Ballet dancers never cease to amaze me. They’re some of the most well-conditioned athletes out there, and the combination of strength and mobility is staggering.
Isabella McGuire Mayes is a former professional ballet dancer who joined the prestigious Vaganova Academy when she was just 15. McGuire Mayes also now runs online ballet classes suitable for beginners, with elements of yoga and body conditioning informed by everything she has learned as a professional ballet dancer.
I don’t think I”ll ever be able to develop the poise, elegance and effortless strength that ballet dancers possess, but I still jumped at the chance to find out how adults could benefit from ballet training.
“Most people spend a lot of time in an office job bent over their desk, with their shoulders rounded,” says McGuire Mayes “When we say ballet, a lot of people associate it with improved posture, and this is definitely the case.
“You become much more aware of how you're holding your back, how you're holding your core, and you become much more aware of muscles that you never really use.”
I asked McGuire Mayes to outline her favorite beginner-friendly stretches to improve mobility and here’s what she recommended.
1. Cat-cow
“I would say a cat/cow is always great for the spine. We curve the back and then we arch the back,” says McGuire Mayes.
2. Butterfly stretch
“A butterfly stretch for the glutes is always good. You put the soles of the feet together and open up.”
3. Hamstring fold
“A simple hamstring fold over the legs. Reach for your toes.”
McGuire Mayes was the first British girl to join the Vaganova Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia. She graduated top of her class and was named one of the three best ballerinas in the entire school. She then joined St. Petersburg’s Mikhailovsky Ballet for several years. McGuire Mayes is now based in London, UK, and coaches ballet to beginners and professionals alike at Ballet with Isabella.
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