Category: Barre

Ballet barre combinations

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Tendu with Plié 4/4 Working through the metatarsal

Note: stop halfway means to stop between 1st position and fully stretching the foot in tendu, working through the metatarsal. In this stopping place, the part of the foot with a pad covering it (shown in the picture) will still be on the floor while your foot itself is still pointed.

 

Begin in 1st position
1       Begin tendu devant, stop halfway
2       Finish tendu devant, fully extended pointed foot front
3       Flex only toes, keeping foot pointed
4       Return toes to point tendu devant
5       Close to 1st position with straight knees
6       Tendu devant without stopping halfway
7       Close to 1st position in plié
8       Straighten knees
1-8    Repeat first phrase to the side
1-8    Repeat first phrase to the back
1       Flex foot 45° front, plié on supporting leg
2-3   Rond de jambe working leg to 45° side, then carry to 45° back in fondu
4       Close and straighten knees in 1st position
5-8   Repeat the last counts 1-4 starting from the back, side, then front

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Grand Battement 4/4

If you haven’t yet discovered the piano music of Gill Civil, then you’re in for a treat! Here you can find two musical selections for grand battement in 4/4 to go along with the combination below. One is called Cavalcade, the other is Jubilee Stride. These are from her album called Dancing Keys 2.

5th position at the barre

1       Tendu devant (front)
2       Lift to grand battement devant
3       Lower to point tendu devant
4       Close 5th position
5-6    Grand battement front, close 5th
&7     Passé close 5th back
&8     Degagé side and close 5th front
1-7     Repeat side
&8     Degagé back, close 5th back
1-16   Repeat all from back

Repeat a second time with pirouette from 5th instead of passé

Music available from http://pianomusicforballet.com

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Using a Mazurka in Ballet Class Grand Battement at barre

Having a pianist accompany your ballet class adds an element of liveliness that you just can’t get from a recording. I plan on interviewing some folks who accompany ballet classes for a living, but for now I wanted to share some things I learned today.

The definition of Mazurka (in Polish, mazurek) is a Polish folk dance in triple meter, usually at a lively tempo, and with accent on the second or third beat. (wikipedia.org)

There’s a blog post here by Jonathon Still about about using the mazurka in place of a waltz for some ballet combinations. He even points accompanists to a website with American Memory Sheet music where you can search for and find sheet music.

And here is a combination that would go well with a mazurka!

1-3    Grand battement devant, lower to tenu close 5th (arm 5th en haut)
4-6    Repeat to the side (arm 2nd)
1-6    Repeat back and side to complete en croix (arm arabesque, side)
1-2    Grand battement devant, close 5th (arm 5th en haut)
3-4    Grand battement side, close 5th back (arm 2nd)
5-6    Grand battement back, close 5th (arm to arabesque)
1-5    Cloche battement with INSIDE leg fbfbf (arm 5th en haut)
6       Close 5th position front
1-24  Repeat all from the back.

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Degagé with Plié Barre exercise in 2/4 or 6/8

5th position at the barre
1-2        Brush to 45° devant, plié in 4th – arm 5th en avant
3           Straighten knees and carry working foot to 2nd at 45° á la seconde, arm to 2nd position
4           Plié in 2nd
5-6       Carry working foot to 45° devant, close 5th position front – arm 5th en haut
&7&8   Degagé devant 2x closing 5th front both times
1-2       Degagé side, plié in 2nd position – arm 5th en avant
3           Carry working foot to back 45° and straighten knee – arm 2nd
4           Demi plié in 4th position – arm en avant
5-6       Carry working foot to 45° side, close 5th back – arm 2nd
&7&8   Degagé side 2x closing 5th front, 5th back
1-16      Repeat all from back with arm in arabesque instead of 5th en haut

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Tendu A ballet barre combination

Begin 1st position
1        Tendu devant, or front
2        Flex foot at ankle
3        Point foot
4        Turn in 4
5        Turn out
6       Close 5th position plié
7-8    Chassé devant, point tendu inside foot back, close 5th
1-2    Tendu devant, close 5th position
3-4    Petit passé (ankle height) to close back in 5th
4-6    Tendu side close 5th front
7-8    Petit passé to close in 5th back.

1-16   Repeat all from back

1        Tendu a la seconde, or side
2-3    Flex and point tendu side
4-5    Turn in, turn out
6       Close 5th position front in plié
7-8    Chassé away from the barre to the side, close 5th front
1-8    Repeat last 8 counts with inside leg, finishing with chassé toward barre

1-8    Demi plié relevé to cou de pied (foot at front of ankle, not wrapped), balance arms 5th en avant

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Degagé facing the barre

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Begin in 1st position

1-4  4 degagé to the side with R
5-6  Flex R foot and bounce low to floor to R side
7&8  2 quick piqué to right side and close 1st
1-8  Repeat to the left
1-4  Degagé en cloche w/R leg front, back, front (finish last one in fondu) hold count 4
5-8  Degagé en cloche back, front, back (ending in fondu)
1-2  Pull R to retiré, straightening standing leg
3-4  Extend 45° side in fondu
5-6  Relevé passé
7-8  Lower and close to 1st position
1-32 Repeat all beginning L