Ballet Class No Under 40 with Alina Quintana – Basics and Fundamentals

How many women, now adults, have kept their dream of practising ballet hidden in a drawer?

“The Methodology” Classical Dance No Under 40 addresses the too many women who have lost the key that opens that drawer which is the dream of practising ballet. It was born from a conversation in a dressing room with Anna, a woman in her 60s who, intrigued by my posture as a dancer, approached me
and confessed to me her greatest dream: to become a ballerina.

“If there was a class with simple steps that respected my anatomy, physicality and for women of my age, I would attend it in a hurry”.

It was her phrase that enlightened me and encouraged me to develop a ballet methodology for adult women aged 40 and over in 2017 that gives them the opportunity to approach ballet, to experience a path of transformation and the realisation of a childhood dream.

The class I propose at Danza in Fiera 2023 does not require any previous experience or specific build.

The lesson we are going to do is called: Base and Fundamentals and is the first level of the method. It will last one hour and has a structure divided into 3 phases, each one links the other and all have a clear personality to make the future No Under 40 dancer experience a real transformation.

The Ground Bar: this is the first phase and has a sports dancer’s personality. On the floor we will perform the exercises that are done at the standing bar to develop: strength, control, tone, stretching and technique setting. We will need to wear sweatpants to warm up well and a mat as an accessory.

The barre: is the second phase of the lesson, the personality that the student will develop is that of the classical dancer through the style detail the skirt and the exercises at the barre with 2 hands that will help to build: the elegant posture of the dancer, coordination, balance, musicality and harmonious movements.

The Classical Repertoire – Kitri Don Quixote: The third and final phase is the dance phase, an imaginary stage for the No Under 40s. It is in this phase where a female ballet character will be performed. In the Classical Dance No Under 40 method, a different protagonist is studied each month, and in this lesson we will characterise the iconic Kitri from Don Quixote through the Reverence of the Etoile dancer. The accessory that will accompany this character will be the fan.

Arrive early for an opening greeting and remember to show up in the correct outfit, chignon and make-up thread. In case you do not have dance attire for this first experience, leggings, ¾ sleeves and black socks will be fine.