Expert: Jennifer - 2/5/2007

Question
Jennifer,
I am 19 years old and recently decided to start ballet.  It has always been something that I wanted to do and I was wondering how many classes a week would be ok for a beginner.  I'm in good health and the class that I want to take meets 3 days in a row with 3 different teachers.  Do you think that there should be a day in between the classes or is it ok if I take all three in a row?

Answer
Congrats on your decision to take ballet! I actually started dancing at the same time (after many years away... I had danced as a child).

In my experience, 3 days a week is a good number for a beginner. It is enough class time to make quick improvement, but not so much that you get burnt out quickly. I would be a bit concerned about 3 days in a row... not because it is dangerous or unhealthy, but because you will probably be very tired the first few weeks. Starting any new exercise program is tough because it works muscles you aren't used to working, and there is naturally fatigue as your muscles recover. Having a day in between as a beginner is ideal so you have time to recover... however, in your situation, you'll just have to be prepare to be fatigued while your endurance builds up. And remember to nourish yourself completely before each class... that means keeping yourself hydrated and eating a good, well balanced meal.

It can be difficult to learn ballet from 3 different teachers. Again, ideally you'd want to learn from one teachers because there are different styles of ballet, and it can be confusing to a beginner to learn 2 or even 3 different styles at once. You'll just have to keep an open mind and perhaps educate yourself about the differences between the styles outside of class.

Good luck!