Ballet Moves
The Basics, the Excitements and the Secrets!

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Dancers make everything look so easy but lot of strength and stability is required to perform challenging moves.

Some of the basics include the plié, fondu, Rond de jambe, développé and Grand Battement.

With the feet turned out, you have to keep your balance while bending the knees.

Fondu means "to melt".

It's a lowering of the body made by bending the supporting leg.

Rond de jame à terre is a circular movement of the leg on the ground.

Rond de jambe en l'air is a circular movement of the leg in the air.

Courtesy to 2nilssons.com

Développé is a developing movement.

It's a slow unfolding of the working leg until it's fully extended in the required position. It takes a lot of balance to achieve.

Grand battement is a "large beating".

The supporting leg remains straight whilst the other leg lifts high in a fast action.

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Before you progress onto anything more exciting, these basics are needed to build up strength.

If you do this then when you move onto the bigger moves, you'll see how it will all fall into place.

Here are some more of the exciting moves-

Pirouette is a "whirl". It's a whirl involving a complete turn of the body. There are many types of pirouettes:

Pirouette à la seconde
Pirouette en arabesque
Pirouette en attitude
Pirouette sur le cou-de-pied

Fouetté is a whipping movement.

Fouette turns is a very exciting ballet move but it is difficult to do. Many ballerinas only manage 32 on one side.

Grand jeté is a big leap through the air. You split your legs and fly across the stage.

Grand jeté

Ballet moves can be very exhilarating. Even though you might want to make them your own, it's often best to follow the rules of ballet.

Always remember that often, less is more.

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