Have you wondered why dancers wear their hair in a high bun? What is the reasoning? Is it only for “the look” of it or is there a real purpose behind this hairstyle?
We are sharing the functionality of the Ballet bun and why it is necessary to be well trained, and safe, as a dancer. We are also giving you the tricks of the trade in putting the perfect bun together, secured and ready for class or performance.
Why the bun?
It helps with turns. Put your hair in a ponytail. Now try turning really fast. Notice how your hair smacks you right in the face or gets close to it? Yeah. While ponytails may be cute, wearing them while dancing causes dancers to wince or close their eyes when they spot or whip their head around. Hair can even slice the cornea of the eye when turning a quick speeds. In dance, you can’t turn without spotting your head, and trying to do it with your eyes closed is a legitimate safety hazard.
It helps with balance. A ballet bun helping with balance? Really? Yes. Wearing your hair in a ballet bun gives your body an extra sense of center which helps with pirouettes, tour jetes and more. This is why you should be extra careful to try and place your bun as centered as possible.
Uniformity. Part of what makes ballet so different from other dance forms is the discipline. Part of that comes from each dancer dressing in the same “uniform”, and that includes having your hair in a ballet bun.
Prevents bad habits. If you have hair hanging or falling in your face, you may build a habit of brushing it out of the way during various steps and combinations. This can actually become muscle memory, and you may even continue that same motion even if your hair is pinned up while performing on stage!
It helps the teacher. A teachers job is to make sure every dancer continues to improve her technique. If dancers have different hairstyles, it can actually get in the way and make it more difficult for teachers to catch problems with shoulders, elbows, or your head placement being incorrect. Having uniformity makes it easier to spot these corrections and prevent dancers from developing nasty habits, and even preventing injuries from incorrect form.
Making the perfect bun!
1. Brush your hair free of tangles. Get your hair as straight and even as possible. Make sure to brush it straight back as if you were putting it into a ponytail. ** Tip: A little water can help smooth your hair out and make it more manageable, and a smoothing brush takes care of the wispy hair! **
2. Pull your hair back into a high ponytail and secure with an elastic. In most cases, more than one elastic should be used to secure the ponytail and assure it lasts throughout the class or performance.
** Tip: Make your ponytail around the crown of your head. The perfect height will allow you to see the top of the ponytail poking up if you look in the mirror.**
3. Twist the ponytail into a tight rope and wrap the twisted ponytail in the same direction. The tighter the better, even though it may hurt a bit to get it prepared.
4. Securely fasten your wrapped ponytail with hair pins. Think of your bun as a clock face and place pins at 12 o’clock, 3 o’clock, 6 o’clock, and 9 o’clock. If the first half of your bun feels a little shaky, put more hair pins in to secure it.
5. For extra security, cover your bun with a hair net that matches your hair color. Typically a brown hair net will work with any hair color.
6. Lightly spray your ballet bun with hairspray if there are any wisps or frizzy hair. This also helps secure the bun, but is not always necessary.
Allyson Elliott is the owner of We're Dancing Studio. She's also a killer bun-maker! Not sure if ballet is right for your child? Try a class for free!
