What You'll Learn
- Using breath to initiate movement and manage stress during barre exercises.
- Refining upper body posture and connecting eye focus to hand movements for better épaulement.
- Techniques for releasing tension in the arms and shoulders during expressive port de bras.
- Executing artistic tendu, fondu, and développé combinations with musicality and intent.
About This Video
In this session of Artistry Barre at Broche Ballet, we invite you to step away from the stress of the day and immerse yourself in the fluid grace of classical dance. This class is designed not just as a physical workout, but as a holistic practice in mindfulness and artistic expression. Our focus today centers on the upper body—specifically how we use port de bras to convey emotion and the subtle connection between our gaze and our movement.
Throughout the barre, you will be guided through foundational exercises including tendu, fondu, and développé. However, rather than focusing purely on the mechanics of the legs, we challenge you to feel the movement through your entire body. We explore how to stretch the energy from your core through your fingertips and how to use your breath to initiate every transition.
By softening the arms and releasing tension in the shoulders, you allow for a more authentic and expressive performance. This focus on letting go is essential for any dancer looking to move beyond the technical and into the realm of true artistry. One of the highlights of this class is the focus on épaulement—the placement of the head and shoulders.
You will learn the importance of following the hand with the eyes, a technique that instantly elevates a student's artistry to a professional level. We also dive into combinations that require a strong upper back, ensuring that positions like arabesque are supported and beautiful. As we move through the sequences, we pay special attention to the hand placement, ensuring the fingers are active yet graceful.
The accompanying piano music provides a calming atmosphere, allowing you to truly let go of external pressures. We even include a few humorous moments to remind us that ballet, while a disciplined art form, should also be joyful and lighthearted. Join us at Broche Ballet and rediscover the joy of artistic movement through these restorative combinations.
