Ballet Barres: A Beginner's Guide

Whether you’re trying to learn ballet or other forms of dance, or simply want to become more flexible and toned, you’ll need a ballet barre for training purposes. The best results are only possible whenever you use the barre correctly, so here is some advice you can use to help guide you in this process.

When holding onto the barre, make sure that most of your weight is not supported by it. You should simply be resting your hand on it without gripping too tightly. To see if you are placing too much weight on the barre, lift your hand off it. If you begin to fall, you are gripping too tightly. In the beginning, holding on for support is acceptable: however, as time goes on, you should become less reliant on the barre for balance.

Practice good posture while at the barre. Your back should be straight, shoulders back, and knees, hips, and ankles all in perfect alignment. Try using a mirror to help you identify whether or not your posture needs improving.

You should be the right distance away from the barre. You shouldn't be so close that your elbow is nearly resting on it, or so far away that you have to extend your forearm in order to grab it. Most people find a distance of around six to eight inches from the barre ideal.

The height of the barre is also important, as the top of it should ideally come between your hipbone and waist. Boss Ballet Barres' top bar height was determined after speaking with hundreds of schools, teachers and dancers.   On some of our models, the lower bar can be adjusted, to help accommodate younger or shorter users.


Here at Boss Ballet Barres, we have a wide selection of barres to choose from, so you can easily pick the one that’s right for you. And we're always an email away if you need assistance with your selection.  To find out more about our products, contact us.

The Strongest Portable Ballet Barres for Colleges and Universities are Boss Ballet Barres

Sometimes it is impossible to devote the necessary space for a permanent dance studio, and this can be especially true on a college campus. Dance departments are forced to take space where they can find it, and often time the rooms that they use are also used by another department. That makes mounting a permanent dance barre difficult...or even impossible. The solution is to use a portable dance barre, but usually these contraptions were flimsy and couldn't hold up to the demands of the college-level dance class. That's why we were inspired to start building portable ballet barres for colleges and universities out of our durable, top-of-the-line steel products.

We already had access to the best steel in the industry, so it was only a matter of testing out various models to figure out how to build a barre that was portable and durable, and could hold up to the demands of the most enthusiastic classroom. We ended up with our Boss Barres, and immediately these barres became a success with colleges and universities who needed something durable that could be wheeled in and out of a classroom setting as needed.

If you are an instructor looking for a portable dance barre, check out our Pro line. The Boss Barre Pro comes in 8, 10, 12, or 14' barres and uses a slightly larger steel tube in the structure, making it ultra durable for the classroom setting. You'll still be able to easily wheel your barre wherever you need it, and you love how stable it is in practice. Go ahead and place an order through our website, where you'll get a hefty discount on our list price. Our Boss Barre Pro line starts at only $398.00.


Be sure to contact us if you have any questions about our line of portable ballet barres. We want to make sure you have the information you need so you can make smart buying decisions for your classroom and studio. You can reach us by contacting us through our website. We'll get back with you right away and make sure all of your questions are answered about the Boss Barre. We're excited for you to experience the strength and graceful design of our barres!

It's Time to Replace Your Wall-Mounted Barres

If your wooden barres are beginning to crack or splinter, they are becoming a health and safety hazard, and it's time to replace them.

Once those old barres begin to show signs of wear, they are no longer as sturdy as they need to be in order to keep your dancers safe. Their cracked surface becomes a breeding ground for bacteria and other health hazards, and certainly everyone knows that splinters are no fun.

So now it's time to replace those barres. Wall-mount ballet barres have been a standard for dance and fitness studios for a very long time, but they have their limitations. They limit barre use to the walls of the studio, they can only be used from one side, and they are only as stable as their attachment to the wall.

If you'd like to get more use of your barres, providing better access to more users, then it might be time to replace your wall-mounted barres with our free-standing Boss Ballet Barres.

Our barres are crafted from high-strength, structural steel components that make them reliable while being flexible and portable. You're no longer limited to working against the mirror. With the quality Boss Barres, you can have both stability and flexibility, having unobstructed view of the mirror, no matter what direction you face.

Line the barres up across the center of the studio and everyone can be facing the same direction for instruction, and you can now really fill your barre fitness class with eager students!

Add one of our cost-effective dollies with non-marking casters, and your barres can travel, making any number of spaces available for warm-up, training, or practice.

If you've been wondering if it's time to replace those old wall mounted barres, then it probably is. So think differently; think of our stable, safe, reliable, and flexible, free-standing steel barres.


Contact us; we'd love to help you choose the barres that will fill your needs.

Free-Standing Ballet Barre Exercises to Help You Firm and Tone

Free standing ballet barres are not just for ballerinas, as they can be used as part of an effective fitness routine to help you firm and tone muscles. Here are some exercises you can try to help you get in great shape and look terrific.

Plié Squats

This exercise is similar to a traditional squat, but is done with toes facing outward and legs slightly wider than hip distance apart. Lower your body until your knees are just over your toes and parallel to the floor. Lift yourself up on your toes and hold for five to ten seconds before lowering your hips up and down by about six inches. Perform around 20 reps at each workout to firm your thighs, calves and buttocks.

Battlement Tendu

Begin by standing with one side to the bar and legs crossed in front of you. Your back foot should be facing the bar, while your front foot should be facing away. You will then stretch your front foot toward the front, back or side, while keeping it flexed and pointed. Repeat on the other side, performing a total of ten to fifteen reps to increase flexibility and strengthen the ankles and calves.

Incline Push-up

Place your hands on the barre about shoulder distance apart and walk backwards until you are at a slight incline. Be sure your body is in a straight line from shoulder to toe, and then lower your body until your chest touches the bar. Hold for a few seconds, and then raise to the starting position. Complete 15 to 20 reps per workout to strengthen your chest, arms and shoulders.


These exercises are easy enough to do, even if you are a beginner. Add them to your workout, and you should notice results after around 10 workout sessions. To find a ballet barre that is perfect for your fitness routine, contact us.