Practice these eight ballet stretches to help improve your flexibility. 8 Ballet Stretches Plié Stretch. ... The splits stretch, which is also known as the grand écart, ...

I religiously followed the splits stretching routine below, programmed for WH, for three weeks, with the goal of being able to do the splits at the end. I was excited to see what I was capable of.

When I was 12, I competed in a talent show. The prize was a scholarship to study ballet at Manhattan’s Uptown Dance Academy — and I got it. I trained at the company until I was about 17 years old.