13 Steps to Reduce Ballet Burnout

Below are some steps you can take to continue progressing in your training through lessons and through supplemental training such as summer programs while reducing the risk of dancer burnout.

1. Rest & Good Sleep Habits

One of the most important things you can do to prevent ballet burnout is to ensure you give your body time to rest. Rest is when your body strengthens muscles and physical fitness while repairing the microtears that occur through strength training and flexibility training. It’s what gives your mind time to relax and reset and what gives your emotions time to rebalance before the next period of training and competition. In short, rest is integral to your physical, mental, and emotional health.

First and foremost, make sure you develop good sleep habits. Ensure you are getting at least 8 hours of good-quality sleep a night. It is incredibly helpful to have a sleep routine that includes going to bed at the same time every night and waking up at the same time each morning. If you’re someone who struggles to fall asleep, develop a nighttime routine that includes dimming the lights and taking time away from screens (phones, tvs, computers) for two hours before going to bed. Consider journaling, meditation, a relaxing bath, or a short nighttime yoga routine to signal relaxation to your body and mind and prepare it for sleep.

2. Time Away

Even though training, including summer ballet programs, is important, it’s also important to give yourself designated breaks during your training. These work best when the breaks are something planned and looked forward to (e.g. “I have two weeks between spring classes and my summer ballet program. During that time, I am looking forward to a week-long beach vacation with my family and reading my favorite book series.”), as opposed to being a last straw “I can’t take this anymore, I’m not going to class today,” break, which can lead to feelings of guilt and frustration.

Plan your time away and take time to consider exactly what will be most productive and healing to your body and mind during that time to help rejuvenate you before your training restarts.

3. Give Time to Other Interests

One of the reasons we can experience burnout as ballet dancers is that it can take time away from other things that are important to us. If you like to paint, write, play basketball, swim, or do some other hobby, make sure you’re planning time each week to participate in those interests as well. Conscientiously planning and setting aside time each week to do the (other) things you love means that you can look forward to your time doing them instead of feeling like ballet is detracting from your time to do what you love.

4. Change Up Your Workout

There will be times that you have a break between your ballet training. For instance, you’ll have time after spring classes end and summer programs begin, and between summer programs and fall classes. During that time, it’s important to keep your body active so you don’t lose your physical fitness, but it can also be helpful in preventing dancer burnout to do so in a way different from your traditional dance training.

Ballet is a multifaceted sport, requiring balance, flexibility, strength, and aerobic fitness. That means basically any other physical workout is going to help maintain the gains you’ve seen during your training season—as long as your new workouts are well-rounded. During your training downtime, pair swimming (aerobic) with yoga (balance & flexibility) or jogging (aerobic) with strength training.

5. Find Variety in Training

Similar to changing up your workout, it can be great to change the way you train as well. This is one way in which summer ballet programs can create a nice change of pace for ballet students after the spring dance season. Summer ballet programs have a different routine, different instructors, different students, and different guest instructors, which can create variety and much-needed novelty to an otherwise predictable routine.

6. Eat Healthily

Another way to prevent burnout in ballet is to eat healthily. Physical burnout can be greatly reduced or prevented if you’re eating a healthy diet. If you’re not quite sure what a healthy diet looks like for you, consult your ballet instructors, your doctor, or a dietician to help.

7. Express Gratitude

Expressing gratitude, and doing so often, is a tried-and-true practice for improving your mood and emotions. If you start to feel burnout coming on, try keeping a gratitude journal where you write 3-5 things each day that you’re grateful for, with an open mind (but not forced attitude) toward your ballet training. Most studies suggest you’ll start to feel your mood begin to lift within a week!

8. Keep a Journal

Keeping a journal is also a great way to reduce your risk of burnout in your ballet training. It’s okay to have days of frustration, low motivation, or reduced confidence. It’s completely normal and acceptable not to be totally excited about ballet all day every day. Keep a journal to work through these thoughts and to give them a place to be acknowledged and accepted. Psychologists attest that giving space for these emotions, acknowledging them, and being gentle and accepting with yourself for having them, helps the negative feelings dissipate faster than pushing them down, refusing to acknowledge them, or feeling negatively about having negative emotions in the first place.

9. Practice a Growth Mindset

There will be times your training will plateau, and that’s okay! Again, it’s completely normal in ballet training to reach a point where you’re not feeling as much progress as you were during other times, or to hit a skill that you have difficulty mastering. This is where it can be important to have a growth mindset. If you’re not sure what, exactly, a growth mindset is, check out this article. Instead of the mindset of, “I can’t do this,” or “I give up,” try, “I’m working hard on strengthening this skill,” or “I know that with more time and practice I can master my ________.” “I can do this. I got this.”

10. Keep Good Company

We are significantly impacted by the people around us. In fact, research shows that we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with. If you spend the most time with people who are negative about ballet or easily give up on things, you’re more likely to experience ballet burnout. If, instead, you spend time with resilient people who don’t give up when things get difficult and have healthy habits when it comes to processing their emotions and thoughts, then you’re more likely to do so as well.

11. Listen to Music

Music can also be a powerful tool in reducing ballet burnout. Keep in mind that burnout is physical, emotional, and mental. Music is scientifically proven to impact our emotions, especially softer, low music, which helps to slow your heartrate, reduce blood pressure, and soften the stress response. If you feel the adrenaline of burnout and frustration begin to surge, take time to find a quiet place to listen to some music. For extra points, find music you can sing along to, which further increases the positive benefits.

12. Spend Time in Nature

Maybe it sounds a little new-agey, but there’s no doubt that spending time in nature has a direct impact on mental and emotional health. As little as 15 minutes outside in the sunshine per day increases your levels of vitamin D, which is imperative for maintaining muscle strength as well as reducing fatigue and depression.

13. Be Easy on Yourself

Last but certainly not least, be easy on yourself. Remember that your thoughts have a powerful influence on your mental, physical, and emotional health. You don’t hear anyone’s voice or feel anyone’s criticisms as much as you hear and feel your own. Try to be kind to yourself, even when you’re going through difficult emotions. Remember to acknowledge the emotions and be gentle on yourself for having them. Know that every person, even if they don’t show it in front of you, has difficulty staying motivated all the time and you are most certainly not alone in your struggle.

Final Thoughts

Preventing burnout in ballet is all about balance. By attending to your physical, emotional, and mental health, you can help to prevent burnout while still being able to participate in important training periods such as summer ballet programs.

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4 Reasons to Put Your Child in Ballet

One of the best reasons to put your child in ballet is because they love it! However, if your child isn’t sure what they’re passionate about (or if they’re too young to decide between ballet and karate), then parents sometimes have to step in and make the decision. We love ballet for so many reasons, but here are 4 great reasons you should put your child in ballet:

1. Improves Physical Coordination and Posture

The core principles of ballet focus on balance, coordination, strength, and posie. Every exercise that they do in dance teaches them how to strengthen and move their body, which creates a strong and capable dancer. To be able to dance correctly you need good posture and a strong core! This is great for your child’s overall health. Dancing is a set of physical actions – moving different parts of your body in opposing directions, coordinating their movements while simultaneously stretching and controlling their muscles. Ballet will help them to develop coordination, balance, good posture, and more.

2. Strengthens Mental Acuity and Focus 

Ballet calls for brain power!  While your child is working hard  to coordinate their feet to skip, their brains. Your child’s brain is constantly building new neural pathways to make all this happen, which increases neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity improves learning, memory, and comprehension.

3. Builds Social Skills 

When taking ballet classes, your child is around other children socializing. A lot of students will help others learn a step if the teacher is helping someone else. This is great for communication and building confidence while being around others. Listening to one other, accepting someone, creative ideas, and being encouraged to develop their own ideas through movement is a unique part of ballet classes. 

4. Instills Confidence 

Performing on stage in front of a big audience is no small task. Some kids love entertaining and performing in front of others, while others are more timid and shy. The confidence to overcome those fears is built through practicing ballet and performing in front of others! It is a wonderful experience to see them come in shy and come out strong and confident. Even if the performance is less than perfect, students learn to appreciate their successes and learn from their mistakes.

Final Thoughts

Anything you put your child in can be intimidating and scary for them at first. You can 

always have them try a class at Central Utah Ballet to see if this is something that they are interested in doing. Here is a list of our instructors and classes we have. You can give us a call and we can help choose what’s best for your child! 

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Pre-Professional Summer Ballet Intensive 2022

The Pre-Professional Summer Ballet Intensive is offered from June 13, 2022-July 9, 2022. 

Only dancers ages 12 or older may register. This summer intensive course is designed for dancers who are in Ballet 4, Ballet 5, Ballet 6, Jr. Company, & Sr. Company. A placement class or video audition will be required for new students.

Tuition

This 4-week summer intensive course costs $900. If you register by May 21, 2022, the $50 registration fee will be waived; otherwise, it will be included with tuition and due no later than June 13, 2022. 

Daily Schedule

These daily classes run from Monday through Friday, 8 am to 2:30 PM. 

Sample schedule: 

Supplemental courses cover Contemporary, Jazz, Modern, Flamenco & Character dance.

Children’s Summer Ballet Intensive 2022

The Children’s Summer Ballet Intensive 2022 is offered from June 13, 2022-June 30, 2022. Designed for dancers in Ballet 2 or Ballet 3, any new students must take a placement class or submit a video audition for consideration. It is intended for children ages 7-11. 

Tuition

This 3–week summer intensive course costs $350. If you register by May 21, 2022, the $50 registration fee is waived; otherwise, it will be included with tuition and due no later than June 13, 2022. 

Daily Schedule

These daily classes run from Monday through Thursday, 3 PM to 5:30 PM. This course covers fundamental ballet skills and addresses pre-pointe or supplemental dance styles. 

Pre-Pointe classes are on Mondays and Wednesdays. Supplemental courses on Tuesdays are Contemporary and Character on Thursdays. 

Summer Ballet Day Camps 2022

Day camps are available for ages 3-4 and 5-6, divided by age. They run from 10 AM-12 PM and include a ballet class, lunch/snack provided, craft project, and a mini performance at the end of the class.

• Saturday, June 18, 2022 students must register by June 4, 2022. 
• Saturday, June 25, 2022 students must register by June 11, 2022. 
• Friday, July 15, 2022 students must register by July 1, 2022. 
• Friday, July 22, 2022 students must register by July 8, 2022. 

These camps cost $30 per day and have a limit of 12 students. 

For More Information

Contact us to register or to find more information about these Summer Ballet Intensive Programs. We offer a range of ballet summer intensives, workshops, and camps for dancers of all ages at our ballet studio in Lehi, Utah. 

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Can You Start Ballet at 13 Years Old?

Yes, you can start ballet at 13 years old. However, if you hope to have a college or professional career in ballet, starting at 13 years old will likely mean that you have to work harder than your peers. If you find a great technical classical ballet instructor and commit to regular training and rehearsals, with the right level of commitment, you can catch up to dancers who may have started their training earlier than you.

If you’d like to start ballet at 13 years old just for fun, then you’re in luck. Anyone–any age–can start ballet at any time for recreational or personal purposes. Find a class you’re comfortable with, and have fun. After all, that’s what dance is all about!

What Challenges Will a Dancer Face Starting Ballet at 13 Years Old?

Because you may be older than some of your peers, there are some challenges that you may face starting ballet at 13 years old compared to starting younger. Here are what those challenges may look like–and how to overcome them.

The First Class

One of the first difficulties is often the hurdle of the first class. There can be nervousness of looking silly, being clumsy, and, in general, just not knowing what to expect. Encourage your teenager by reminding them of why they wanted to sign up! To get rid of the jitters, call ahead of time to make sure you’ve got everything you need. Knowing you’re wearing the proper uniform, the right hair, and have the time and location correct can calm the nerves.

Being The Oldest One

When you start your child later, they might feel uncomfortable being the oldest in their level. This psychological hurdle is likely to be one of the biggest they will face. When possible, try to get them into a class that is closer to their age to avoid embarrassment or discouragement. If that’s not possible, consider taking private lessons and attending workshops to close the gap between them and dancers their age. As ballet is a very technique-heavy dance, at first it’s less about physical ability than it is about learning form and proper posturing. Let your teen know that they will likely graduate the beginning levels much faster than the other children once they have learned the basics. But, even for the most athletic or graceful of us, we still have to gather these building blocks first.

More Motivation To Improve!

Those that start ballet later, know that they are behind and therefore much harder to catch up. Their maturity and developed body awareness will likely be their biggest advantage in starting late. If they work incredibly hard, practice, and stretch every night they can make their professional dreams come true. Encourage them not to give up! It may be intimidating to dance alongside those that have more experience but we all have to start somewhere. Instead of feeling discouraged, tell your dancer to look for what they admire in others and find ways to emulate it. 

The Benefits

Whether you are aspiring to a ballet career or are wanting to dance for recreation, the benefits you will receive from the sport are the same. The increase in strength, flexibility, and self-esteem will come as you grow into your own as a dancer. The teenage years are known for being emotional periods of growth and uncertainty but with time your preteens will be able to ground themselves with this classical art form.

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4 Tips for Getting Better at Ballet

1. Practice, Practice, Practice

If you are serious about getting better, it isn’t enough to wish it. Ballet shouldn’t end when you go home. The most common advice you will receive about improving your ballet skills is to practice whenever you have the chance. In class, identify skills that require more work to solidify and do those at home. If you don’t have a mirror, record yourself doing them so that you can see how you look. In addition to practicing, consider cross-training by adding conditioning to your regime. Though doing ab workouts are never fun, your strength will lift you to new heights as you jump higher and hold positions longer.

2. Come Prepared

The best way we can come prepared for class might be the first that comes to mind. If you want to improve quickly, make sure to take time beforehand to memorize essential ballet terminology. The faster we can mentally recall positions, the more focus we can put into the form and correct positioning. By learning the terminology outside of class, we spend more time in class getting feedback on form and technique instead of figuring out what we are supposed to do.  

Stretching beforehand is another great way to maximize class time. If you come to class still needing to limber up, it may take half the class before you’re loose enough to perform skills at your peak. Consistent stretching outside of class will also ensure that you are reaching your potential in training. Additionally, consider doing breathing exercises before class to loosen your muscles and relax so you can better ease into your moves.

3. Let Go of Embarrassment 

Often the only one holding you back is yourself. Don’t be afraid to fail because the only people that never fail are those that never tried. In such a competitive sport, it’s easy to get discouraged. Don’t let criticism get to you. Your coaches wouldn’t be worth your money if they never gave you constructive feedback. Seek out their feedback every class to fine-tune your dancing. Remember that with every correction, you are getting closer to being the best ballerina you can be. Trust in the process and keep your chin up.

4. Focus On Your Goal

Scientific research has shown that mental visualization can be a very effective tool for growth! Use it to help you correct your form on a specific move or execute a routine smoother. When you have downtime, run through skills in your head multiple times that you are struggling with. If you see yourself do it in your head, it will make the physical execution even easier. Focusing on your goal also makes the process seem less difficult. When you are struggling with motivation, remind yourself why you are doing this. Picture yourself in the coveted lead role of The Nutcracker, or whatever position you are aspiring to, and take a minute to visualize how it will feel. When you wholeheartedly focus on a goal, the sky is the limit.

Final Thoughts

In short, if you are looking for a simple fix, we don’t have the answer for you. Ballet is a difficult sport that requires dedication and perseverance. As with any sport, the time you’ve spent practicing is reflected in your performance. Keep focused, work hard, and you’ll get to where you want to

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