What You'll Learn
- Master three specific turn preparations: alignment for en dedans, glute engagement for step-overs, and leg wind-up for en dehors pirouettes.
- Improve coordination using 'basket weave' footwork that requires rapid weight shifts and leg changes in center work.
- Refine weight placement by ensuring the face is positioned over the front foot during en dedans turn preparations.
- Enhance adagio transitions by connecting movements like pas de bourrée into one continuous fluid motion.
- Incorporate expressive upper-body styling through a Swan Lake-inspired port de bras and révérence.
About This Video
Elevate your center work with this comprehensive 23-minute intermediate ballet class from Broche Ballet. Designed for dancers who have mastered the basics and are ready to tackle more complex coordination and turn mechanics, this session balances rigorous technical drills with expressive artistry.
The class begins by challenging your agility with "spicy" footwork patterns. Using a "basket weave" exercise, you will practice rapid weight shifts and directional changes. This segment focuses on the precision of your tendu and the speed of your pas de bourrée, ensuring that your feet remain sharp and articulate even during quick transitions. Mastery of these patterns is essential for developing the "light feet" required for advanced allegro and center combinations.
Transitions are the heartbeat of ballet, and our adagio section focuses on making them seamless. You will work through shapes like arabesque, attitude, and écarté, prioritizing fluid port de bras. We explore how to use pas de basque and développé to create a sense of continuous movement, avoiding "static" moments between poses.
A major highlight of this class is the mechanical breakdown of turn preparations. Whether you are working on a piqué turn or a classic pirouette, the preparation dictates the success of the rotation. We analyze three distinct styles: the en dedans preparation (focusing on "face over foot" alignment for momentum), the step-over turn (emphasizing the outward press of the standing knee and glute engagement), and the en dehors preparation (utilizing the front leg as a powerful wind-up). By understanding the physics of relevé and weight placement, you will find more stability and consistency in your turns.
To conclude, we transition from technique to pure artistry with a Swan Lake-inspired révérence. This beautiful sequence incorporates iconic swan-like arm movements, teaching you how to carry the grace of a principal dancer into your final bow. Join us at Broche Ballet to refine your technique and rediscover the joy of expressive movement.
