TBB?

Image credit

What are you on about with TBB?

TBB is an acronym for Tummy, Back and Bum. These are the three core strengths you need for anything in Ballet.

Your Tummy/Core

Image Credit

Your core should be the strongest part of your body, if you have a weak core nothing you do will be correct. You will not be able to progress within Ballet and if your teacher allows you to progress without the needed strength, you will injure yourself. (Sorry to say but your teacher then does not know you or care about your proper progress) When preforming 90% of all ballet steps your core is held firm and together with no release. Drop your core strength and you will lose balance, control and the height needed in jumps. You should at all times be able to breath and your belly button should feel like its pushing towards your spine. Your rib cage should be closed and your core engaged.

Image Credit

Your Back.

Image Credit

See the muscles in this picture?

Your back is essential for balance, strength and beauty. Your posture says a lot about you as a dancer and how strong your core is.
Your alignment with your back to your hips and shoulders needs to be straight with your weight slightly forward this is the strongest position for your body. It makes use of every muscle and the fact that your weight is forward allows you to fall into a run or recover easier than if your weight was too far back.

Here is a good example:
Image Credit

Your Bum

Now a good test, it may sound weird but is to try hold a pencil between your bum cheeks this is the level of squeeze (as I like to say) you will need to keep everything together. If you do not have a tight bum then everything else will fall apart. Think of it as the glue that holds all the working parts together.

Image Credit

You have 3 sets of Muscles and surprisingly your Gluteus Maximus does not work the hardest, that prize goes to your Gluteus Minimis.

Image Credit

Let me know if you found this informative?

Happy Dancing