What is floor-barre/barre au sol?
Floor-barre is a classical ballet barre transposed to the floor—sequences done sitting up, side-lying, on the back, and on the stomach—so dancers can refine alignment, turnout, core support, and long lines without the balance demands of standing work. Removing vertical balance lets you dial in on precision while staying low-impact. The approach I teach follows the Boris Kniaseff tradition as it has been preserved and expanded in Paris by Yasna Stevovich. boris-kniaseff-floor-barre-method.com
Why this method is special
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Gravity off, placement on. Transposing ballet to the floor isolates placement and posture with less joint load and fewer balance compensations.
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Continuous, musical flow. Phrases are linked (seated/on the back/on the stomach) to build endurance and coordination while maintaining clarity of form.
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Adapted to real bodies. Yasna’s pedagogy emphasizes personalized corrections by morphology, keeping the classical aim while meeting each dancer where they are.
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For amateurs to pros. The syllabus is taught to professionals, pre-professionals, and adult beginners in Paris; the method can be useful to anyone: dancer, fitness enthusiast or total beginner.
Lineage
Origins (Boris Kniaseff, 1900–1975)
Boris Kniaseff (also spelled Knyazev) was a Russian-born dancer/choreographer who taught in Paris and Switzerland and is credited with creating barre au sol (“floor-barre”). Many accounts trace the idea to the mid-20th century, when he adapted barre exercises to the floor—reportedly after working in studios where wall barres couldn’t be fixed (heritage buildings).
About Yasna Stevovich & the current lineage
Paris-based teacher and former Béjart dancer Yasna Stevovich encountered the Kniaseff method through Nina Vyroubova, and later at the Centre de Danse du Marais alongside Anne Lepord. After Lepord’s passing, Yasna continued teaching at the Center and has systematized and enriched the work into The Boris Kniaseff Floor-Barre Method by Yasna Stevovich©, taught to both professionals and amateurs and offered via in-person classes, an online studio, and a certification track.
About the Founder
Originally from Kamloops, BC, Bailey Madill trained in the Royal Academy of Dance method from a young age, and continued her ballet education at prestigious institutions such as Goh Ballet Academy, Coastal City Ballet, and The Richmond Academy of Dance. Bailey’s professional career includes seasons as a company artist with Ballet Kelowna, Ballet Edmonton, and Ballet Ouest de Montréal, where she has served as a principal dancer for the past two seasons.
Her diverse performing credits include Vancouver Opera, NBC's "Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist," and Joshua Beamish's "@giselle," which she performed in Vancouver and New York alongside dancers from American Ballet Theatre and the National Ballet of Canada.
With over a decade of teaching experience, and as the first and currently only Canadian certified in The Boris Kniaseff Floor-Barre Method by Yasna Stevovich©, she pairs professional-grade precision with an inclusive, community-minded studio culture—helping adult beginners, dedicated hobbyists, and working professionals feel longer, stronger, and more confident in their technique. Languages: FR/EN.
A note from the founder
I discovered barre au sol classes online during the pandemic when I was recovering from an injury. Then in 2023, I spent three months in Paris, taking several classes each week with Yasna Stevovich at the Centre de Danse du Marais. It was love at first plié/stretch—and I felt a real shift in my body and in how I approached classical technique, for the better.
What moved me most, however, was the community in Yasna’s classes: people from all walks of life—total beginners, hobby dancers, folks simply seeking a thoughtful workout—training alongside professionals in the same room, each working on personal goals with respect and joy.
In July 2025 I returned to Paris to complete my certification, and I’m excited to bring that magic home to Montréal through Montreal Barre au Sol.
I can't wait to introduce you to this method, see you in class!
-Bailey