Blending Pilates, conditioning and classical ballet, this fun and invigorating class develops endurance, balance and core strength. You don't even have to be a dancer.
As the class progressed however, my excitement went away quickly to the point where I had to leave the class. This is, of course, all based on only my experience of the one class for which I could only stand for 45 minutes before I was completely put off by it, but I felt the class was so egregious in its claims of "ballet body" and "conditioning and classical ballet" that I should put this review out there for others to know and understand what they could be potentially exposing themselves to when attending such a class.
1) There is no actual ballet technique ~
While for the general gym population whom have never had a ballet class may find this to be an appealing aspect, trust me, it's not. Ballet dancers do train hard and for a number of years, but that doesn't mean that learning the basics and the technique is beyond buck beginners. Certainly it may feel awkward at first, but I doubt your first yoga or crossfit class felt like a dream either. And that's why we do these things: to introduce our bodies to new ways of moving, cross training and forms of exercise to keep us fit and keep us from getting bored. The Ballet Body Fusion class however, had zero ballet technique or even ballet based steps. The majority of the class was focused around floor Pilates exercises. The closest a ballet step came into the class was some plies, but even those were frightening...
2) "Modified" ballet exercises can cause serious injuries ~
There were two exercises for which the instructor (who even said during the class she had no ballet training and got her exercises from YouTube videos) one was a demi plie, supposedly in first position (which was never explained how to properly set a participant's feet to have a good first position) in releve with tons of mini demi plies. I realize a lot of ballet fitness methods like to do this, but if it's not properly executed it is extremely hard on the participant's knees and lower back. If the turn out in first position is "forced" which we all know novices to inadvertently do very easily, then it can cause ankle issues as well. Some methods at least have you holding a barre for some stability while executing this unstable exercise, but in this class because the instructor just had no clue, this was done out in center.
The other so-called ballet step incorporated was sort of grande plies in second position. Again, the instructor did not either know or just did not explain that a participant's knees should remain in alignment over the toes while executing a grande plie. No one had a proper width to their feet either and the class participants ranged from a wide second position (wider than their shoulder span) to being so narrow, even Vaganova wouldn't consider it a second position.
In both these exercises, as I looked around the class, I saw sway backs, collapsing knees, hunched shoulders and upper backs (because arms were not placed properly either) and the instructor (who mostly spoke rather than doing exercises, or demonstrating them to give an idea of proper form) walked around, obviously seeing these same things that could cause a major injury (some class participant's were in their 60's, I really felt bad for them) and either didn't bother to give corrections to ensure proper alignment or, more likely, didn't know any better.
3) Shaking muscles doesn't necessarily equal a good workout, depending on your goals ~
In that first "ballet exercise" (demi plies in releve) these were done so much that it forced muscle shredding (also known as muscle fatigue, mechanical trauma, etc) . So all of us, myself included (emphasized because poor state of fitness or lack of leg muscles was not the issue), were shaking as we did this exercise over and over. And what is so unfortunate is that the instructor and the participants of the class took this to mean they were getting a really good workout. But shaking muscles is not an indicator of an effective workout, unless your goal is to build up and gain muscle. When your muscle shakes it can mean a number of factors ranging from dehydration to over-doing your muscle. Many body builders intentionally do exercises to force hypertrophy in order to gain muscle mass. So yes, if your goal in a Ballet Body Fusion class is to walk out with massive thigh muscles (because it's forced each class) that will qualify you for an NPC competition, this exercise (alignment follies aside of course) is great. But most people, especially ladies taking the class, are looking for the long, lean muscles of a ballerina, not the bulk of a body builder or even an IFBB competitor.
The other point to make here is that ballet, which has been developed over centuries, is designed to warm the body up slowly and methodically (both micro and macro muscles) in a certain order to prepare the dancer for the harder work in the center. Demi plie, without exception, is to be executed with the heels down, it's main purpose to stretch the calf muscles and Achilles/ heel tendons. Grande plie in second position is designed to begin warming up the macro thigh muscles, the glutes and opening the hips for proper turn out and extension. When either of these is done incorrectly, not only are the risks for injury increased, but the benefits of the movement are completely missed.
4) Bad counting/ uneven side exercises ~
Here's an issue I have with most gym class instructors overall, not just this particular one, but it did stand out in a major way in this class. Ballet, and all dance classes, are very particular about keeping exercises even on right and left sides. Exercises are reversed and predominantly executed on the right and then left side (the working leg) evenly. When gym instructors just kind of bounce along to an ill-planned workout, to remix music that they may or may not pay much attention to, you will receive an unbalanced workout. This can lead to alignment problems, injuries, etc. We already fight an imbalance usually in our bodies because of dominant motor skills (i.e. right-handed vs. left-handed) so working out unevenly at the mercy of the instructor not paying attention aggravates this.
What was really serendipitous of my leaving the class, was that the gym decided (after I had been a member for the last four months) decided that I needed to sign a waiver of liability. While under most circumstances I agree completely that some form a waiver needs to be in place, this one in particular was one-sided and written with a negligence clause that had gym members waive their right to any litigation around negligence of the facilities and equipment being in disrepair and to the competency of their personal trainers and group fitness instructors. Ironic, no? Needless to say I terminated my membership and as a final friendly recommendation as this clause was one paragraph in a 3 1/2 page liability waiver, make sure you read what you sign and that your gym membership paperwork not only protects the gym, but you as well.
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