Petit Battement Sur le Cou-de-Pied – What Is It?

Petit Battement Sur le Cou-de-Pied

In the video above you can see the dancer demonstrating Petit Battement Sur le Cou-de-Pied very slowly. This step in ballet is usually done very fast, but a good way to learn it is slowly as the girl in the video is doing. Petit Battement Sur le Cou-de-Pied literally means ‘little beating on the cou-de-pied … Read more

How To Improve Your Ballet Technique

how to improve your ballet technique

What is in ballet technique you may ask?  Classical Ballet Technique The Basic Principles of Classical Ballet Technique book has some great tips on how to improve your ballet technique and is written by an ex-dancer and teacher. It is a good resource to have for both teachers and dancers. Dance has never been as … Read more

Ballet Developpe and How To Do It

ballet developpe

In ballet developpe directly translated means developed or unfolded. When you do a ballet developpe, your working foot travels up the supporting leg, clearly going through the sur le cou-de-pied pointed position and then to a retiré position, before unfolding your leg out into a sustained extension. You could take the leg up to the … Read more

Battement Frappe in Ballet

The word frappe means to strike or knock and in battement frappe in ballet, this is exactly what the dancer is doing with the working foot on the ground. What is a Battement Frappe in Ballet? Some people think of a coffee break when hearing battement frappe, but in ballet, it is a step that … Read more

Definition Adage Or Adagio In Ballet

adage definition

Definition Adage If you type in ‘definition adage‘ or ‘definition adagio‘ you will be surprised that it means a proverb or short statement expressing a general truth: The old adage “out of sight out of mind.” If you are looking for the meaning within ballet you will need to specify further. The definition adage in … Read more

How To Do A Pirouette or Even Multiple Pirouettes

Let’s look at how to do a pirouette in ballet. A pirouette is a very quick spinning action on one leg and the word pirouette in French means Spinning Top. Pirouettes normally add excitement to a routine, but they don’t normally lead into another step like many of the other ballet exercises. All dancers dream … Read more

Fondu In Ballet and How To Do It

fondu in ballet

The term ‘Fondu’ in ballet means melted. Think of a fondue meal with melted cheese. Fondu in ballet is the melting or bending of the supporting leg with coordination. At the barre, dancers do an exercise called battement fondu. This is the bending and stretching of the supporting leg while coordinating with the bending and … Read more