Ballet Bun 101

Are you ready to dance?

As a young ballet dancer progresses in her training, it becomes clear just how important a well managed head of hair is. To be taken seriously by your teacher and fellow dancers, coming to class with NEAT hair SECURELY fastened in a bun is as essential as wearing your ballet shoes.

Not only does a ballet bun safeguard a dancer from being unexpectedly whipped in the eye by hair during a turn, most importantly, it enables an unobstructed view of your posture so your teacher can ensure correct alignment as you practice your technique.

Pony tails and buns on the verge of falling out are unnecessary distractions that stop the flow of class and prevent a dancer from working optimally. “Fixing” your hair during class time sends the message that you’ve arrived unprepared for class and, worse yet, it’s regarded as disrespectful of your teacher’s time.

There are countless ways to make a bun and equally as many fasteners to buy at the store, but none have withstood the rigor of a ballet class quite as well as the traditional method using wire hair pins.

Here’s a list of what you’ll need to make a “no fuss” ballet bun:

A hairbrush, a hair elastic, bun hair pins (not bobby pins), a hair net, hair spray, water in a spray bottle and flat clips if you have varying lengths of hair.

And now, a step­-by-­step guide:

1 Pull hair back into a ponytail. Wet hair to achieve a smooth & flawless look. Be sure to use a good hair elastic that can be wound tight around the pony and won’t allow hair to slip out.

2 Use flat clips to hold back hair that doesn’t reach your ponytail.

3 Wrap ponytail hair around the ponytail elastic so that a flat bun is formed.

4 Use a hair net to hold the bun shape.

5 Add bun pins to secure the bun in place—10 to 15 pins required.

6 Use hair spray to tame “whisps” of hair for a neat look.

There are many tutorials for a classical ballet bun on youtube.
Here’s one to study:

http://youtu.be/urVPCuuEYj8

When you master this technique, you’re sure to be happy with the results. And you can congratulate yourself for having officially joined the ranks of, what ballet dancers affectionately refer to themselves as, a “bun head.”

Happy Dancing!

Tiiu Kuuskmann