Ballet Boosts Holistic Well-Being

Besides being a beautiful dance form, ballet actually has many well-being benefits to boost your holistic well-being. Here Reiko Chong, Founder and Owner of Dubai Dance Academy explains.

Why did you start Dubai Dance Academy?

Dubai’s growing art arena and my passion for ballet were the key inspirations behind the launch of Dubai Dance Academy (DDA). Initially DDA was launched on a small scale in October 2011, however we then moved to a brand-new studio in June 2013, where we have spent five years.

At the academy, we promote self-confidence, determination, respect, and a total understanding of the body. We have a very holistic approach to the well-being of our students. This type of education is something we take very seriously and is particularly important for adults that dance regularly. At DDA, we carefully develop our dancers, giving them the skills and confidence; they need to perform at par to international standards. Some of our students take on the stage in a small local production to build confidence, whereas others perform professionally with our partners in Paris or London.

Benefits of ballet among women

Ballet is considered as one of the most graceful forms of performing art, where the dancer performs even the most unnatural movements in a beautiful manner. Apart from being known as just a form of dance, there are various reasons why it is much beyond that. Over a period of time, ballet can help improve your fitness profile by building muscle and improving cardio endurance. Ballet targets various parts of the body – arms, legs, stomach muscles, feet and ankles, thus leaving them toned. Regular participation in ballet can improve posture and balance, resulting in a long, lean, elegant body type. Not just that, it also helps enhance your flexibility and coordination. Even if you’re starting ballet as an adult, you can expect to make significant gains in these areas if you’re diligent.

Many professional sportswomen have already discovered how ballet can help them in their sport. Being a sportswoman and a dancer helps improve a person’s well-being significantly.

Learning, practicing, and performing ballet is great fun as it gives an opportunity for dancers to express themselves creatively, test their bodies’ potential, and strive toward a common goal.

What advice can you give young people out there?

As a ballerina, I recognize balance easily. So, I would advise young people to limit their use of electronic devices. It is making the younger generation evolve into bad postures and muscle memory can take a long time to be corrected.