What You'll Learn
- Maintain an upright posture during complex leg movements like grand battement.
- Develop core stability and balance by performing barre exercises without support.
- Master the technical nuances of fondu and frappé for better weight placement.
- Apply barre techniques to center work using the Waltz of the Flowers combination.
- Establish the correct weight distribution needed for successful turns and jumps.
About This Video
Welcome to Broche Ballet’s Beginner Ballet Barre, where we take the challenge to the next level by removing the physical support of the barre. This class is specifically designed for dancers who want to cultivate a deeper sense of internal balance and core stability. By practicing traditional movements in the center, you gain a better understanding of your weight placement and alignment, which is the foundation of all professional ballet technique.
Throughout this session, your instructor will guide you through a series of essential exercises, including plié, tendu, and fondu. A common hurdle for beginners is the tendency to lean the shoulders forward as the working leg moves, particularly during the melting action of a fondu. We focus heavily on keeping the shoulders riding directly on top of the hips, ensuring that your center of gravity remains stable even as your legs move through various positions.
Developing the ability to balance without a barre is a milestone in any dancer's education. It forces the body to engage the smaller stabilizing muscles in the ankles and feet while demanding constant vigilance from the core. In this Broche Ballet session, we do not just go through the motions; we analyze the mechanics of movement.
For instance, when executing a grand battement, the momentum of the leg can easily pull a dancer off-balance. By training without a barre, you learn to anchor your standing leg and maintain a vertical spine, which is vital for later success in pirouettes and grand allegro. As we progress to more dynamic movements like the frappé, the focus shifts to maintaining an upright posture.
It is tempting to compensate for the height of the leg by dropping the torso, but this class emphasizes control over sheer height. To round out the practice, we engage in a center exercise inspired by the "Waltz of the Flowers," applying everything you have learned about balance and posture to fluid, lyrical movement.
