach to ballet technique. Everyday Ballet delivers the benefits of ballet to everyone, regardless of age, body-type or experience, and awakens you to the joy of being in your body!