Tuesday 31 December 2013

Safety Tips for Using Free-Standing Ballet Barres

If you’re looking for a great way to improve your flexibility and tone muscles, ballet could just be the ticket. When using free-standing ballet barres in your workout routine, there are a few things you should keep in mind in order to ensure your safety while doing so.

When choosing a material, barres made from structural steel barres will be the sturdiest, while most of the thin-gauge aluminum, PVC plastic and wood alternatives can't quite compare. Even the sturdiest barres can have safety issues, however

If finished poorly, they can stain the hands, pass germs and bacteria along, or become hard to grip. Painting is not a long-term solution, chipping off easily and often coming off in small amounts on hands and legs.  Buying units with a powder coated finish will also help prevent rust and make them easier to clean as well.  All Boss Ballet Barres are fully powder coated in a controlled facility, providing years of a germ-resistant, durable and clean finish.

It’s important to check the edges of a ballet barre in order to make sure they are smooth or capped on the end. This can help you avoid getting poked by sharp edges, and can ensure that children will not bump into them and possibly become injured.  With no square edges, all of our barres avoid this issue entirely.

The feet should NOT be made from rubber when choosing a portable barre. Although rubber feet can help to hold the barre in position on certain surfaces, they can also cause marks to form on the floor beneath.  Using a proprietary polyurethane material, our barre feet are made to be durable and non-marking, regardless of the surface, but especially on expensive dance flooring.

By choosing the right ballet barre, you can ensure your workout will be safe and fun for years to come. For the best selection of ballet barres anywhere around, contact us.

Thursday 19 December 2013

Why You Should Use a Ballet Barre to Get In Shape for the Coming Year


Ballet barres are not just for ballerinas, as nearly anyone can use them to help get in shape. Workout routines that make use of a ballet barre are growing in popularity because they provide tremendous benefits for those who participate in them.

Ballet barre workouts tend to combine yoga and Pilates with dance moves. As a result, you’ll be able to lose weight and tone problem areas such as the hips, thighs and buttocks. Not only that, but you’ll also improve your overall body strength and flatten and tone your abdominals as well.

Improved flexibility is a major draw to ballet barres. As a result, you may find it easier to participate in sports due to your increased range of motion. Enhanced flexibility can also eliminate some of the signs of aging such as stiffness, and result in improved posture as well.

Ballet workouts result in better balance, which means that falls will be less likely. Those who regularly take part in ballet barre exercise can also experience a host of other benefits that can include:

A reduction in lower back pain
  • Improved self esteem
  • Weight loss
  • Increased levels of energy
  • Higher levels of endurance
  • Stress reduction
These workouts can also incorporate resistance bands, stability balls or free weights for even more intensity. For maximum effectiveness, you should plan on working out on the barre two to three times a week, alternating strength and flexibility training with cardiovascular exercise such as bicycling, running or brisk walking. In less than 30 minutes per day, you can look and feel better than you ever thought possible before. To find the right ballet barre for your workout regimen, contact us.

Thursday 5 December 2013

A Dance Barre Fit for a Princess


What little girl has not dreamed at one time of waking up to discover that she's really a princess? If we are honest, there's probably not a woman among us who would not admit to having fostered such fantasies while growing up. Hence the massive popularity of Meg Cabot's Princess Diaries, a book series which chronicles the adventures of hapless high school freshman Mia Thermopolis. Mia's discovery of her royal heritage and all of the responsibilities that go with it turn out to have a massive -- and hilarious -- impact on her life.

Whether born of literal royal blood or not, every little girl has a princess inside. Girls who dance feel this doubly so, and they long for others to recognize this fact and give them the royal treatment they deserve.

That's why the Boss Princess Barre would be the perfect addition to the bedroom, rec room, or dance studio of the little princess in your life. At a height of 37 inches and with an adjustable lower bar, this barre is perfect for home princess practice, either alone or with a royal court of friends!  And the ability to adjust that lower bar means it can grow with her, as well.

If you're seeking to honor a princess who lives far away, remember that we also offer gift certificates. Taking advantage of this unique gift-giving opportunity can ensure that your thoughtfulness will arrive in a timely manner (via e-mail) and still allow her royal court to assist her in choosing the dance barre that best suits her needs.  This time of year sees us usually running short of Princess Barres for holiday gifts, but we currently still have stock.

As a reminder, we encourage all West Coast orders to be in by Dec. 11, and all East Coast orders by Dec. 15 in order to have them arrive in time for the holidays.

For all of your ballet bar needs, please feel free to contact us. We look forward to serving you!