Learn Ballet
New to this? Start right here.
A plain-English roadmap, a glossary, and answers to the questions every adult beginner quietly wonders about.
Your first month
Four steps before you overthink it
01
Find a studio that actually teaches adults
Not a kids’ class you’ve been squeezed into. Look for “adult beginner” on the schedule, specifically.
02
Buy the right shoes first, the right leotard later
Proper canvas or leather ballet flats matter more than looking the part on day one.
03
Learn the five positions before anything else
Everything at the barre builds on them. There’s no rush to get to pirouettes or fouettés.
04
Give it ten classes before you decide anything
The first three feel awkward for almost everyone. Ballet, and your body, need repetition to click.
Speak the language
A glossary for your first few classes
Kept in English here, since it doubles as vocabulary you’ll hear in almost any studio, anywhere.
Plié
A bend of the knees, in or out — the base of nearly every other step.
Turnout
Outward rotation from the hips, not forced from the feet or knees.
Relevé
Rising onto the balls of the feet, or fully onto pointe.
Fouetté
A whipping turn, usually repeated in a series — the one everyone finds intimidating.
En pointe
Dancing fully on the tips of the toes, in specially built pointe shoes.
Tendu
Stretching one foot out along the floor without lifting it.
Port de bras
The choreographed movement and carriage of the arms.
Arabesque
Standing on one leg with the other extended behind you.
Petit allegro
Fast, small jumps, usually done in combinations near the end of class.
Barre
The handrail — and the first, slower half of almost every ballet class.
Frequently asked
Questions every adult beginner asks quietly
No. Adult beginner classes exist specifically because studios know most people don’t start at five. Bodies adapt at every age — differently, not worse.
Flexibility is a result of training, not a prerequisite for it. Most of what you need will come from consistent classes over time.
It depends far more on ankle and core strength than on age or calendar time. A qualified teacher, not a timeline, should make that call.
That describes most people in an adult beginner class. It’s the entire point of the category — nobody expects you to arrive already knowing this.
Ready for more