Neither a ballet studio nor the ability to go en pointe is a requirement to get the most out of the workout that sculpts Karlie Kloss and Miranda Kerr. But if you want to slip on a tutu and a pair of leg warmers before your first Ballet Beautiful session, well, we're not here to judge.
A mix of thigh-, butt-, arm- and core-focused mat workouts, barre work, low-impact cardio and stretching, it was originally crafted by founder Mary Helen Bowers as a way to stay in shape after she wrapped her decade-long career with the New York City Ballet. So while it's certainly inspired by the plies and relevés she used to do for some 10 hours a day in rehearsals, it's meant to be inclusive enough to appeal to those wishing to relive a leotard-filled youth or simply build a stronger, leaner dancer-like shape.
"I think the most important thing to understand is that Ballet Beautiful is a workout. It's not a ballet class," Bowers explains to E! News. "What we're doing is using movement and exercises that target your ballet muscles, so the muscles that a dancer uses in their everyday training: inner thighs, through the back of the legs, your core." At the same time, she continues, "We're also working on posture."
Uh, raise your hand if that's something you could use now that you're spending hours a day hunched over a makeshift work-from-home setup.
Effective without feeling punishing, "It's enjoyable, too," says Bowers of the sessions that range from five to 20 minutes. "For a lot of people it is reconnecting with sort of a childhood pursuit or dream. Or maybe it's just an art that they really admire, but what they really want is a good-looking butt. You can sort of do all of it."
More than a decade after she readied Natalie Portman to realistically portray the decidedly Type A prima ballerina in 2010's Black Swan, the New York-based pro has built up a roster of clients that includes Lily Aldridge, Gigi Hadid, Hailee Steinfeld and Liv Tyler, plus wannabe ballerinas in some 130 countries around the world.
One of the first boutique workouts to make the jump to streaming and online sessions, "Our program has always really been designed to be done at home, to be consumed digitally, to be something that you can use without any equipment," says Bowers. In other words, it's perfect for our current socially distanced, gym-free season.
The program's popular custom workout subscription affords users the opportunity to build a unique plan, making use of the 300-plus videos in their digital library and Bowers is offering E! News readers the opportunity to try the first month for just $9.99 by using code BBFIT20 up until June 30. And before you jeté right in, you can try this mini session she developed for us—a bit of sculpting and stretching.
"Our workouts are going to give you that movement that makes you feel like you're dancing," vows Bowers. "But the way that your muscles are going to shape and the way that your body is going to start to transform, it's going to make you look like you're spending all your time in a dance studio." Ready to give it a spin? Check out the video above.