Pointe Basics Barre: Strengthening Exercises for Budding Ballerinas

Welcome to Broche Ballet’s Pointe Basics Barre, a comprehensive 26-minute practice designed to help you transition from beginner to intermediate pointework with confidence. This session focuses on the essential technical elements of classical ballet, emphasizing the strength, alignment, and precision required to dance safely and beautifully en pointe. Throughout the class, we prioritize the relationship between the floor and your pointe shoes, ensuring every movement is executed with intention.

You will work through a series of traditional exercises at the barre, beginning with fundamental movements like the plié and relevé. A major focus of this class is maintaining proper hip alignment during your plié to ensure your core is fully engaged, providing the stability necessary for center balance. We also explore the specific "scooping" motion of the toes during a relevé from two legs to one, a technique similar to the sharp, clean movement of a sous-sus.

As we progress to more complex combinations, you will learn to master the passé en pointe. Speed and control are vital here; we practice snapping the toes quickly to the knee while keeping the working leg close to the body. This efficiency of movement is what separates beginner execution from intermediate mastery.

We also delve into the nuances of footwork with exercises involving tombé and pas de bourrée. You will learn to find a deep, expressive extension in your tombé and maintain crisp, rhythmic precision in your footwork transitions. Beyond the steps, this class emphasizes the importance of maintaining an upright posture and a strong core to support your weight en pointe.

By focusing on technical details—like connecting the foot quickly in a passé to avoid instability—you will develop the strong feet and stability required for future center work. This Broche Ballet class provides the professional guidance necessary to elevate your practice.