Non-stop Barre

The first time my ballet teacher lead the class through a non-stop barre was torture.   Okay, maybe that's exaggerating a bit.  I still wouldn't call it pleasant though. 
A non-stop barre transitions from one exercise to the next without a pause.  It usually lasts for half an hour, and anyone familiar with the way barre works knows the hardest movements that require the most energy come at the end. 
Starting last fall, my college ballet class would periodically practice this method.  Unfortunately, my teacher wasn't able to give us this kind of barre often enough for our stamina to improve.  With the welcome arrival of summer break I decided to consistently practice non-stop barre on my own at home.  I was determined to improve my endurance.
Now, I do a non-stop barre three times a week, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  I'm usually at the barre by eight-thirty in the morning.
After doing this for almost a month I can see the pay off.  My legs aren't about to collapse when I finish, and I'm more comfortable during the actual process.  Of course comfort is the sign of needing more of a challenge, and I'm already figuring out what I should do to make non-stop barre harder and longer.
I think more dancers should try this type of barre.  Ballet dancers are amazing athletes, but it's a well known fact that they usually lack superior cardiovascular strength.  The stop and go, common in classes and rehearsals, is the culprit for that.  I think this could be a way for dancers to up their endurance.  I wouldn't go so far as to say it should replace all extra cardio exercise a dancer does, because I'm definitely not an expert.  But I will say this.  Doing a non-stop barre has made a regular barre feel like a luxury.  I no longer feel tired at the end of regular barre, thanks to all the pauses I've had, and I'm on my way to being able to sustain my energy enough to dance well for longer periods of time.