I want a ballerina body

I was in ballet when I was younger. I would love to take it again, not because I was skinny (I wasn't) or even because I was good at it (I wasn't) but I really enjoyed it.

Take up ballet?

I know "Vim_n_vigor" seems blunt, but she's spot on

I've been modifying my body between a gymnast & fighter, what did I do?
I dropped a weight class & started including gymnastic routines and stopped lifting heavy.

I think it's working, but then that's me

If you don't want the class and you're confident in your ability and knowledge of exercise, "steal" what you can from the internet
But...many techniques could put you in danger without good guidance!
Don't join a beginners class with a bunch of 4 year olds, go and pay for privates and see how you get on
Those dancers are STRONG!

or you could just focus on your "core", improve your core, improve your composition (reduce your fat % & increase your muscle mass). you will not become bulky. lb for lb, muscle takes up considerably less space then fat. you'll be lithe

you can find your own way or ask for tips from MFP, get a hard nosed ballet teacher or even a "quality" PT instructor

if you're really interested in doing this, please friend me as I'd love to track your progress. I reckon with the right diet, rest, training you could see results within 6 weeks and reach your goals if you write them down

Good luck!
ps
remember, you may be limited by certain genetics (apple/pear/hourglass/tube)

http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQBAfBT-P1PdVqsaLALnQsNC1hXtWN_UDIuzwvI3SfY9CUbbViJxDdhBJFPYg

Unfortunately, to some extent your body type is your body type. I'd love to have slender legs, but I have Mary Lou Retton legs instead. I wear size 6 or 8 bootcut jeans, have 18.5% body fat and need wide calf boots. My daughter has a Jennifer Lopez butt and big boobs but slender legs. You can ditch the fat, but you can't change your basic body type.

That said, if you're not taking steroids lifting won't make you bulky.

Well said!

Ballet is a great exercise, I do ballet once a week, been doing it for a long time and I don't have and I never will have a ballerina body. You need to start dancing at a very early age to get such a slender body, and dance a lot, not just a day or two a week. However, it is genetics what determines out body type.

Unfortunately, to some extent your body type is your body type. I'd love to have slender legs, but I have Mary Lou Retton legs instead. I wear size 6 or 8 bootcut jeans, have 18.5% body fat and need wide calf boots. My daughter has a Jennifer Lopez butt and big boobs but slender legs. You can ditch the fat, but you can't change your basic body type.

That said, if you're not taking steroids lifting won't make you bulky.

I'm with her. You can't really change your basic body type. I can lose all the weight I want, but I am never going to have an Audrey Hepburn figure. I will always have an *kitten* and boobs.

Same! This goes for ballerinas, too. I got to a conservatory of music and dance, and while I'm on the music side, the dansers have all kinds of body shapes and while they're all in really superior shape, some of them still are really big. It's body type. If you try to avoid hard exercises because you think it will make you bulky, you probably won't see much progress. I suggest reading New Rules of Lifting for Women...it will totally change the way you think about exercise.

Just a note: You "cannot" achieve "long, lean" muscles. You either have them or don't. Muscles insertions and shapes are determined by birth. You can't "elongate" a muscle. You can "visually" make it look longer by reducing body fat or losing muscle (through catabolic means) to look more "lanky" (my term). But no program is going to change muscle length or shape unless you're doing one where you're adding muscle.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Yep this, Stretching/toning routines won't make your have long lean muscles either. If you are a girl and bulky you have either A. eaten too much, or B. used drugs.

Taking up dance classes is a great way to get in that lean body shape! But keep in mind, a lot of proffesional ballet dancers are naturally that thin because they've done it all their life - their muscles are conditioned for it. Dancers that start later on in life or non-proffesionally while of course can be in great shape, tend to be not as slender. (At least in my experience with dancing ballet up until my teens this is what I've seemed to notice). Dancers have a lot of pressure to be thin, and eating disorders are sadly very common. The ideal weight for a professional ballet dancer is about 85lbs at 5' tall and add 5lbs for every inch taller - this is considered underweight on a BMI scale!
By all means though don't let that discourage you, just be mindful of your health :P - dance is one of the most beautiful forms of art, it's a great source for inspiration!!

Unfortunately, to some extent your body type is your body type. I'd love to have slender legs, but I have Mary Lou Retton legs instead. I wear size 6 or 8 bootcut jeans, have 18.5% body fat and need wide calf boots. My daughter has a Jennifer Lopez butt and big boobs but slender legs. You can ditch the fat, but you can't change your basic body type.

That said, if you're not taking steroids lifting won't make you bulky.

^^^ This.

do ballet?