What is Rond de Jambe en L’Air? In the short video above, the dancer is demonstrating a single rond de jambe en l’air followed by a double rond de jambe en l’air. The dancer aims to touch her toe to the side of her leg at knee height each time her leg circles in. Rond … Read more
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
What is in ballet technique you may ask? Classical Ballet Technique The Classical Ballet Technique book on the left has some great tips on how to improve your ballet technique and is written by an ex-dancer and teacher. “An excellent, comprehensive guide to ballet pedagogy valuable to teachers and students alike. For many years, Gretchen’s has … Read more
As in rond de jambe a terre, in grand rond de jambe the foot describes an arc from the front to the back or the back to the front, but now your foot is lifted off of the floor. The working leg could be anywhere from 45 to 90 degrees or higher, as long as the dancer … Read more
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 retire position, before unfolding your leg out into a sustained extension. You could take the leg up to the … Read more