PARIS, May 1 — Ballet barre classes have enjoyed a surge in popularity recently, offering an effective and complete body workout that combines small, controlled movements with stretches to strengthen and lengthen the body and increase mobility and flexibility.

Forward-thinking Kelly Dailey opened her barre studio The Dailey Method in Paris back in 2006, bringing San Francisco’s original barre class to a French audience for the first time, offering a unique combination of ballet barre work along with core conditioning, muscle strengthening, yoga, and orthopedic exercises.

More than 10 years later the studio continues to thrive, with a league of loyal clients who return again and again to attend classes taught by Kelly and daughter Sarah Vinoche, who herself started the method aged just 11.

Here we speak to Kelly and Sarah about how to get started with barre, what to expect from your first class, and why barre is a great addition to an existing fitness regime.

What can someone expect from a barre workout? Any advice for someone new to barre to help get them started, and encourage them to stick with it?

KD: Our Dailey classes are fun, upbeat and done with music. Everyone is there to get the best workout at their own level. One can expect to discover muscles they never knew they had and gain body and postural awareness.  It’s a complete body workout.

SV: Don’t compare yourself to others during the class, and don’t get discouraged if they seem to be doing better — some people having been coming for years; it’s your class, you’re here for you. And it’s a practice like yoga, you’re always learning and developing. I’d also recommend coming back as soon as you can for your next class, especially if you’re very sore! Which you might be because you’re working muscles in a very different way. And make sure you eat something!

Are there any other workouts that go well with barre? To help improve cardio or work other muscle groups?

KD: Barre is the perfect complement to most sports — we have a lot of runners coming here... it’s great for their flexibility and to lengthen muscles. We also have a lot of golfers, and thanks to barre working their stance, posture, and core strength, many clients have even testified to it helping improve their performance!

We have tennis fans and dancers who find it helps add strength to their flexibility. It’s great preparation for skiers who might have done no exercise all year and then go on an active skiing holiday, which also puts a lot of weight on the knees. It’s even good for women who wear heels a lot!

KD: It is very safe and all of our exercises are orthopedic exercises — so in fact they help prevent injuries. Our main focus is to always make sure you’re in a safe alignment and then you start to move; plus there are always modifications that can be made to adapt exercises if needed.

Another thing that distinguishes us from other barre exercise classes is our kinesiology background: every exercise is anatomically correct. It [can help] people who have pre-existing injuries as re-education. It’s a great class to do while pregnant as it prepares the abdominal belt and pelvic floor for delivery, and it works as an efficient way to get back in shape post-partum.

We also offer a more gentle class, Dailey Gentle for people with a lower range of movement or injuries, and a Dailey Stretch class to enhance flexibility and have a time to meditate.

How can those who are already barre fans avoid boredom and stay motivated — and keep seeing results?

SV: We have a variety of classes, and each class will never be the same, they always change. We’re also always in contact with other studios and we share ideas and the science of exercise to update the classes; in this way, the Method is constantly evolving.

At The Dailey Method there is also a sense of community which motivates people too, they have connections with each other. Plus it never gets easy, the more you understand the exercises and the class, the deeper you can engage and the harder you can work.

How often do you recommend attending a barre class to achieve fitness goals?

SV: Three or four times a week, but you could do it up to six days a week, every day even, and you can adapt each class too so if you want to do it more often it doesn’t have to be intense every class. But it’s good to take a day off too, The Dailey Method doesn’t have to be every day, even though we do offer classes daily! — AFP-Relaxnews