We're warming up
We're taking a short pause while Ballet With Isabella steps into something new. Same world-class training. A bigger mission behind it. This next chapter is about more than ballet. It's about how you train, and how you show up – in and out of the studio.
We'll be back soon. In the meantime... keep it moving
- 32 calf rises each leg! – keep it slow and controlled
- 30 glute bridges – lengthen through the floor
- 1 minute plank - embrace the shakes!
- 4 x 30 second balances in retiré each side – if you fall, we start from the top!
- Practice your pirouettes from 5th and 4th each side. Try each turn until you feel 1 percent progress
- An arabesque each side – master it, and make it clean
- 1 minute butterfly stretch – breathe, don’t force, keep your back long and actively push the knees out
Turnout starts long before the first plié. And if you’ve ever felt stuck trying to “force” it, this is your missing piece. This floor barre series dives into the roots of clean, healthy turnout – the kind that holds up at the barre and the centre. Based on the Kniaseff method taught in elite ballet schools, these exercises target the specific muscles and patterns dancers often skip in regular training.
You’ll start with the foundational “Fab 4” exercises to build deep turnout from the ground up. Then you’ll move through abdominals, adage and grand battement training, refining the hips and spine for classical movement.
This isn’t about pushing for turnout. It’s about building the strength and awareness to maintain it. Consistently. Safely. Beautifully.
- The four foundational floor barre exercises for activating healthy turnout
- How to properly warm up and strengthen the deep external rotators
- Techniques to stabilise the pelvis and hips during adage and battement
- How to access rotation safely for extensions, fondus and retiré
- Tips for integrating floor barre into your daily warm-up or recovery routine
Lesson Breakdown
Floor Barre for Turnout – Introduction to The Course
Floor Barre for Turnout – Fab 4 – Exercise 1
Floor Barre for Turnout – Fab 4 – Exercise 2
Floor Barre for Turnout – Fab 4 – Exercise 3
Floor Barre for Turnout – Fab 4 – Exercise 4
Floor Barre for Turnout – Abdominals
Floor Barre for Turnout – Adage
Floor Barre for Turnout – Grands Battement
Is this course for me? Yes if..
- You’re a dancer looking to improve your turnout without force or strain
- You’re struggling to feel consistent rotation in class or rehearsal
- You’re coming back from injury and want to reinforce healthy patterns
- You’re a teacher or coach looking for safe, proven turnout drills
- You’re training at home and want to activate the right muscles from the floor
Look for another course if...
- You want choreography or flow-based movement (this is technique-focused)
- You’re already doing consistent adage and battement with ease and control
- You’re looking for a stretching-based flexibility program
- You have acute hip or back pain and need physio-led rehab first