Hello Ballet Beauties! Mary Helen recently released her second book, Ballet for Life, and we wanted to share an exclusive peek inside the book with all of you! We sat down with Mary Helen so she could tell us about the book and her inspiration behind writing it. Without further ado - enjoy this sneak peek and fun conversation with Mary Helen!
How is this book different from the first Ballet Beautiful book you wrote?
My first book was created as an introduction to the Ballet Beautiful method. I designed it as a how-to approach to our workouts and lifestyle.
Ballet For Life is a Rizzoli book that brings the world of Ballet Beautiful to life through lush photography. It includes my story of creating Ballet Beautiful and the role that classical dance plays in our workouts and lifestyle. I love how technical this book is, breaking down the way a dancer’s body works and is shaped through dance, and how we incorporate that into Ballet Beautiful. I share my Pro Ballet and Fitness Tips along with my approach to style, nutrition and beauty, taking the Ballet Beautiful lifestyle a step further.
The pictures and aesthetic of the book are gorgeous. What makes this book so special to you?
Working with Inez and Vinoodh to shoot this book was very special as they are dear friends and incredibly talented artists. My goal with this project was to create a piece of art that would inspire and empower others to make Ballet and Ballet Beautiful a part of their daily lives.
How do you envision people using this book?
This book is broken up into two parts: A Ballet Beautiful Body & A Ballet Beautiful Life.
In Part 1, the Ballet Beautiful Body, I explain ballet principles and fitness tips that you can use in your own workout to help you train like a Ballerina. Our program is deeply influenced by Ballet and classical training. My goal was to shed light on that inspiration and help readers take their Ballet Beautiful workouts to the next level.
In Part 2 of the book I talk about how my love for ballet has extended beyond the stage, inspiring my wardrobe, workouts, and even my home. I share how I love blending my dancewear with everyday life (I practically live in my leotards!), how the same effortless ballet style applies to my beauty routines, and how I have learned to eat the right foods to treat my body with care and feel my best. I hope this section inspires readers to let the elegance and grace of ballet seep into other parts of their daily lives.
What do you hope readers are left with after reading this book?
I hope this book will be one that our readers and fans turn to again and again as a source of guidance and inspiration on living a Ballet Beautiful Life.
I am forever grateful for Mary Helen and Ballet Beauty. I have purchased both of Mary Helen's books and love them equally for different reasons. Her first book and the Ballet Beautiful workouts have inspired me to work out at home on pretty much a daily basis--whether it's just stretching or doing one of the many amazing Ballet Beautiful workouts. I cannot emphasize enough how instrumental they have been to me. I have tried countless forms of exercise and nothing clicked. The only thing I have ever remotely enjoyed is walking. That has changed, however, thanks to Ballet Beautiful. Now, I cannot wait to either start or end my day with one of the workouts. The studio settings are so beautiful that I feel as though I am literally in the studio with Mary Helen!
The photography in the second book is simply gorgeous and I love how it inspires me to stop and think about how I can incorporate those extra elements of beauty into my every day life. For example, I have lots of beautiful china that had been gifted to me over the years that I have always saved for big family dinners during the holidays. With our children grown and gone, it remains unused for most of the year, which is really a shame. Thanks to Mary Helen's new book, I am inspired to use my china more, even on weeknights! Beauty isn't just for special occasions!
Each page is just as elegant and informative as the next. I am proud to be a former dancer. So,i have all of Helen's videos so at 49 I can still have the physique.