Ballet, even more than most styles of dance, requires tremendous strength and flexibility. Stretching before dancing will reduce the chances of injury and lengthen the time a person is able to continue dancing. Most ballet stretches will either be with your leg straight forward, to the side, or behind you.
Hamstrings
Your hamstring muscles must be flexible for kicks, splits, and many other ballet moves. You can stretch your hamstrings by sitting on the floor or by using a ballet barre. From the floor position, extend your right leg straight in front of you, with your left knee bent and your left hip open. The outside of your left knee will touch the floor and your left foot will be in front of your groin. Point your toes, and bending at the waist, reach for your foot. Pull yourself gently forward and try to touch your chest and stomach to your leg. Switch leg positions and do the same on your left side.
You can also use the barre to stretch. Stand on your left leg and place your right heel on top of the ballet barre. Keep your hips pointing straight forward. Bend from the waist and reach for your foot. Your back can round slightly. Do the same thing on the left.
Hips and Groin
Being able to turn your hips out and extend a leg to the side for jumps and kicks is very important in ballet. One way to stretch to gain flexibility in this way is to sit on the floor and open your legs wide. Bend your right knee and bring your right foot in close to your groin, with your left leg still straight. Turn your shoulders toward the left and reach for your toes. Try to get your stomach to your leg. Do the same on the other side by bending your left knee and straightening your right leg out. Switch back to the left and this time rotate your shoulders as far as you can so that your right shoulder is pointing toward the floor and your left is above it. Reach over your head with your left arm and try to reach your toes. Your torso will be facing forward, not down like in the previous stretch. Do the same on the right side.
Quads
The quad muscles in the front of the leg need to be strong for ballet dancers to jump, plié, and kick. They also need to be stretched so they do not get tight and inhibit splits and lifts. An excellent stretch to increase flexibility in the spine and quads, as well as improve balance, is done by standing on one leg and trying to touch your foot to your head. This exercise may be difficult at first. Stand on your left leg and extend your right leg behind you. Bend your right knee toward your back and reach both arms over your head to try to grasp your foot. Arch your back and look up. Grab your foot and gently pull it toward your head. Do the same standing on your right leg and pulling your left foot to your head.
