The Ballet World: A Gift Guide for Bunheads

Hi guys, it’s Erica! Welcome back to The Ballet World. As you all know, the holidays are coming up. Therefore, I thought it would be useful to post a list of gifts that ballerinas would love. Hopefully this list will be helpful when shopping for your daughters, ballet teachers, or friends.

Flexistretcher: The Flexistretcher is a stretcher that safely improves a dancer’s flexibility while simultaneously strengthening his or her muscles. It is a great gift for ballerinas of a variety of ages since ballerinas never stop stretching. The Flexistretcher costs about $70.00 and can be purchased through websites such as Discount Dance Supplies, Amazon, and Flxnyc.com. I have taken classes from the creator of Flexistretcher. She is an awesome person and talented dancer. I would highly suggest watching her “How to” videos online. The videos show a bunch of exercises that the Flexistretcher can be used for.
Ballerina Jewelry Box: This gift is mainly for young ballerinas. I was gifted a ballerina jewelry box when I was five and was obsessed with it. Most ballerina jewelry boxes have a spinning ballerina and play music when it is opened. You can purchase them from websites such as Sears and Amazon. They range in price from $12.00 to $60.00. This is definitely an affordable gift that will make some little ballerina very happy.
Bloch Booties: These booties are warm up shoes to put over your ballet shoes or pointe shoes. They are a great gift for dancers of any age. The booties are perfect for warming up in class, especially during the cold winter months. They cost about $40.00 and can be found on websites such as Us.blochworld.com and Discount Dance Supplies.
Foam Roller: Foam rollers are becoming more and more common in stretch and yoga classes for ballerinas. They are great for exercising with as well as rolling out your body after class. Rollers are usually supplied in most stretch classes, but often ballerinas prefer to have their own. The rollers are not too large in size and can easily be thrown into a dance tote. You can purchase a roller for about $20.00 from Amazon or Rei.com.
Ballet Barre: Almost every ballerina would love to have a ballet barre at home. It allows them to practice outside of the studio whenever they have free time. Home ballet barres are especially useful for young dancers that do not take many ballet classes per week yet. On days off, they can practice what they need to work on from class. A ballet barre can cost anywhere from $130 to $200. They can be purchased from websites such as the ballet barre store or Amazon.