Starting Ballet - Internet Linked

I love this book! The age range says it's for 4 to 8 year olds, but if your new to ballet it's helpful no matter how old you are. I'm 18 and kind of new to ballet and think it's one of the best ballet books I've read, even if it is a little short. It gives you an idea of what to expect at a class and the exercises are simple enough to do at home using a chair as a barre. My favouries are the battlement glisses and battlement tendus. The glisses really help to strenghten your legs and the tendus help to strengthen your arches. ALWAYS supervise younger children! This is especially true when they are practicing arabesques and attitudes as these moves, unlike tendus, plies, and glisses, are harder to master. Also, anything on demi - pointe should be supervised as well since feet have a habit of curling in (like bananas). REMEMBER bad habits form fast! They are also hard to break. However, when you are confident that the child(ren) can perform the exercises properly on their own there is little need to continue to supervise as closely. While having a leotard is great no special equiptment is neccessary, but I personally recommend a hard flat floor(preferably wood, but tile or linolium will work, too) and wearing ballet slippers while performing these exercises - especially during the glisses and tendus - OUCH! I wear Bloch Dansofts because I like the full sole as it seems to make you work a little harder to arch your foot and it feels more like a pointe shoe, but any ballet slipper - full sole or the more common split sole - will work. Besides, they're pretty cheap and it sure beats killing your foot on the floor.