What You'll Learn
- Refine port de bras using head and neck intensity for a sophisticated allongé
- Create visual drama by contrasting low, deep movements with high-reaching extensions
- Synchronize your movement with complex musical phrasing, including silences and pickup notes
- Master expansive écarté positioning through dual-directional reaching and focused gaze
- Develop the ability to create tension in slow movement through deliberate timing and expression
About This Video
Elevate your dancing from technical execution to true performance art with this Artistry in Center class at Broche Ballet. This 27-minute session is designed for the dancer who wants to move beyond the barre and explore the deep emotional resonance of Chopin's Prelude Opus 28 No. 4.
In this class, we move through a carefully curated combination that prioritizes musicality and dramatic tension over mere repetition. The core of this lesson focuses on the sophistication of the port de bras. Many dancers struggle to make their movements feel authentic, often over-relying on the wrists to convey emotion.
Our instructor demonstrates how to amplify the beauty of an allongé by utilizing the rotation of the head and neck rather than wrist manipulation. By grounding your movements in the upper body and gaze, you achieve a more professional and refined aesthetic. We also explore the concept of levels—the visual contrast between deep, grounded movements and expansive, high-reaching extensions.
You will work through essential center movements including écarté, cambré, and temps lié. Each sequence is timed to the dripping quality of sustained piano chords, teaching you how to grow into the music. We emphasize the importance of responding to the silence and pickup notes within the score, ensuring that every plié and fondu is intentional and fluid.
The class breaks down the nuances of the musical score, encouraging students to treat the piano's melody as a partner. When working through an écarté, we focus on reaching in opposite directions—one arm toward the audience and the other high—to create a wide, expansive shape that fills the room. This focus on directionality, combined with a deliberate gaze, transforms a standard exercise into a piece of choreography.
We transition through movements from first position and fifth position with a focus on fluid transitions, ensuring that the dancer never truly stops moving. This class is an invitation to express your inner dancer and find your own voice within the classical framework. Join us to refine your technique and discover the power of musicality in motion.
