Barre (, ) is a form of physical exercise, usually conducted in group classes in gyms or specialty studios. It is distinguished from other group fitness activities by its use of the ballet barre and its incorporation of movements derived from ballet. These classical dance movements and positions are combined with those drawn from yoga and pilates. It is considered to be a form of physical exercise "appropriate for a vast array of student learners".
While currently understood first and foremost as a fitness programme, its original founder Lotte Berk viewed barre as an arts-based programme and is quote as saying:
Other equipment is sometimes used in addition to the barre, such as resistance bands, yoga straps, exercise balls, and hand weights.
Pilates toning balls are also used.
Participants wear activewear similar to that worn in yoga classes, and do the exercises either in bare feet or in socks. Some specialized socks ("grip socks") include non-slip features to increase traction.
Barre classes typically focus on small, pulsing movements with emphasis on form, alignment and core engagement. Participants hold their bodies still while contracting specific, targeted sets of muscles in isometric exercises. Repetitions tend to be high, range-of-motion small, and weights, when used, light (1âÂÂ1.5kg or 2âÂÂ3 pounds). Barre classes focus on the lower body and core, developing strength and flexibility from the ankles up through the calves, knees, thighs, glutes and abdominals. Holding muscles in contraction for extended periods frequently leads to them shaking as they fatigue. This is particularly true of thighs, as the quadriceps tire.
The word barre is traditionally associated with images of ballerinas in ballet class, as barre exercises have been an essential part of dancer training since at least the 18th century. Famous examples in art include Dancers Practicing at the Barre by Edgar Degas (1877).
The major development from barre in dance practice into a specific form of exercise began with the German-born dancer Lotte Berk. She launched her programme, Rehabilitative Exercise, from The Lotte Berk Studio in a basement on Manchester Street, London, in 1959. The dance-based programme offered women physical and psychological benefits, such as improvements in muscle strength, tone, posture, mood, and confidence. Original video recordings of Berk demonstrating her technique are available.
Berk considered her programme to be a performance art, underpinned by contemporary ballet, which had been a passion for her. BerkâÂÂs emphasis, therefore, was on the performing arts aspect of her creation rather than on the fitness focus that Barre is known for today.
While Berk fueled the sensationalized reports that contributed to the rise of her success and notoriety, the actual substance and methodology of BerkâÂÂs original innovation was largely overlooked. Moreover, Berk never produced a teacher training manual, though she did publish a number of books on the Lotte Berk Method.
Lotte BerkâÂÂs original programme then evolved through the interpretive lens of three different practitionersâÂÂLotte Berk herself, Lydia Bach, and Esther Fairfax. Three different approaches therefore emerged: one dance-focused, one sports-focused, and one focused on the everyday woman.
In the United Kingdom, Fairfax translated her motherâÂÂs programme into an organized, comprehensive, and more widely inclusive programme based on her experience as a wife, mother, psychologist, and teacherâÂÂone that would appeal to the everyday woman.
Lydia Bach began training with Berk around 1969. Bach, who was well-versed in athletics, sent BerkâÂÂs programme onto a sports-focused trajectory.
In 1970, Berk and Bach entered into a licensing agreement that allowed Bach to open the Lotte Berk Method studio in New York City in 1971, which operated until 2005. Instructors from the studio went on to found some of the major chains providing barre classes, including Physique 57, The Bar Method, and Exhale Spa.
Barre rapidly expanded in popularity in the 2010s. By 2015, the Pure Barre chain alone had nearly 300 studios in the United States, and The Bar Method had over 80. The Los Angeles based chain Pop Physique popularized Barre by appealing to a younger urban hipster demographic, opening studios In Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco.
Natalie Catlah, brought barre back to the UK in 2009 with her Newcastle Upon Tyne based studio, The Barre Workout (The -B-Workout). Sadie Lincoln, co-founder of the barre3 chain of studios attributes the growth of popularity of barre to people wanting smaller, more connected fitness classes in the economic climate following the 2008 financial crisis. Tanya Becker, co-founder of the Physique 57 chain suggests that the appeal of barre is that classes deliver well-rounded exercise in a short space of time.
The American Council on Exercise noted a rise in popularity of barre classes after the release of the 2010 movie Black Swan, although the film focuses on ballet.
In October 2016, Jill Biden hosted a barre class on the lawn at Number One Observatory Circle, the vice presidentâÂÂs residence in Washington, D.C., as part of events marking Breast Cancer Awareness Month and to thank supporters of health-related initiatives.
There is limited peer-reviewed academic research on barre generally, but barre has been found to improve "the morphofunctional state, the level of physical fitness and the health of women [aged 25-31 years old]". There is also some evidence that "Engaging in barre exercise may be a safe, feasible way to meet exercise guidelines for Parkinson's disease".
A comparative study of Barre and Zumba/Dance Fit was conducted in 2018 at Queen's University Belfast. The study found "a modest indication that the Barre group participants were developing better one-legged balance skills than the Zumba/Dance Fit group".
It is claimed that barre classes attract people who want to develop the lean muscle tone of a ballerina. Supposed benefits include improved strength, posture, flexibility, balance, stability, endurance, and muscle definition, together with weight loss and reduced stress. It is said that the exercises target muscles that support and stabilise the body and which are often neglected in everyday life and by other forms of exercise.
Beyond purely physical goals, barre is believed to develop control and a particular aesthetic.
There is similarly limited peer-reviewed academic research on the risks of barre.
Criticisms of barre in the media generally focus on the supposed limitations of barre when compared to other forms of exercise. One criticism of barre is that strength gains from small, isometric exercises do not build functional strength in the same way that compound movements common in traditional strength training do, because many of the movements used in barre class are not used anywhere but in dance.
It is also claimed that barre classes are not as effective as traditional aerobics classes at building cardio-vascular fitness, typically only raising heart rates to 40âÂÂ50% of maximum. In terms of energy output, it is claimed that barre typically does not burn many calories and its energy demands more closely resemble walking than running.
Some barre classes adopt the ballet aesthetic of keeping the lower back straight, achieved by tucking the pelvis. There are claims that this practice can lead to back pain and related injuries. The balletic plié movement used in many barre classes relies on bending the knee outwards with the legs rotated away from the centreline of the body. The pressure this places on the knees is claimed to increase the risk of knee injury, particularly if someone chooses to go running immediately after a barre class.