Stretching Beyond Limits

About

Developing flexibility, strength, and technique in athletes and performers, from gymnasts, dancers, figure skaters, contortionists, and aerialists to your very own little aspiring star. Building a classical and athletic foundation together, for life.

Instructor

Vita Bachman is the owner and head coach of Stretching Beyond Limits, a cross-training program designed to address flexibility, strength training, and the development of the physical abilities needed for aesthetic dance based movement. She works with dancers, gymnasts, figure skaters, and performers of various disciplines, taking into account the nuances of each discipline as well as each student’s individual goals. Vita’s focus is not only on effectiveness, but also on the safety, health and physical longevity of each student.

Originally from Kiev, Ukraine, Vita trained and competed in rhythmic gymnastics nationally and internationally and achieved the Candidate to Master of Sports level. She was trained by Natalia Kiselyova, a Ukrainian National Team coach. In 1996 after retiring from rhythmic, she decided to pursue a degree in Business Administration from the International Christian University in Kiev, Ukraine, all the while continuing her involvement in rhythmic gymnastics as a coach.

After moving to the United States in 2000 to pursue her MBA from the University of Tennessee, Vita stayed involved in the sport and produced numerous state and regional champions, and nearly 30 of her students qualified for the Junior Olympics National Championships. In 2005, she was elected the USA Gymnastics' Rhythmic Regional Director and served in this capacity for seven years.

Vita works with dancers from several dance schools, including the Chamberlain School of Ballet, The Dallas Conservatory, The Dance Space, Booker T. Washington, Next Step Dance, ECC and several others. Vita also works with the Dallas Figure Skating Club and has been on staff with the Lone Star Circus School.

Vita is committed to continuing her own education through workshops, online and in-person courses, as well as personal research on safe and effective practices for cross-training athletes and dancers. She has completed her background check and been Safety Certified through USA Gymnastics. Vita is married to Bill Bachman, a world-renowned percussion instructor and they have three young children. Her two daughters are involved in rhythmic and dance.

Vita's methods combine carefully selected exercises for proper warm-up, flexibility, and strength development. Vita believes in ballet-based technique enriched with rhythmic gymnastics training, proper body alignment and control. She encourages her students to expand their limits though a consistent, gradual, and individual approach. Vita often advises, "Flexibility without strength can be dangerous." Students' safety and the longevity of their careers is most important, therefore Vita encourages each student to develop awareness of their internal boundaries and communicate them to the instructor.

In this day and age of easy access to various kinds of ideas, articles, training videos and classes it's easy to develop false perception of flexibility training. Many aspiring young artists imitate the more advanced ones without taking into account unknown factors which may lead to injuries. Common mistakes are:

using methods or intensity inappropriate for their age, skill level or physique
using wrong technique: improper body alignment and lack of muscle control
omitting strength and muscle memory development necessary to make their flexibility useful and safe
not balancing out their stretching on both sides evenly, but favoring their "good" side
pursuing fast results by stretching too forcefully

Vita works with students of all levels, from beginners to professional: dancers of various styles, rhythmic and artistic gymnasts, aerial dancers, contortionists, and figure skaters. She is aware of the nuances of each discipline and adjusts her lessons accordingly based on their activity, age, skill level, and personal goals.

As for her very young students, Vita is passionate about giving them a solid foundation to build upon which opens doors for various sports and activities. She offers developmental classes for 4-7 year olds which are based on rhythmic gymnastics training and emphasize overall physical development: muscle memory, proper body alignment, coordination, age-appropriate flexibility and strength training. Her youngest students usually transition really well into the discipline of their choice with a noticeable head start.

Methods

Testimonials

...perfect complement to ballet training...

Cheri C.

My daughter is a pre-pro ballet dancer who has been training with Ms. Vita for almost a year. In a short period of time, she has dramatically increased her flexibility, strength,turnout and upper body position. Ms. Vita has an in depth understanding of proper Vaganova body placement including port de bras, extension, position of the feet, and turnout. Additionally, she has an extraordinary gift for teaching and knows how to push for maximum effort, but always with kindness and encouragement. It is often difficult for ballet teachers to have the time to correct alignment issues in a class with many students which can lead to injury over a period of many years, especially when dancers are in development. The service that Ms. Vita is providing is the perfect complement to ballet training; individualized and personal coaching to achieve one's best classical line and injury prevention. We are so incredibly grateful to have found Ms. Vita!!

Solid foundation in terms of work ethic and physical preparation...

Caroline H.

Caroline Harris is an accomplished figure skater who won the 2017 Intermediate Ladies Southwest Regional and Pacific Coast Sectional Figure Skating Championships. With those victories, Caroline qualified for the 2017 US Figure Skating Intermediate Ladies National Championship where she finished in the Top 10 in the country. The sport of Figure Skating is highly competitive, but Caroline has been successful in large part due to the lessons she learned at an early age while she was a student of Vita Bachman in Rhythmic Gymnastics. As a coach, Vita taught Caroline 2 very important things that have stayed with her throughout the years. First, Vita pushes here athletes to attain their maximum potential. But she does in a way that they know if they work hard, they will be successful. That strong work ethic remains with Caroline to this day and has led to her success on the ice. The second thing that Vita taught Caroline was that preparation was also a key to success. And that preparation includes proper warm up and stretching. Caroline still uses the techniques for warm up and stretching that Vita taught her at an early age. So in summary, Vita provided Caroline with a solid foundation in terms of work ethic and physical preparation that are key to her success in Figure Skating today. Caroline recommends her highly as a result.

Her passion and patience are unique...

Julia G.

As a two-time Olympic figure skater, professional coach, and mother of a 5-year-old, I couldn't have been happier to discover Vita. Her passion and patience are unique, and her integrity and simple love of teaching make her the best in the area by far! Mia started rhythmic gymnastics at four years old and participated in her first competition by the end of that season. Rhythmic gymnastics is a great foundation for most sports; it teaches superior stretching of all muscles, beautiful posture, body alignment and basic ballet technique. All of that makes rhythmic gymnastics very important for figure skating and numerous other sports. All of my students who are figure skaters take lessons with Vita. As a result of Vita's teaching they are doing a fantastic job at skating. I appreciate Vita for giving Mia proper foundation for achieving success in rhythmic gymnastics and ice skating.

She is...an amazing teacher...

Katya K.

When I was 6 years old, (I am now 16) I wanted to sign up for gymnastics lessons just for fun. We walked into our local gym and my eyes were immediately drawn towards the rhythmic gymnasts. Their grace, flexibility, and captivating movements were so beautiful to watch. Mrs. Vita was their coach and asked if I wanted to try it. I said yes, of course! She taught me to be disciplined and focused and that has made a lasting impression on me because I am now a ballerina. Her flexibility coaching and technical demands helped me improve so much! She is dedicated to her sport and an amazing teacher. I will forever appreciate and remember the impact she made in my life.

...commitment and dedication...

Jennifer B.

After training with Vita, Katie developed a discipline and focus that has shaped her into the athletes and dancer she is today. We are thankful for Vita's level of commitment and dedication to our daughter. Today katie is a professional dancer with an incredible work ethic.