Description
This new warm-up center floor barre was inspired by the boys of Billy Elliot: The Musical. In order to get the boys warmed and ready to turn and jump with just a one hour class, Finis had them work off the barre standing in center floor in front of the mirror. Without the barre, the boys quickly learned to place themselves and engage their muscles properly. Watching themselves in the mirror, the boys quickly caught their mistakes and improved their concentration. In this breakthrough DVD, carefully paced choreographed exercises which turn and travel will refine your movement skills, as you stretch and strengthen your entire body. You will naturally develop a keener awareness of when and how to work your head, shoulders, and arms in order to balance the movements of your feet and legs. Sachiko Kanai is the demonstrator. The CD music is by Scott Killian.
Play the DVD in 3 modes: Full Class, Individual Exercises or Workout Mode where you can run the exercises without instruction. Once you’ve learned the exercise and heard the instructions, you may want to go straight to the demonstration with music so you can have a work-out without interruption.
You can find this feature on these videos.
The following DVDs don’t have the SPECIAL FEATURE but do allow you to skip the Instructions and go straight to the demonstration with music by using the SKIP FORWARD button:
- The Finis Jhung Ballet Technique: Stretch, Turn-out, & Extension
- The Finis Jhung Ballet Technique: The Power Barre
Streaming Playback
Streaming videos that offer the “Workout Mode / Nonstop Class” feature Streaming videos that offer the “Workout Mode / Nonstop Class” feature may be found here.
Most streaming videos do not offer multiple playback modes. Each DVD chapter/exercise is presented as an individual video. Once you complete an exercise, the next will play automatically. There is currently no “workout mode” available for most streaming videos.
About your purchasing choices…
FJ Streaming Singles We have released several brief videos (for example, our Foot Strength and Dance at Home series) which are only available to stream online. You will not receive a DVD, but may watch instantly upon completing your purchase.
DVD vs. Streaming
You’ll notice you have purchasing options on nearly all of the Finis Jhung Instructional Videos:
Streaming Playback
Streaming videos that offer the “Workout Mode / Nonstop Class” feature may be found here.
Most streaming videos do not offer multiple playback modes. Each DVD chapter/exercise is presented as an individual video. Once you complete an exercise, the next will play automatically. There is currently no “workout mode” available for most streaming videos.
Please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page for more information.
Available as a DVD.
Available to Stream Instantly Online.
Stream in Workout Mode.
“I’ve been doing your DVDs with my mother in her 60s. It’s helping her out a lot with learning to keep her balance and have good posture. Even the slightest movements have helped strengthen her muscles. We love you.”
— Trula Hudelson
“I was having difficulty with my beginner ballet class ages 6-9 at the barre. I asked Finis for advice, and he suggested that I purchase The Center Floor Barre Warm-Up. I had been locked into the idea that we must do barre with one hand or it does not qualify as ballet. Finis explained that if students could stand in front of the mirror and watch themselves work, they would get involved. He was right – my students loved it! They said it felt more like dancing, and they were more focused. The energy in my class was better and I left class feeling a renewed sense of excitement in teaching. Thank you Finis!”
— A Ballet Teacher, NY
“For a long time, I believed, as do many other ballet students, that the only way to warm up for a ballet class is by standing at the barre. This exceptional video challenges that belief. The idea for this DVD grew out of the ballet classes Finis Jhung gave to the lead boys in Billy Elliot: The Musical. The class was only an hour long and the boys had to get warmed up quickly so they could practice the demanding turns and jumps they would have to perform. So, Finis had them warm up without barres which forced them to work correctly and strongly. Since I don’t have a barre and have been using a chair for support, this video has been an eye-opener! The video starts with playful but ballet-like jogging, and then the exercises progress in difficulty and complexity to become beautiful combinations with changes of balances and directions. I found the exercises which relevé followed by a fondu or passé were extremely beneficial. I now realize that I need to strengthen my feet and improve my balance so I can work without using the barre. I am probably not alone in this challenge. Furthermore, the elegant and graceful demonstrator is Sachiko Kanai, who appears in several other Finis Jhung videos. Her attractive presence and compelling execution is inspiring. I have not found any other ballet technique videos which show a student how to warm-up without standing at the barre while strengthening the feet and turnout, improving balance, and perfecting movement skills all at the same time. This is like killing more than two birds with one stone!”
– Ileana Ray, Brooklyn, NY
“The centre classes are so effective—all my students love your centre barre. The results are amazing! Thank you again!”
— Ione Barczak, Ballet Mistress, City Ballet, Auckland, New Zealand
“Two of my pre-pointe class won 1st place in the MOVE Dance Competition in Denver Colorado. They have had only 2 years of ballet! We are from a very small town in Wyoming and have only had a dance studio for 3 years. This was such an incredible experience, not only for my students but for myself and our dance academy. So I have to thank you once again for the fabulous instructional DVD’s. We could not have accomplished this unbelievable moment without having your wisdom. Thank you for sharing your gift of dance with us.”
—Lori Bickford, Ballet Instructor, Meadowlark Academy of Dance, Newcastle, WY