What You'll Learn
- How to coordinate port de bras with specific inhale and exhale patterns for fluid movement
- Techniques for creating an undulation effect through the upper body and arms
- Strategies for maintaining soft, relaxed arms while performing complex combinations
- How to use eye focus to direct the audience's attention and enhance artistry
- Blending arm movements seamlessly with lower body actions like plié and tendu
About This Video
In this 23-minute Broche Ballet practice session, we delve into the intersection of technique and artistry through a combination inspired by the iconic Lilac Fairy from Tchaikovsky’s 'The Sleeping Beauty'. While many dancers focus heavily on footwork, the true magic of ballet often lies in the upper body. This class prioritizes the fluid port de bras that defines a professional stage presence and brings a character to life.
The session begins by exploring the vital relationship between breath and movement. You will learn to use a quarter breath and controlled exhale and inhale patterns to create a natural undulation through the spine and arms. This technique prevents the arms from looking stiff or static, instead giving them a lifelike, breathing quality.
We focus heavily on allongé movements, ensuring that the arms are extended and soft rather than rigid. Throughout the Lilac Fairy combination, we integrate technical foundations like plié, tendu, and relevé. The instructor demonstrates how to keep one arm anchored and low by the leg while the other moves through space, creating a seamless look that blends with your arabesque or tendu lines.
A key takeaway from this lesson is the importance of eye contact and focus; as the instructor notes, the audience follows the dancer’s gaze. By mastering where to look during your port de bras, you command the room and elevate your performance from a simple exercise to a piece of art. Using the soothing and regal music of 'The Sleeping Beauty', this practice encourages relaxation and grace.
Whether you are working on the timing of your allongé or trying to find more depth in your plié, this class provides the rehearsal strategies needed for a more expressive center practice. By the end of this session, you will have the tools to transform your upper body movement, making it as precise and evocative as the Lilac Fairy herself.
