<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"   Photo: Ballet Beautiful  There was a time when ballet classes were for wanna-be ballerinas only: Girly girls who wanted to wear tutus and pirouette en pointe. But in today&amp;#039;s fitness-crazed climate, ballet technique has found its way into numerous trendy workouts for women without Swan Lake aspirations (see: Physique 57 and Pure Barre).  Related: How SJP&amp;#039;s Workout Turned Me Into A Wanna Be Dancer At the center of the ballet-fitness craze is Mary Helen Bowers, a professional ballerina and the founder of Ballet Beautiful, a ballet-inspired fitness program with a cult following of fashion editors, Victoria&amp;#039;s Secret models and starlets. She&amp;#039;s better known as the woman who got Natalie Portman Black Swan-ready.  Related: The Most Common &amp;#039;Nutcracker&amp;#039; Myths, Debunked  Bowers is so devoted to ballet and its benefits, she&amp;#039;s been dancing (en pointe) all the way through her pregnancy.  Here, Bowers tells ELLE.com about what creating Ballet Beautiful has meant to her and how dancing her way through pregnancy has made the experience that much more special.  Photo: Courtesy of Ballet Beautiful I love sharing the beauty and athleticism of ballet with others through Ballet Beautiful. Ballet is an incredible art but it can be a bit elitist which is a really big turn off to me. Breaking down that barrier, meshing ballet with fitness and ultimately making it more accessible is one of my biggest goals. I also think there are a lot of women looking for an alternative to the boot-camp style approach to training the body. Personally, I don&amp;#039;t respond well to being yelled at and the last thing I want is to be shut up in a dark room overworking my quads or amping up my upper body. Working out should be empowering! It should make you look and feel strong, elegant, healthy \u2014the best possible version of you. The workout that you choose can have a tremendous effect on your self-confidence, too. Consider the impact of great posture, something that is a big part of our program and a dancer&amp;#039;s calling card. Beautiful, upright posture conveys confidence and strength. Whether you are walking down the street or sitting at a conference table, you make an impression without saying a word. You can&amp;#039;t build that hunched over a bike. Now that I&amp;#039;m pregnant I&amp;#039;m finding that staying fit and active is more important than ever. I&amp;#039;ve been doing a modified, prenatal version of Ballet Beautiful since the beginning of my pregnancy and am amazed by how strong and healthy it has made me feel. I&amp;#039;ve worked with many women through their pregnancies but experiencing it first hand has been very special.   Photo: Courtesy of Ballet Beautiful Carrying a baby is hard work! I&amp;#039;ve found that the more conditioned your body is, the better you feel. I&amp;#039;ve worked very closely with my doctor the entire time. She is incredibly supportive of me not only continuing with my workout, but also with maintaining my regular routine: running my business, creating a new Prenatal Series for BB, the works! Pregnancy can be a really exciting and creative time. There&amp;#039;s a lot of change involved and of course some discomfort along the way but my approach has been to embrace the bump and my ever-changing physique. The process is such a miracle, from the early ultrasounds to listening to the baby&amp;#039;s heartbeat to watching my belly grow bigger and bigger. I&amp;#039;ve loved it all! Rather than fighting the changes in my body I&amp;#039;m celebrating them and I love seeing other women do the same. For all of the mamas and mamas-to-be out there stay tuned for our Pre and Postnatal DVDs to come in 2014! By continuing to work out and dance while pregnant, I feel a double reward from maintaining my normal routine, but all the while knowing that baby is sharing in my day. Ballet Beautiful has made my pregnancy a joy. I&amp;#039;ve avoided back pain and swelling by keeping my core strong and body moving. I feel terrific and plan to work and workout until the end. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.elle.com/beauty/health-fitness/news/a15271/nine-months-on-point-dancing-through-pregnancy-with-ballet-beautiful/>