Last month Sleek joined forces with Sweaty Betty for Ballet Bootcamp enCORE. With the workout still getting over 2000 view a day on youtube, it is set to top even the massive success of the original Ballet Bootcamp, we meet the brains behind the workout, professional dancers Flik Swan and Victoria Marr of Sleek Technique. We caught up with them to to talk ballet, snacks, why you should try the workout and the what next with the Full Ballerina Body Workout and Nutrition Plan
Tell us the story behind Sleek Technique?
V: Flik and I met aged 11 at ballet school and became firm friends. When considering what next? staying within the realms of dance just felt right. Bringing the enjoyment and fitness benefits it had brought us to others was something we both really wanted to achieve.
F: It was in the middle of a tube strike and Victoria and I couldn't get into town where we were going to meet up and do a ballet class together. Instead we got together on Skype to work out. Later on, when deciding how and where we were going to launch Sleek, I had a lightbulb moment that we could do a similar thing to make working out accessible for every woman without them having to leave their home, office or hotel room.
What first got you into dance?
V: Watching Fame on the TV! I could never stop moving as a child and dancing always felt like the most natural thing in the world.
F: I fell into dancing at 2 when my mum took me to my first ballet class in my slippers.
Tell us the benefits of your upcoming Full Ballerina Body Workout
V: If you look at a dancer’s body they’re lithe, slim and flexible, yet still have incredible strength and streamlined muscles. This is all down to their training which has remained largely unchanged for 100 years. Our FBB workout is our most classical yet but still remains suitable for every woman. Using these tried and tested classical techniques and blending them with our fitness knowledge means we replicate the best results of balletic training. Aside from building a dancer like physique, you will see improvements in your posture, strength and balance.
Full ballerina Body includes barre work. Any tips for barre beginners?
V: Barre prepares you for everything else we do in ballet so you should concentrate on detail. Focus on holding your natural turnout from the hips. Keep your tailbone down so your glutes are engaged and think of stretching right to the end of your toes in every extension.
What’s the secret to a ballet body?
F: There’s no secret I’m afraid! If you want a ballet body you need to do ballet. Practicing our FFB or enCORE Ballet Bootcamp workout 3 x a week is a great start on the road to a Sleek classical physique.
Best ballet move if you only have 5 minutes to workout?
V :Pliés (bending of the legs) they shape and tone the thighs and glutes.
F: Tendus (stretching the legs and feet to a pointed toe) they elongate the line of the leg and tone the calves
Why do you think ballet based fitness has had such a moment?
F: Dance in general is more popular than ever with shows like Strictly, and ballet is a achievable, enjoyable and effective workout. Combine that with the desirability of a dancer’s physique and you can see why ballet is having a serious moment.
When you’re not dancing, are there any other workouts you love?
F: We both practice what we preach and are in the Sleek online studio most days, though in warm weather Victoria will hop on her bike or jump in the pool. I try to do yoga too for for meditation and relaxation, especially as I’m always running about after my baby boy!
You’ve both had babies since the last video, how do you balance fitness with being a new Mum?
V: Both Flik and I kept up dancing while pregnant and even created a specific Baby Sleek pre-natal series of workouts to carry us and other women seamlessly through all 3 trimesters. This made getting back to pre-baby fitness so much easier. We both wanted to really enjoy this special time with our little ones so now it is more about working smarter not harder.
F: We have the added advantage of our baby boys being born 4 weeks apart from each other. So we have a great understanding of each other’s journey into motherhood, which is great for planning the class timetable and our own sleek fitness regimes.
Favourite post-workout snack?
V; I love a glass of coconut water straight after class.
F: Rebel Kitchen’s dairy free coconut milk or a Livia’s Kitchen Salted Brownie Bite or two.
What’s your guilty pleasure?
V: Chocolate coated mixed seeds. I can scoff a whole bag!
F: Don’t judge me...Monster munch!
Any advice for women looking to start up their own business?
F: Be sure it’s something you really are enthusiastic about; creating a business takes blood, sweat and tears so you need to love what you're building from the very start. Don’t be put off if things take longer than expected either - you’ll set a deadline for something and nine times out of ten that won’t be met. Don’t worry, keep going, that’s normal.
Finally, what’s next for Sleek Technique?
We are about to release the first ever Full Ballerina Body streaming workout in January, a workout that incorporates every inch of your body and includes mat, barre and centre work. It is our longest running, most in demand class so to have it available in streaming form is very exciting. We are also running a Full Ballerina Body masterclass workshop in London in early 2017 to celebrate its launch and and a fantastic Nutrition Programme to go alongside. A second Sleek retreat in Croatia may also be in the mix. For all details check out our events page.
Discover more about SleekTechnique here. Try the Ballet Bootcamp enCORE workout here.