Got anything you’ve been struggling
with in your dance practice?
Based on the questions you submitted for this edition of ADVICE CORNER,
TAECHO Ambassador and ballerina Jimin Kim has
thoughtfully answered each one herself.
Jimin Kim is currently an active member of the London City Ballet,
and her dance radiates the dedication and heartfelt effort
she has poured into it over the years.
TAECHO AMBASSADOR JIMIN KIM
Wearing
SecondSkin Palace-Dress Vneck LT, Blossom
Flow™ Slit Psyche Midi Skirt, Apricot
The questions we're addressing this time
are concerns that many of you will likely relate to.
We hope that Jimin’s answers will help you dance
with a little less strain and a little more ease.
So now, let’s begin together.
JIMIN KIM
Hello!
I'm Jimin Kim, a TAECHO ambassador and a dancer
currently performing with the London City Ballet in the UK.
Thanks to a wonderful opportunity,
I now get to respond to a few of the concerns and questions
you’ve had while doing ballet — as fellow lovers of TAECHO,
a brand I truly cherish and adore.
Since I wasn’t particularly gifted physically when I started ballet,
I’ve spent a lot of time thinking deeply and questioning myself,
all in the pursuit of dancing comfortably
and in the way I envisioned for myself.
I listened carefully to my teachers and gave it my all,
but still, I couldn't understand why I didn’t look like that.
More than anything, when I danced,
I always felt uncomfortable, unsure if I was moving in the right direction.
I figured it must mean I hadn’t practiced enough,
so I poured endless hours into practice and thought—
perhaps a bit foolishly—just doing more and more.
But I could never quite reach the ideal image I had in my mind.
But after spending so much time in constant thought and effort,
even though the process was slow,
I started to find little answers, day by day.
Even when I felt like, “I’ve finally figured it out!”
new ideas would come to me a month later
as the days continued to build up.
Now, at last, I feel I can move my body
more freely, just the way I always hoped to.
And I’ve come to understand what it really means
to dance — without unnecessary effort or tension.
To dance freely, with the feeling and expression I wanted,
I first had to be able to move comfortably when performing each step.
But for the longest time, even though I felt a fire of expression inside,
my body felt stiff and limited, and I didn’t have the technique
to dance the way I envisioned.
It took me more than ten long years to truly understand that feeling!
It was a very painful and long journey to reach the feeling I have now.
There were times I felt envious of friends who could effortlessly do moves
that I couldn’t, no matter how much I practiced—just because of their natural physique.
And I often blamed myself, wondering, “Why wasn’t I born with those gifts?”
But looking back, because nothing came easily to me,
I now truly understand the struggles that so many dancers go through—
how it feels, how frustrating it can be.
In a way, it’s become one of my strengths.
That’s why I genuinely want to respond and help with all my heart. :-)
Even now, I’m still discovering and trying new things every single day.
And I believe this process of discovery will continue
for as long as I dance—until the day I stop.
To those of you who do ballet as a hobby,
I truly respect and admire you from the bottom of my heart.
I think I can answer these three questions within the same context.
They’re all connected to turnout, and the axis that helps us move freely
and execute technique with stability in ballet—
as well as what we commonly refer to as the core.
These are all developed through our daily class work: barre and center.
The most important element here is turnout!
When you use your turnout correctly, that’s when your axis is formed.
Once you’re able to feel your body’s axis and core,
you’ll be able to stand on your own center without relying on the barre.
Then, whether you’re standing on pointe, balancing on one leg,
or doing pirouettes and center work—you’ll feel much less fear.
So how do we actually do turnout correctly?
There’s a really important clue in the third question:
“straightening the knees.”
It’s probably one of the most common instructions
you hear from teachers during class.
I’ve definitely heard it countless times myself.
But behind that simple phrase, “straighten your knees,”
is a long, detailed process.
In a group class setting, there often isn’t time
to explain all the nuances,
so teachers tend to skip straight to the conclusion—
and students tend to take those words at face value.
Many dancers make the mistake of forcing their knees
backward in first position,
trying to eliminate any gap between the legs,
sometimes even creating an unnatural X-shaped alignment.
They twist their feet to 180 degrees, focus on how it looks in the mirror,
and mistake that appearance for proper turnout.
You might find yourself constantly checking—
“Are my feet fully turned out?” “Are my knees touching?”
“Am I straightening my knees hard enough?”
(What I call “pressing them back.”)
That kind of turnout is what leads to knee pain—
and I know this well because I made the exact same mistake.
It’s a superficial, appearance-based turnout.
It doesn’t train the inner muscles that help us balance,
nor does it build the true axis we need to stand securely.
It’s an empty turnout with no substance.
“Turnout” literally means “to turn outward.”
In ballet terms, it refers to rotating the entire lower body
—from the tips of the toes
all the way up to the hip joints—outward.
But if I reflect on the mistakes I mentioned earlier,
instead of truly rotating the whole leg regardless of how it looks,
many of us twist the feet first while watching in the mirror,
and leave the calves, knees, and thighs unrotated.
The arches collapse, the feet appear to open to 180 degrees,
and we end up thinking that this look equals proper turnout.
Then, we push our knees backward to close the gap between them.
If you touch your inner thigh muscles while doing this,
you’ll notice they’re completely soft—there’s no engagement at all.
This is the clearest sign that
the real inner muscles ballet relies on aren't being used.
To correct our turnout properly,
the first thing to understand is that it’s not about what you see in the mirror.
It’s actually quite difficult for the human leg to rotate
a full 180 degrees as a whole.
In fact, the real range most of us can safely open our legs to
is much smaller than that.
So we train every day to gradually expand this natural range—
little by little, over time.
All the muscles in our body are connected, not isolated.
From the big toe through the arch of the foot, to the heel—
and then upward through the inside of the leg,
you can feel the connection to the inner knee,
the inner thigh muscles connected to it,
and eventually, even up to the lower abdominals and core.
To figure out your correct turnout range
and whether you’re actually using your inner muscles,
try reducing the angle of your feet.
It doesn’t have to be 180 degrees.
What matters more is whether, within that turnout,
your five toes are spread evenly and supporting the floor—
and whether your arch is lifted and stable.
Within that stable range, open your legs to form a basic position.
And in that moment, try a gentle plié—
it will help you feel the alignment and muscle engagement more clearly.
Once you have opened your foot angle,
you need to check if the inner muscles of your leg,
rising from the arch of your foot, remain engaged and strong.
Even when you straighten your knees from a plié and stand in a basic position,
your knees, calves, and thighs should each stay perfectly turned outward—
to the right and left sides—just as they are when you’re in plié.
As you rise slowly, you’ll find that your knees won’t come together easily.
Your legs might be spread apart so much that you wonder if you’re bending too much.
Don’t focus on forcing your knees to come together—
instead, make sure that your entire legs and both knees
are consistently turning outward.
Then, to stretch the inner muscles you feel,
push your heels further into the floor,
stretching the inner muscles connected throughout your legs.
This is exactly what it means to straighten
your knees while maintaining turnout.
Instead of simply squeezing your knees together
to close the gap between your legs,
if you practice daily by maintaining the difficult-opened legs as described above,
and lengthen the activated inner muscles,
you’ll find your knees gradually straighten, your legs open more,
and you’ll truly see your legs rotate.
By focusing on feeling your inner muscles in every class,
you’ll discover your body’s axis,
and gradually, without fear,
you’ll be able to dance with a strong and confident center!
So lately, during class, I purposely stand where I can’t see the mirror
to focus as much as possible on feeling my muscles from within.
Without realizing it, I tend to get caught up in watching my reflection and only focus on appearance,
but sometimes not looking at the mirror actually helps more.
And especially during barre work,
try to concentrate more on the turnout of the supporting leg rather than the moving leg! :)
Everyone has one side that’s naturally more comfortable and flexible.
For me, I can easily lift my right leg,
but my left leg has always been much less flexible and uncomfortable, which has been a source of frustration.
Just like how some people are right-handed or left-handed,
we tend to unconsciously favor and use the more comfortable side more often,
while avoiding the uncomfortable side.
As a result, the good side keeps improving,
but the weaker side stays the same or even gets worse.
So whenever I do a movement on my right side,
I try to do at least one extra repetition on my left side, even if I don’t want to.
During adagio, I especially focus on keeping my body straighter on the left side,
trying every day to lift my leg even just 0.1cm higher.
The key point is to maintain a properly aligned body while lifting the leg!
Sometimes, I even start barre work on the left side,
and when stretching my legs, I begin with the left side too.
It might also be due to tight, knotted muscles.
Try using a massage ball or foam roller to find and roll out the deep inner muscles on your less comfortable side,
especially around the side of your hip where it can be quite painful.
Deeply knotted muscles inside your body could be restricting your movement.
In fact, after I released a lot of tension in my left side muscles,
my range of motion increased, making movement much easier.
When you work on your muscles, make sure to find
those deep, painful spots inside your body and focus on releasing them!
Although it might hurt, this kind of deep release actually loosens
the muscles and makes your body feel lighter.
This is similar to what I mentioned earlier.
To truly activate and strengthen the core muscles needed for ballet,
it’s not the muscles on the surface of our abdomen,
but the muscles located very deep in the lower belly.
To feel and strengthen these muscles, dancers often supplement their training
with exercises like Pilates and Gyrotonic.
Personally, through Pilates classes,
I became much more aware of my deep lower abdominal core muscles,
which really helped my ballet.
I have a daily abdominal workout routine without missing a day,
and among the many exercises that help me feel
both turnout and the lower belly core,
one of the most effective is the “leg raise.”
If done correctly, it’s a challenging exercise—even 10 reps can be tough!
Make sure your tailbone doesn’t tuck under; only the lower spine
connected to the tailbone should lift slightly off the floor,
while the rest of your back stays comfortably pressed down.
Lying down, engage the deepest muscles at the very bottom of your abdomen
and try performing leg raises using these muscles.
Keep both legs flexed with your heels together,
and as I explained before, rotate your legs completely from the heels in each direction into turnout.
Feel the inner muscles activating all the way up to your lower belly.
Using those muscles, maintain the turnout as you slowly raise and lower your legs repeatedly.
One important point to be careful about at this time is—
- You need to keep your spine lifted off the floor without bending by pressing your spine gently down—
this helps engage your lower abdominal muscles.
Think of maintaining the natural S-curve of your spine rather than pressing it flat against the floor! - Be careful not to unintentionally tense your shoulders and neck,
and avoid letting your upper abdomen and ribs lift off the floor and spread apart. - Avoid losing strength in your inner muscles by letting your turnout loosen when your legs raise or lower.
- Make sure your heels don’t spread apart.
If you follow all these points carefully, it will be challenging,
but you will be able to feel your hip joints opening,
and you will train the truly necessary core strength.
This will be more effective than exercises that only stimulate the superficial abdominal muscles.
It may take a long time and be difficult to find that feeling and build your strength,
but if you keep thinking about it and visualize it while exercising,
you will develop the essential strength you need,
making dancing much easier and more comfortable!
Weight! It’s truly a lifelong concern. Haha.
It’s one of the things that always worried and stressed me out during ballet.
I’ve tried many diets, both losing and gaining weight,
and I was always preoccupied with thoughts about food.
But only now do I feel like my eating habits have finally stabilized.
Before coming to Europe and joining a professional ballet company,
when I think back to my school days, especially university,
my daily meal times and routines were very irregular and unstructured.
I started early in the morning and finished late at night,
moving and practicing all day long,
so I had no concept of when to eat or how much nutrition I should get in one meal.
I just ate whatever whenever I was hungry,
and I think I often ordered delivery food too.
After finishing practice around 11 PM, when I headed home,
I was so hungry that I would eat in the car on the way home
and then go straight to sleep as soon as I got home.
My sleep time was short, and this pattern was really chaotic,
but maybe because I was moving so much, I don’t think I gained much weight.
However, when there were special occasions like performances or competitions
where I needed to lose extra weight,
my practice hours stayed the same or even increased, but I cut my food intake by more than half.
I kept having breakfast around 6 AM as usual,
but after finishing morning practice at school around 11 AM,
I tried diets where I didn’t eat anything at all.
On top of my already heavy practice schedule, I would also do extra treadmill running
or rehearse pieces more times,
and since I had no concept of replenishing nutrients or protein,
sometimes I just didn’t eat at all.
Still, because I really liked delicious food and eating,
I made sure to eat one full meal of whatever I wanted.
That was usually breakfast for me,
and when I did that, I ended up binge-eating a huge amount,
regardless of the type of food.
Before important performances or competitions,
I would go on an intense diet for about a month and lose around 5 kilos each time.
It was a diet that took me from being slim to being very thin, almost skeletal.
Because I moved a lot and drastically reduced how much I ate,
I lost weight quickly,
but every time an important event was over, the weight I lost
would come back very quickly.
Of course, even when the weight returned, I wasn’t excessively overweight, so it was okay,
but the problem was that during each of these diets,
I had to restrain my desires a lot, which caused mental calculations and stress.
After the diet ended, I would binge eat badly,
and above all, I always thought “diets are hard,”
so I believed dieting was something I could only do if I was really determined.
However, I became more aware of and struggled with the problems in my eating habits
after graduating from university and joining a professional ballet company.
Unlike my school days, my activity level significantly decreased,
but my eating habits stayed the same, and as a result, my body started feeling heavier.
The thought of dieting caused me so much stress that I kept avoiding it,
and as I gained more weight and grew unhappy with my appearance,
I practiced less and less... it felt like a vicious cycle was beginning.
So, for the first time, I tried dieting by planning my meals.
Instead of eating three full meals a day,
I followed diet tips often shared on social media and YouTube,
significantly restricting carbohydrates
and keeping my daily calorie intake around 1300-1500 or less.
With this, I lost weight quite well again,
but the problem was becoming obsessed with the number of calories and
not eating enough carbohydrates, which made me feel weak.
As I lost weight, it felt like my energy and muscles were disappearing too.
Also, by completely restricting one nutrient like this,
I would rationalize having a “cheat day,”
during which I would binge on carbs and sugars like bread and desserts
that I hadn’t been able to eat before.
Still, I lost quite a bit of weight during that time,
but after coming to Europe and starting to live on my own,
the battle with controlling my appetite began again.
Since I had to cook all my meals by myself and it was my first time,
it was very difficult to manage portion sizes and resist the new, intriguing ingredients and snacks.
Moreover, since the standards for body weight were more relaxed here than in Korea,
I felt somewhat relieved,
but the diet I had done right before coming here actually backfired,
and after arriving in Europe, I binged again and gained the weight back...
It felt like my mind was always filled with both joy and stress about ballet and food.
Over a long period of time, after much reflection and trying various diets,
the answer I ultimately found was to ‘listen to my body.’
There are no unnecessary nutrients for humans.
Carbohydrates, proteins, fats, sugars, and all other nutrients
are needed in small amounts.
The simple solution is to properly balance all these nutrients
in every meal, three times a day.
It’s not about forbidding yourself from eating certain foods just because you’re dieting,
but rather eating what your body craves at the moment!
I believe that craving is a signal that your body lacks that nutrient.
If you eat what your body asks for right away, even a small amount brings satisfaction,
preventing binge eating and stopping you from thinking about other foods.
For example, if you eat mostly fiber, protein, and fats in the morning
without carbohydrates, you’ll likely feel empty a few hours later and crave rice or bread.
Then for lunch, you choose a sandwich or a meal higher in carbohydrates.
After finishing rehearsals, since you’ve used a lot of muscles,
you need to replenish protein.
So for dinner, I make sure to include protein—either meat or plant-based—
along with carbohydrates as well.
Many people think that cutting carbs is the key to losing weight,
which is partly true, but excessive restriction drains your energy
and leads to binge eating and yo-yo dieting later.
That’s why I recommend consuming at least some carbohydrates with every meal!
And then I finish my meal with a small sweet dessert.
Before, I used to eat low-sugar desserts like allulose
or stevia-based treats that have become popular recently,
but no matter how much I ate, those desserts made me crave
more sweet foods rather than feel satisfied.
Now, I prefer to have a small portion of regular chocolate or ice cream that contains sugar,
and eating just a little brings me enough satisfaction to control the amount.
Because I feel satisfied after every meal like this,
my obsession with food has lessened, satisfaction has increased,
and the stress and compulsive thoughts about needing to diet have mostly disappeared.
Among these habits, the one I make sure to keep is eating the same breakfast every day.
I start my mornings with raw cabbage, boiled eggs, and cheese.
Then I have yogurt with fruit and granola, or on weekend mornings, I make open-faced toast with various ingredients.
When I wake up, I always try to begin my day with a meal focused on fiber, protein, and fats.
This helps me feel full for a long time, prevents hunger throughout the day,
and stops me from craving all kinds of other foods!
Along with this eating habit, my daily rehearsals, practice, and exercise help me lose weight and maintain it
without having to diet like I did before.
Now, even without stepping on the scale, I can roughly gauge how my body is doing,
and when my practice decreases or I eat a little more,
I have the confidence to adjust so that even if I gain or lose a bit of weight, it stays within a reasonable range.
Because of that, I’ve been able to maintain my body without much stress.
I believe the first step to losing weight healthily and developing good eating habits
is to free yourself from obsession and stress.
I hope everyone can have healthy eating habits
without feeling stressed and while enjoying delicious food!
TAECHO ADVICE CORNER
TAECHO AMBASSADOR
JIMIN KIM
INSTAGRAM
Got anything you’ve been struggling
with in your dance practice?
Based on the questions you submitted for this edition of ADVICE CORNER,
TAECHO Ambassador and ballerina Jimin Kim has
thoughtfully answered each one herself.
Jimin Kim is currently an active member of the London City Ballet,
and her dance radiates the dedication and heartfelt effort
she has poured into it over the years.
TAECHO AMBASSADOR JIMIN KIM
Wearing
SecondSkin Palace-Dress Vneck LT, Blossom
Flow™ Slit Psyche Midi Skirt, Apricot
The questions we're addressing this time
are concerns that many of you will likely relate to.
We hope that Jimin’s answers will help you dance
with a little less strain and a little more ease.
So now, let’s begin together.
JIMIN KIM
Hello!
I'm Jimin Kim, a TAECHO ambassador and a dancer
currently performing with the London City Ballet in the UK.
Thanks to a wonderful opportunity,
I now get to respond to a few of the concerns and questions
you’ve had while doing ballet — as fellow lovers of TAECHO,
a brand I truly cherish and adore.
Since I wasn’t particularly gifted physically when I started ballet,
I’ve spent a lot of time thinking deeply and questioning myself,
all in the pursuit of dancing comfortably
and in the way I envisioned for myself.
I listened carefully to my teachers and gave it my all,
but still, I couldn't understand why I didn’t look like that.
More than anything, when I danced,
I always felt uncomfortable, unsure if I was moving in the right direction.
I figured it must mean I hadn’t practiced enough,
so I poured endless hours into practice and thought—
perhaps a bit foolishly—just doing more and more.
But I could never quite reach the ideal image I had in my mind.
But after spending so much time in constant thought and effort,
even though the process was slow,
I started to find little answers, day by day.
Even when I felt like, “I’ve finally figured it out!”
new ideas would come to me a month later
as the days continued to build up.
Now, at last, I feel I can move my body
more freely, just the way I always hoped to.
And I’ve come to understand what it really means
to dance — without unnecessary effort or tension.
To dance freely, with the feeling and expression I wanted,
I first had to be able to move comfortably when performing each step.
But for the longest time, even though I felt a fire of expression inside,
my body felt stiff and limited, and I didn’t have the technique
to dance the way I envisioned.
It took me more than ten long years to truly understand that feeling!
It was a very painful and long journey to reach the feeling I have now.
There were times I felt envious of friends who could effortlessly do moves
that I couldn’t, no matter how much I practiced—just because of their natural physique.
And I often blamed myself, wondering, “Why wasn’t I born with those gifts?”
But looking back, because nothing came easily to me,
I now truly understand the struggles that so many dancers go through—
how it feels, how frustrating it can be.
In a way, it’s become one of my strengths.
That’s why I genuinely want to respond and help with all my heart. :-)
Even now, I’m still discovering and trying new things every single day.
And I believe this process of discovery will continue
for as long as I dance—until the day I stop.
To those of you who do ballet as a hobby,
I truly respect and admire you from the bottom of my heart.
I think I can answer these three questions within the same context.
They’re all connected to turnout, and the axis that helps us move freely
and execute technique with stability in ballet—
as well as what we commonly refer to as the core.
These are all developed through our daily class work: barre and center.
The most important element here is turnout!
When you use your turnout correctly, that’s when your axis is formed.
Once you’re able to feel your body’s axis and core,
you’ll be able to stand on your own center without relying on the barre.
Then, whether you’re standing on pointe, balancing on one leg,
or doing pirouettes and center work—you’ll feel much less fear.
So how do we actually do turnout correctly?
There’s a really important clue in the third question:
“straightening the knees.”
It’s probably one of the most common instructions
you hear from teachers during class.
I’ve definitely heard it countless times myself.
But behind that simple phrase, “straighten your knees,”
is a long, detailed process.
In a group class setting, there often isn’t time
to explain all the nuances,
so teachers tend to skip straight to the conclusion—
and students tend to take those words at face value.
Many dancers make the mistake of forcing their knees
backward in first position,
trying to eliminate any gap between the legs,
sometimes even creating an unnatural X-shaped alignment.
They twist their feet to 180 degrees, focus on how it looks in the mirror,
and mistake that appearance for proper turnout.
You might find yourself constantly checking—
“Are my feet fully turned out?” “Are my knees touching?”
“Am I straightening my knees hard enough?”
(What I call “pressing them back.”)
That kind of turnout is what leads to knee pain—
and I know this well because I made the exact same mistake.
It’s a superficial, appearance-based turnout.
It doesn’t train the inner muscles that help us balance,
nor does it build the true axis we need to stand securely.
It’s an empty turnout with no substance.
“Turnout” literally means “to turn outward.”
In ballet terms, it refers to rotating the entire lower body
—from the tips of the toes
all the way up to the hip joints—outward.
But if I reflect on the mistakes I mentioned earlier,
instead of truly rotating the whole leg regardless of how it looks,
many of us twist the feet first while watching in the mirror,
and leave the calves, knees, and thighs unrotated.
The arches collapse, the feet appear to open to 180 degrees,
and we end up thinking that this look equals proper turnout.
Then, we push our knees backward to close the gap between them.
If you touch your inner thigh muscles while doing this,
you’ll notice they’re completely soft—there’s no engagement at all.
This is the clearest sign that
the real inner muscles ballet relies on aren't being used.
To correct our turnout properly,
the first thing to understand is that it’s not about what you see in the mirror.
It’s actually quite difficult for the human leg to rotate
a full 180 degrees as a whole.
In fact, the real range most of us can safely open our legs to
is much smaller than that.
So we train every day to gradually expand this natural range—
little by little, over time.
All the muscles in our body are connected, not isolated.
From the big toe through the arch of the foot, to the heel—
and then upward through the inside of the leg,
you can feel the connection to the inner knee,
the inner thigh muscles connected to it,
and eventually, even up to the lower abdominals and core.
To figure out your correct turnout range
and whether you’re actually using your inner muscles,
try reducing the angle of your feet.
It doesn’t have to be 180 degrees.
What matters more is whether, within that turnout,
your five toes are spread evenly and supporting the floor—
and whether your arch is lifted and stable.
Within that stable range, open your legs to form a basic position.
And in that moment, try a gentle plié—
it will help you feel the alignment and muscle engagement more clearly.
Once you have opened your foot angle,
you need to check if the inner muscles of your leg,
rising from the arch of your foot, remain engaged and strong.
Even when you straighten your knees from a plié and stand in a basic position,
your knees, calves, and thighs should each stay perfectly turned outward—
to the right and left sides—just as they are when you’re in plié.
As you rise slowly, you’ll find that your knees won’t come together easily.
Your legs might be spread apart so much that you wonder if you’re bending too much.
Don’t focus on forcing your knees to come together—
instead, make sure that your entire legs and both knees
are consistently turning outward.
Then, to stretch the inner muscles you feel,
push your heels further into the floor,
stretching the inner muscles connected throughout your legs.
This is exactly what it means to straighten
your knees while maintaining turnout.
Instead of simply squeezing your knees together
to close the gap between your legs,
if you practice daily by maintaining the difficult-opened legs as described above,
and lengthen the activated inner muscles,
you’ll find your knees gradually straighten, your legs open more,
and you’ll truly see your legs rotate.
By focusing on feeling your inner muscles in every class,
you’ll discover your body’s axis,
and gradually, without fear,
you’ll be able to dance with a strong and confident center!
So lately, during class, I purposely stand where I can’t see the mirror
to focus as much as possible on feeling my muscles from within.
Without realizing it, I tend to get caught up in watching my reflection and only focus on appearance,
but sometimes not looking at the mirror actually helps more.
And especially during barre work,
try to concentrate more on the turnout of the supporting leg rather than the moving leg! :)
Everyone has one side that’s naturally more comfortable and flexible.
For me, I can easily lift my right leg,
but my left leg has always been much less flexible and uncomfortable, which has been a source of frustration.
Just like how some people are right-handed or left-handed,
we tend to unconsciously favor and use the more comfortable side more often,
while avoiding the uncomfortable side.
As a result, the good side keeps improving,
but the weaker side stays the same or even gets worse.
So whenever I do a movement on my right side,
I try to do at least one extra repetition on my left side, even if I don’t want to.
During adagio, I especially focus on keeping my body straighter on the left side,
trying every day to lift my leg even just 0.1cm higher.
The key point is to maintain a properly aligned body while lifting the leg!
Sometimes, I even start barre work on the left side,
and when stretching my legs, I begin with the left side too.
It might also be due to tight, knotted muscles.
Try using a massage ball or foam roller to find and roll out the deep inner muscles on your less comfortable side,
especially around the side of your hip where it can be quite painful.
Deeply knotted muscles inside your body could be restricting your movement.
In fact, after I released a lot of tension in my left side muscles,
my range of motion increased, making movement much easier.
When you work on your muscles, make sure to find
those deep, painful spots inside your body and focus on releasing them!
Although it might hurt, this kind of deep release actually loosens
the muscles and makes your body feel lighter.
This is similar to what I mentioned earlier.
To truly activate and strengthen the core muscles needed for ballet,
it’s not the muscles on the surface of our abdomen,
but the muscles located very deep in the lower belly.
To feel and strengthen these muscles, dancers often supplement their training
with exercises like Pilates and Gyrotonic.
Personally, through Pilates classes,
I became much more aware of my deep lower abdominal core muscles,
which really helped my ballet.
I have a daily abdominal workout routine without missing a day,
and among the many exercises that help me feel
both turnout and the lower belly core,
one of the most effective is the “leg raise.”
If done correctly, it’s a challenging exercise—even 10 reps can be tough!
Make sure your tailbone doesn’t tuck under; only the lower spine
connected to the tailbone should lift slightly off the floor,
while the rest of your back stays comfortably pressed down.
Lying down, engage the deepest muscles at the very bottom of your abdomen
and try performing leg raises using these muscles.
Keep both legs flexed with your heels together,
and as I explained before, rotate your legs completely from the heels in each direction into turnout.
Feel the inner muscles activating all the way up to your lower belly.
Using those muscles, maintain the turnout as you slowly raise and lower your legs repeatedly.
One important point to be careful about at this time is—
this helps engage your lower abdominal muscles.
Think of maintaining the natural S-curve of your spine rather than pressing it flat against the floor!
and avoid letting your upper abdomen and ribs lift off the floor and spread apart.
If you follow all these points carefully, it will be challenging,
but you will be able to feel your hip joints opening,
and you will train the truly necessary core strength.
This will be more effective than exercises that only stimulate the superficial abdominal muscles.
It may take a long time and be difficult to find that feeling and build your strength,
but if you keep thinking about it and visualize it while exercising,
you will develop the essential strength you need,
making dancing much easier and more comfortable!
Weight! It’s truly a lifelong concern. Haha.
It’s one of the things that always worried and stressed me out during ballet.
I’ve tried many diets, both losing and gaining weight,
and I was always preoccupied with thoughts about food.
But only now do I feel like my eating habits have finally stabilized.
Before coming to Europe and joining a professional ballet company,
when I think back to my school days, especially university,
my daily meal times and routines were very irregular and unstructured.
I started early in the morning and finished late at night,
moving and practicing all day long,
so I had no concept of when to eat or how much nutrition I should get in one meal.
I just ate whatever whenever I was hungry,
and I think I often ordered delivery food too.
After finishing practice around 11 PM, when I headed home,
I was so hungry that I would eat in the car on the way home
and then go straight to sleep as soon as I got home.
My sleep time was short, and this pattern was really chaotic,
but maybe because I was moving so much, I don’t think I gained much weight.
However, when there were special occasions like performances or competitions
where I needed to lose extra weight,
my practice hours stayed the same or even increased, but I cut my food intake by more than half.
I kept having breakfast around 6 AM as usual,
but after finishing morning practice at school around 11 AM,
I tried diets where I didn’t eat anything at all.
On top of my already heavy practice schedule, I would also do extra treadmill running
or rehearse pieces more times,
and since I had no concept of replenishing nutrients or protein,
sometimes I just didn’t eat at all.
Still, because I really liked delicious food and eating,
I made sure to eat one full meal of whatever I wanted.
That was usually breakfast for me,
and when I did that, I ended up binge-eating a huge amount,
regardless of the type of food.
Before important performances or competitions,
I would go on an intense diet for about a month and lose around 5 kilos each time.
It was a diet that took me from being slim to being very thin, almost skeletal.
Because I moved a lot and drastically reduced how much I ate,
I lost weight quickly,
but every time an important event was over, the weight I lost
would come back very quickly.
Of course, even when the weight returned, I wasn’t excessively overweight, so it was okay,
but the problem was that during each of these diets,
I had to restrain my desires a lot, which caused mental calculations and stress.
After the diet ended, I would binge eat badly,
and above all, I always thought “diets are hard,”
so I believed dieting was something I could only do if I was really determined.
However, I became more aware of and struggled with the problems in my eating habits
after graduating from university and joining a professional ballet company.
Unlike my school days, my activity level significantly decreased,
but my eating habits stayed the same, and as a result, my body started feeling heavier.
The thought of dieting caused me so much stress that I kept avoiding it,
and as I gained more weight and grew unhappy with my appearance,
I practiced less and less... it felt like a vicious cycle was beginning.
So, for the first time, I tried dieting by planning my meals.
Instead of eating three full meals a day,
I followed diet tips often shared on social media and YouTube,
significantly restricting carbohydrates
and keeping my daily calorie intake around 1300-1500 or less.
With this, I lost weight quite well again,
but the problem was becoming obsessed with the number of calories and
not eating enough carbohydrates, which made me feel weak.
As I lost weight, it felt like my energy and muscles were disappearing too.
Also, by completely restricting one nutrient like this,
I would rationalize having a “cheat day,”
during which I would binge on carbs and sugars like bread and desserts
that I hadn’t been able to eat before.
Still, I lost quite a bit of weight during that time,
but after coming to Europe and starting to live on my own,
the battle with controlling my appetite began again.
Since I had to cook all my meals by myself and it was my first time,
it was very difficult to manage portion sizes and resist the new, intriguing ingredients and snacks.
Moreover, since the standards for body weight were more relaxed here than in Korea,
I felt somewhat relieved,
but the diet I had done right before coming here actually backfired,
and after arriving in Europe, I binged again and gained the weight back...
It felt like my mind was always filled with both joy and stress about ballet and food.
Over a long period of time, after much reflection and trying various diets,
the answer I ultimately found was to ‘listen to my body.’
There are no unnecessary nutrients for humans.
Carbohydrates, proteins, fats, sugars, and all other nutrients
are needed in small amounts.
The simple solution is to properly balance all these nutrients
in every meal, three times a day.
It’s not about forbidding yourself from eating certain foods just because you’re dieting,
but rather eating what your body craves at the moment!
I believe that craving is a signal that your body lacks that nutrient.
If you eat what your body asks for right away, even a small amount brings satisfaction,
preventing binge eating and stopping you from thinking about other foods.
For example, if you eat mostly fiber, protein, and fats in the morning
without carbohydrates, you’ll likely feel empty a few hours later and crave rice or bread.
Then for lunch, you choose a sandwich or a meal higher in carbohydrates.
After finishing rehearsals, since you’ve used a lot of muscles,
you need to replenish protein.
So for dinner, I make sure to include protein—either meat or plant-based—
along with carbohydrates as well.
Many people think that cutting carbs is the key to losing weight,
which is partly true, but excessive restriction drains your energy
and leads to binge eating and yo-yo dieting later.
That’s why I recommend consuming at least some carbohydrates with every meal!
And then I finish my meal with a small sweet dessert.
Before, I used to eat low-sugar desserts like allulose
or stevia-based treats that have become popular recently,
but no matter how much I ate, those desserts made me crave
more sweet foods rather than feel satisfied.
Now, I prefer to have a small portion of regular chocolate or ice cream that contains sugar,
and eating just a little brings me enough satisfaction to control the amount.
Because I feel satisfied after every meal like this,
my obsession with food has lessened, satisfaction has increased,
and the stress and compulsive thoughts about needing to diet have mostly disappeared.
Among these habits, the one I make sure to keep is eating the same breakfast every day.
I start my mornings with raw cabbage, boiled eggs, and cheese.
Then I have yogurt with fruit and granola, or on weekend mornings, I make open-faced toast with various ingredients.
When I wake up, I always try to begin my day with a meal focused on fiber, protein, and fats.
This helps me feel full for a long time, prevents hunger throughout the day,
and stops me from craving all kinds of other foods!
Along with this eating habit, my daily rehearsals, practice, and exercise help me lose weight and maintain it
without having to diet like I did before.
Now, even without stepping on the scale, I can roughly gauge how my body is doing,
and when my practice decreases or I eat a little more,
I have the confidence to adjust so that even if I gain or lose a bit of weight, it stays within a reasonable range.
Because of that, I’ve been able to maintain my body without much stress.
I believe the first step to losing weight healthily and developing good eating habits
is to free yourself from obsession and stress.
I hope everyone can have healthy eating habits
without feeling stressed and while enjoying delicious food!
TAECHO ADVICE CORNER
TAECHO AMBASSADOR
JIMIN KIM
INSTAGRAM