What You'll Learn
- The technical mechanics of a controlled échappé from barre to center.
- Strengthening exercises including relevé passé and sous-sus to improve stability.
- Fluid transitions using pas de bourrée and bourrée sequences across the floor.
- Integrating expressive port de bras and allonger into your footwork for better balance.
- Techniques for maintaining alignment and control during en dehors and en dedans turns.
About This Video
Elevate your practice with this comprehensive Broche Ballet class designed for dancers transitioning from beginner to intermediate pointe work. This session, "Focus on Échappé," is specifically structured to help you build the requisite strength and confidence needed to move away from the barre and find your stability in the center. Moving en pointe requires a unique blend of power and grace, and this tutorial provides the technical breakdown necessary to achieve both.
The class begins at the barre with a rigorous warm-up focusing on fundamental footwork and ankle articulation. You will engage in precise plié, tendu, and dégagé exercises that emphasize the importance of articulating through every part of the shoe. By incorporating movements like pas de cheval, piqué, and rond de jambe, you will develop the ankle stability and calf strength necessary for more advanced work.
A key focus during these exercises is the "allonger" movement, ensuring that every extension is long, energized, and expressive. As we transition to the center, the primary focus shifts to the échappé. This "escaping" movement is essential for developing power and precision while dancing en pointe.
You will learn how to maintain proper alignment and consistent turn-out while moving from a closed fifth position to an open second or fourth position, and back again. The instructor provides detailed guidance on executing sous-sus and relevé passé with control, ensuring that your weight is correctly distributed over the platform of your pointe shoes. Beyond footwork, this class emphasizes the integration of the upper body.
You will practice various port de bras to enhance your balance and artistic expression. Understanding how the arms support your center of gravity is vital when performing bourrée and pas de bourrée combinations across the floor. By focusing on breathing and relaxation, you will learn to execute challenging steps, including en dehors and en dedans turns, with a sense of fluidity.
Join us at Broche Ballet and transform your pointe practice today by mastering these essential basics.
