By warming up before a ballet class or performance you help to get your muscles warm and loose, which will help you to prevent injuries from dancing. When dancing "cold" or without warming up, you are asking your muscles and body to go from a resting state immediately into action. This can cause you to pull or strain muscles, which can lead to even more serious injuries. Limbs that are not warmed up are more prone to falls, which can result in broken bones or serious injury that will keep you off the dance floor for an extended period of time.
Warming up in ballet by stretching can help you increase your flexibility, not only for the class or performance at hand, but as a whole. Consistent stretching will help to make your muscles more nimble and limber, resulting in an overall better dancer. Stretching before a dance will allow you to produce the best performance possible by improving your body lines and skill level in the dance.
By warming up your muscles and body before performing ballet, you can help to better your form and technique in the class. By stretching your muscles and making your body more loose and limber, your posture and body positioning can also be enhanced. By warming up your body, you will be able to stand straight and proper with ballet posture. Warm muscles will more easily and comfortably fall into ballet form, making the dance look effortless and graceful.
Taking a few minutes to stretch and warm up before ballet can help center you for the task at hand. If you were to walk in off the street and immediately begin dancing, your mind would likely still be on the events of the day, where you came from and what you are doing thereafter. By taking a few minutes to stretch and warm up, you can focus your energy on the dance, the movement and your body. This allows you to better focus on the ballet and remove any distractions from your mind. Warming up can serve as a transition from everyday life to dancing ballet.