Meet Our New
TLB Master Trainer
HIGHER EXTENSIONS
WITH IANA SALENKO
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About Your Master Trainer
Iana Salenko is a Principal Ballerina with the Staatsballett Berlin and one of the most admired ballerinas of her generation. Renowned for her extraordinary extension, technical brilliance, and unmistakable stage presence, she has captivated audiences across the world’s most prestigious theatres.
Her dancing is defined by a rare combination of strength, elegance, and precision., delivering performances that are both powerful and effortlessly refined. Years of elite classical training and an uncompromising standard of excellence have shaped her into an artist celebrated for her control, elevation, and clarity of line.
As of January 2026, Iana became a Master Trainer with Train Like a Ballerina, where she now brings her lifetime of elite training, performance experience, and technical expertise into a structured method for dancers worldwide. Through this role, she shares the exact principles that have supported her career longevity, strength, and command at the highest level of ballet.
Step inside the discipline, structure, and technical intelligence of one of ballet’s leading artists.
Inside Iana’s Higher Extensions Program
Designed for Intermediate to Advanced Dancers
A science-backed system designed to elevate your extensions with strength, control, and precision. Over six structured weeks, you will build active mobility, standing-leg strength, and end-range control – the support required to lift and hold your highest line. Developed and tested with dancers around the world, this program teaches the most effective extension exercises used in elite training. Exercises you will keep for life. This is not passive flexibility. It is performance-driven training for the studio and the stage.
6 Weeks • 3 Workouts per Week • 30-40 Minutes per Session • Minimal Equipment
Designed with Performance Science
Rupert Wiltshire
MSc, BSc, ASCC
While the artistic vision and performance standard are Iana’s, the structure behind Higher Extensions is engineered for measurable progress.
The exercises, programming, and progressive overload system were developed in collaboration with strength and conditioning specialist Rupert Wiltshire, MSc, BSc, ASCC – founder of Science in Dance and Head of Strength & Conditioning for Scottish Ballet.
Built on over a decade of working directly with dancers, Rupert specialises in developing athletic capacity while prioritising health and longevity. His work bridges strength training with classical technique, ensuring every workout increases active range, reinforces alignment under load, and builds sustainable extension without compromising artistry.
This is not generic conditioning.It is ballet artistry supported by performance science.
Everything You Need to Know
What is Train Like a Ballerina and how does it work?
Train Like a Ballerina is a ballet training app designed to help dancers build strength, improve flexibility, and support technique through structured, science-backed conditioning programs. It combines classical ballet principles with modern sports science to deliver targeted strength training, mobility work, and active flexibility for dancers.
The app is designed for ballerinas at every stage of their journey – from absolute beginners building foundations, to pre-professionals refining control, to professional dancers maintaining performance and longevity, as well as adult dancers returning to training.
Inside the app, you’ll find progressive ballet strength programs, flexibility pathways such as front and middle splits, mobility sessions, and specialised Trainer Paths focused on goals like higher extensions and improved turnout control.
Created by professional ballerinas and qualified health experts, Train Like a Ballerina bridges the gap between studio training and athletic preparation – helping dancers train smarter, reduce injury risk, and perform with greater control and confidence.
What is the Higher Extensions program and how who is it for?
Higher Extensions is a structured strength and conditioning program designed to help dancers achieve greater extension height with control and stability. The program progresses week by week, building from foundational strength and alignment into more advanced, performance-level exercises.
It is designed for dancers at every level who want to improve active range, technical precision, and extension quality.
When does the program launch?
Higher Extensions officially launches in March 2026.
By joining early access, you will receive priority entry to the program before it becomes publicly available inside the app. Early access members will be the first to begin training and secure their place ahead of general release.
How do I enrol in the program?
You can enrol directly through our website by starting your 7-day free trial.
Once inside the app, navigate to Programs, where you will find Higher Extensions and can pre-enrol.
When the program goes live, you will be notified via email and mobile notification (if enabled), and your access will begin automatically.
Will strength training make my legs bulky?
No. Higher Extensions is specifically designed for ballerinas’ bodies, where strength must enhance line, not change it. Every exercise is programmed with the realities of ballet in mind – turnout, alignment, length, and control.
This program focuses on precision strength, not muscle size. The training uses controlled resistance, targeted activation, and lower-volume loading to develop neuromuscular efficiency, meaning your muscles learn to work smarter, not grow larger. This is the same type of conditioning used by professional dancers worldwide to improve performance without altering their physique.
In ballet, bulk comes from high-volume hypertrophy training and this program is the opposite. It is structured to build lean, supportive strength, improve stability, and increase extension height while maintaining the long, refined lines dancers need.
The goal is not bigger muscles.
The goal is stronger, higher, and more controlled movement with the same elegant silhouette.
Do I need any equipment for this program?
No specialised equipment is required. The program is designed so dancers can train from home, in the studio, or while travelling. Most exercises use bodyweight, and on occasion a barre is used for support, which can easily be substituted with a chair or any stable surface.
The focus is on building strength, control, and active range using movements that translate directly into your dancing.
Can I do this alongside my regular dance training?
Yes. Higher Extensions is designed to complement your ballet classes (not compete with them). The program is structured for three sessions per week, with each workout lasting approximately 30–40 minutes, making it easy to integrate into your existing schedule.
The exercises are carefully programmed to support technique, improve stability, and enhance extension capacity without causing excessive fatigue. Rather than overloading your body, the training reinforces the strength and control needed for class, rehearsals, and performance.
This is conditioning that works with your dance training — not against it.
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