What Is Center In Ballet? Center in ballet is the reward for all your hard and disciplined work at the barre. It is not that center work in ballet requires less effort, but it is far more exhilarating for the dancer, as this is when she feels she is really and truly dancing. Center work … Read more
When teaching ballet to young children, especially those in preschool, we have to be careful how we address posture for kids, especially when it comes to training certain aspects of ballet technique. We need to be both realistic and safe when teaching these little bodies and be very aware of what we are saying, as their … Read more
Grand Battement Definition A grand battement definition in ballet is a controlled throwing up of the working leg to its full height, while keeping both legs straight, and then controlling the downward movement of the leg. The entire movement is usually done pretty quickly to music with a strong and brisk tempo. Grand battement can … Read more
Allegro in ballet could mean either petit allegro or grand allegro. The term allegro in music means ‘at a brisk tempo.’ In Italian the word allegro means merry, but in ballet it means jumps. The term grand allegro refers to big travelling jumps and turns, and petit allegro is when the jumps are smaller and faster. … Read more
Most teachers dedicate a few minutes of class time to ballet barre stretches or stretching in general. Some leave you free to stretch yourself, and others give a combination of ballet barre stretches. It is very important for dancers to be both flexible and strong. If you want to read more about stretching exercises, you can … Read more
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 just under knee height each time her leg circles in. … Read more
I have taught a lot of adults in the past who have not only wanted to get fit but also wanted to know how to lose weight dancing. Many people want to lose weight and know that they must get more active in order to do this, but lugging themselves to the gym for yet another … 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
Do you ever wonder what do ballet dancers eat before a show to sustain their energy and have the stamina to finish the entire performance without fizzling out towards the end? Contrary to the belief that dancers eat nothing, they actually need to keep their stamina up and they cannot do this without something healthy … Read more
If you are wondering what the best way to teach young children to dance is, it is not by doing endless plies or tendus. It’s actually about teaching them to move with increased control, coordination, and confidence. Fundamental movements involve the raw or core movement, devoid of aesthetic refinement or style. In order to learn … Read more