What You'll Learn
- Execute en dedans pirouettes with stable alignment from a double-bent fourth position preparation.
- Distinguish between 6th and 8th port de bras positions through specific upper body and heel focus.
- Master the tombé pas de bourrée transition by maintaining a square torso and efficient arm pathways.
- Improve turn stability by controlling the arms through the finish instead of opening them early.
- Develop waltz phrasing and musicality through coordinated weight shifts and piqué soutenu turns.
About This Video
Elevate your center practice with this targeted 20-minute intermediate ballet class at Broche Ballet. This session is meticulously designed to bridge the gap between barre work and the dynamic, multi-directional requirements of center-floor combinations. We dive deep into the lyrical fluidity of the waltz, focusing on balancé sequences that challenge your musicality, coordination, and weight transfer across the floor.
A primary focus of this lesson is the technical refinement of the pirouette. You will explore the mechanics of both en dehors and en dedans turns, with a specific emphasis on achieving a consistent, powerful preparation from fourth position. The instructor provides critical corrections on maintaining a stable base; by ensuring both legs are equally active in the plié, you can avoid the common tendency to lean forward or pitch before the relevé.
This vertical alignment is essential for finding your axis and sustaining multiple rotations. Furthermore, this class delves into the artistry and precision of port de bras. You will learn to distinguish between the subtle nuances of 6th and 8th positions, focusing on how heel placement and upper body bending influence the overall aesthetic line.
This focus on the upper body helps to integrate the arms into the movement, rather than treating them as separate from the legs. We also emphasize landing stability, teaching you to resist the reflex to open the arms too quickly to second position, which can often pull a dancer off-balance at the finish. The session also covers the efficiency of the tombé pas de bourrée transition.
By ensuring the torso remains square and the arms travel through a clean first position, you create a seamless path into subsequent movements like the piqué soutenu. Throughout the class, rhythmic phrasing is used to improve your overall musicality. By the end of this session, you will have a deeper understanding of how to use your head and foot alignment as a long lever during turns, resulting in more controlled and graceful center work.
