What You'll Learn
- How to maintain stability and balance without the support of the barre.
- The technical importance of leading with the heel to preserve turnout in dégagé.
- Executing fluid adagio movements like plié and glissade with correct alignment.
- Strategies for keeping hips level and avoiding leaning during weight shifts.
- Mastering the balancé through the 'brush, switch, and close' sequence.
About This Video
Finding your balance in the center can be one of the most challenging transitions for a beginner dancer. In this 25-minute session at Broche Ballet, instructor Julie guides you through a specialized 'Just the Center' practice designed to build the strength and awareness needed to move confidently away from the barre. The focus of this class is on adagio, balancing, and overall stability—the essential building blocks of controlled, graceful ballet movement.
We begin with foundational center work, emphasizing the mechanics of your turnout and alignment. One of the core technical focuses of this lesson is the 'heel forward' principle. Whether you are closing a dégagé or preparing for a glissade, keeping the heel forward ensures you are working from your rotators and maintaining a clean, classical line.
You will practice specific combinations that challenge your ability to stay over your center of gravity without the safety net of the barre. The lesson incorporates essential movements such as plié, dégagé, and glissade, woven together into accessible combinations. We also dive into the mechanics of the balancé—focusing on the brush, switch, and close—to help you find fluidity and rhythm.
Throughout the practice, Julie provides key corrections regarding hip placement and torso stability. You will learn how to avoid common mistakes, such as leaning forward during transitions or losing your turnout as you move through space. By focusing on holding positions like sous-sous and finding your balance, you will develop the core strength required for more advanced center work.
This class is about understanding the internal architecture of your body in motion. Whether you are practicing in a studio or at home, this video provides the repetition and detailed instruction necessary to master these complex movements. Start building a more stable, graceful center today.
