232 Pilates Digest


Why Adult Ballet Classes Can Enhance Your Pilates Practice

A graceful value add for reaching the fullest expression of every movement


At 232 Pilates, Pilates is viewed as a lifelong practice of refinement. Every exercise offers an opportunity to organize the body more intelligently, move with greater precision, and discover the fullest expression of a shape.

One of the most rewarding complements to my own Pilates practice has been adult ballet.

Let me be clear: ballet is not a replacement for Pilates. Pilates, in and of itself, is a complete and extraordinary system. Rather, ballet serves as a thoughtful value add; another discipline that heightens body awareness and helps reveal qualities that translate beautifully to the studio.

Allow me to elaborate about the grip in Pilates. Ballet helps me release the constant grip. In Pilates, especially on the Tower and Cadillac, the hands often assume a hook grip or C-curve around bars and handles. This gripping pattern is essential, but because it is repeated frequently, the muscles of the fingers, wrists, and forearms can become accustomed to a shortened position.

Adult ballet provides a powerful counterbalance. During ballet class, the arms move continuously through space while the fingers remain softly lengthened and expressive. In port de bras, the energy extends beyond the wrists, through the fingertips, and outward into the room. The hands are not merely attached to the arms, they complete them.

This quality of elongation can bring a new sense of reach and sophistication to Pilates. Suddenly, the arms feel longer, the wrists more supple, and the upper body more connected.

Another point worth mentioning, is opening the chest.

Ballet also reinforces one of the most important principles in Pilates: lift.
With each movement, the sternum rises, the collarbones broaden, and the torso appears to float upward. The chest opens without rigidity, creating a posture that is both strong and elegant.

I often notice that for several days after ballet class, my own posture feels naturally more upright. My chest is more open, my shoulders rest more easily, and my teaching takes on a greater sense of length and ease.

Equally vital is what I do with my eyes, neck, and directional Focus.

One of ballet’s most overlooked benefits is the way it trains the eyes and neck to move intentionally with the body. The gaze is never random; it is directed with purpose, and the neck remains long and organized as the head follows the movement.

This carries directly into Pilates. In exercises such as Saw, we often follow the fingertips with our eyes as the spine rotates and lengthens. What may appear to be a simple head turn is actually a sophisticated coordination of eye focus, neck muscles, and spinal movement. Ballet refines this skill, making the entire body feel more integrated and expressive. During a recent ballet class at Joffrey Ballet in the Village, the instructor said to look up and out in order to allow the stage light to shine directly on your cheek bone. Obviously, there wasn’t a stage light, but it is metaphors such as these that inspire my teaching voice and my practice.

Building more strength from the ground up is yet another take away from adult ballet. Ballet also offers remarkable conditioning for the legs, feet, and ankles. Repeated transitions and jumping between pointed and flexed positions tone the lower body while improving articulation through the feet and ankles. This complements the strength and control already developed in Pilates and enhances the sense of grounded elegance that supports every movement.

A Value Add to an Already Brilliant Method:

Pilates needs no improvement. Joseph Pilates created a remarkably complete system that strengthens the body from the inside out.
Adult ballet simply offers another lens through which to explore movement.

It reminds my students and I that our hands can be expressive, our chest can feel buoyant, our gaze can guide the body, and our posture can become even more refined.

At 232 Pilates, I am always looking for ways to uncover the fullest expression of each exercise. Sometimes, the most powerful insights come from stepping just outside the studio into a ballet class and returning with a fresh and more lifted perspective.

-Diana Muchmore, May 8, 2026

232 Digest is a weekly journal on movement, Pilates, and intelligent exercise written from the studio floor at 232 Pilates in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.