The Swan (Saint-Saëns' Version)

Ballet Practice 2013 Aug

 

Grand rond de jambe jete (Soviet syllabus)

In this movement (advance level only), the leg is brushed through 1st and thrown swiftly and energetically from the front (or back) in a high arc through 2nd.

Hint:

The shoulders should remain level, with held securely in 2nd, throughout the movement.

Petit Battement

From "wrapped" coude-pied devant, open foot sideways 2 to 3 inches.

Replace foot sur le cou-de-pied derriere.

Hints:

1. The knee stays immobile, with the lower led swinging in and out as if hinged at the knee.

2. THe level of the foot placed in back in cou-de-pied must be the same as the level of the foot in the wrapped cou-de-pied devant.

 

Rond de Jambe en L'Air

Make two elongated egg-shaped circles under the thigh, with the working toe passing the side of the supporting knee each time.

 

Importance: Once the height o the working leg has been estabblished in the starting position a la seconde, it is maintained without adjustment of the thigh (up or down) during the entire sequence of circling movement(s).

 

Battement Fondu

In this exercise, both legs bend and stretch simultaneously.

Importance:

Battement fondu is an important preparatory exercise for the study of all jumps on one leg.

Hints:

1. Maintain turnout in both legs throughout.

2. The bending and stretching of both legs must always be smoothly coordinated.

Rond de Jambe par Terre

En dehors = movement away from the supporting leg.

En dedans = movement toward the supporting leg.

Floor pattern of the leg in rond de jambe par terre

A demi-rond is half of a rond de jambe.

There are four possible directions for demi-ronds:

1. front to side (en dehors)

2. side to back (en dehors)

3. back to side (en dedans)

4. side to front (en dedans)

 

Pique/Pointe

Pique (Devant)

From 5th, degage devant and quickly lower and lift the leg in the open position, bouncing the toes off the floor with sharp, rebound quality.

Note: This movement may be excuted with more than one pointe in any of the positions to the front, side or back.

Battement glisse

Battement glisse in English school / Battement tendu jete in Soviet syllabus

From 5th, Brush the leg outward through the pointe tendue position.

Release the toes from the floor.

 

Battement Tendu

Battement Tendu en avant, a la seconde and derriere:

From 5th, keeping knee straight, slide toe outward to the fully pointed position,

Then slide foot inward to close in 5th.

 

Plies

Importance:

Plies act as the springboard for all jumps and are instrumental in providing the force for turns.

Hints:

1. Weight is equally distributed over both feet.

2. maintain turn-out whenever the knees are bent in plie

The postions of the arms

 

1 st position

 

 

2nd position

 

 

3rd position low

 

 

3rd position high

 

 

5th position

 

 

 in arabesque

The position of the Feet

1st postion

 

 

2nd position

 

3rd position

 

 

4th position
(The distance between the feet should be approximately the length of one of the dancer's feet)

5th position

The direction of muscular functions

The following diagrams show the the complex conbination of muscular functions, that result in correct ballet stance.

 

Front

 

 

 Back

 

Close To You

Close To You

 

Ballet Practice at UST

Part 1

 

Part 2