Plies In Ballet - Why Do You Need Them?

Plies in ballet are a very important part of ballet training. Plie means to bend or fold, and in ballet, it is to bend the knees.

‘plié, (French: “bent”), knee bend in ballet. It is used in jumps and turns to provide spring, absorb shock, and as an exercise to loosen muscles and to develop balance.’

How to say & pronounce Plié: plee-ay

Translation: to bend

A plié in ballet is when a dancer is bending at the knees. Of course, when that happens, your ankles and hips are also technically bending.

There are two different types of plié: grand plié and demi plié. A grand plié is a full bend of the knees until the thighs are parallel with the floor, while a demi plié looks more like a half bend, where the heels do not come off the floor.

If you watch a ballet production, plies are used all the time in the following ways:

to cushion the landings after a jump or leap
to take off into a jump or leap
to protect the knees when landing
to control the dancer’s turnout
to help the dancer to establish the correct placement
to begin a turn
as a transitional step to link ballet steps

The barre normally begins with a plie exercise, but they are not as simple as they look.

How To Get The Most Out Of Your Plies In Ballet

Make sure to work your turnout properly from the hip socket.
Keep your spine erect, and don’t let your coccyx pop out as you go down, especially in 2nd. Sticking the bottom out is a very common problem, especially for beginners.
Keep all ten toes on the floor at all times.
Control your ankles and knees and don’t let them roll in.
Try to relax your joints. You shouldn’t feel tension in your hips, knees, or ankles.
In a demi plie, keep your heels on the floor. In a full plie they only lift as much as they have to and replace them onto the floor again as soon as you can as you come up again.
Never ‘sit’ at the bottom of the plie.
Use the same amount of counts to go down as you do to come up again.
Don’t snap your legs as you straighten them – resist as they come up – like you are squeezing a ball between your thighs. In other words, come up with grace and style.
Don’t attempt plies in fourth and fifth position until you have mastered them in first and seconde positions.
Do not grip the floor with your toes, try to keep them relaxed.
Always keep the knees aligned over the toes. Don’t let them close inwards.