Learning The Basic Ballet Moves

By Sarah Wilkiamson

There is something magical about the ballet. As ballet dancers move around the stage a fantasy world unfolds. That world is filled with grace, romance, and beauty. If you have ever wanted to be part of that world it may not be as far away from you as you might have first thought.

To begin your journey into the world of ballet you will need to learn first the basic moves all ballet dancers have mastered. The recommended way to begin this is by using a barre bar, which comes in different styles. If this is not possible for any reason then a high backed chair can work just as well.

Ballet dancers use this basically as a stability tool. As they are working through the ballet positions and basic movements they tend to stabilize themselves with the use of the barre.

The eleve is a move we all know ballet dancers for doing. It is the position we all associate with ballet and it is the use of the ball of the foot to dance. This is the first position to be learned. This position works to strengthen feet, ankles and calves. There are five positions in ballet to use the eleve and once you make progress through these you can work through what is called releve. All a releve is the rising to the ball of the foot from a deep pile.

There are two moves that you must master and they are the plie and a grand plie. A plie is simply the bending of the knee found in many ballet positions and depending on how deep the knee bend, a grand plie.

A tendu is another basic ballet move that can be mastered while working at the barre. While perfecting your tendu you are basically standing firm on one leg while stretching out your other leg. When you do this you want to be sure that you end each tendu with your foot in a strong point before it makes its way back to its original position. This move will help to increase your overall flexibility as well as to strengthen your turnout.

Once you have become confident in your tendu you can move onto a rond de jambre. This is similar to the tendu, but it actually involves your free leg making a semi circle on the floor. This can be done in all five of the ballet positions, and it is one of the best exercises to improve your turnout. The circular movement of this step always moves from front to back, but after you have acclimated yourself with the rond de jambe you can progress to the jambe en dedans which takes the circle in the opposite direction.

Even though ballet is a complicated form of dancing, it still has its origins in the basics and by working through these you will also build up a good foundation for yourself. This can be expanded upon in the future also as you become a dancer. - 32165

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