Thanksgiving Day Ballet: Pliés, Tendus, Rélevés & Révérence

Join Broche Ballet for a special Thanksgiving Day class designed to bring grace and focus to your holiday celebrations. This 25-minute session is a perfect way to express gratitude for your body and your dance journey. Whether you are fitting in a quick practice before holiday festivities or looking for a mindful way to start your day, this class provides a structured yet festive environment to refine your foundational ballet technique.

Our instructor guides you through a curated sequence of exercises, beginning with essential pliés in first position and transitioning into strength-building relevés. We place a significant emphasis on the Vaganova style of port de bras. One of the unique takeaways from this session is the imagery of holding a delicate flower between the thumb and fingers.

This visualization helps dancers understand when to 'show' and 'hide' the flower, ensuring a fluid and expressive movement of the arms that is characteristic of the Vaganova method. In addition to arm carriage, the class covers precise tendu work to articulate the feet and build the necessary strength for more advanced movements. You will also practice relevés from a cou-de-pied position, focusing on stability and proper alignment through the standing leg.

Throughout these exercises, we offer tips on maintaining relaxed arms and upright posture to achieve a professional line. We conclude the session with a traditional révérence. In the world of ballet, the révérence—consisting of a bow or a curtsey—is a vital tradition that honors the teacher and the art form itself.

It is a beautiful way to center yourself and acknowledge your hard work. This Thanksgiving, take a moment for yourself at the barre. This practice is about the artistry and the discipline that make ballet so rewarding.

Let’s celebrate the season through movement, technique, and a shared love for dance.