Ballet Steps
The Secret Behind Ballet Steps
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Dancing is made up of ballet steps. Dancers use these steps everyday and without them, well there would be no dancing! Find out here about the different types of ballet steps.
The phrase "ballet steps" is very general. As you may know, there are a countless number of steps we use everyday in ballet. As you go on you'll realize it isn't always about the steps, it's about the movements you make from them.
Ballet is made up from steps but it's how you dance and perfect them which is important. For dancers in training, the steps seem most important because that's all you do in a ballet class. However, as you develop your training the steps all link together to form a performance. All performances contain the steps you've been training. It's just they are combined together so it doesn't look so basic, it looks like a dance.
Photo sourced from dance.net
Here the some important ballet steps which are used in everyday class and in performances:
Plié Plié means "to bend". Each dancer has a different depth in which they can plié. The depth of your plié is controlled by the length of your achilles tendon. You have to work with what you have got. If you have a deep plié then you have to control it. If you have a less deep plié then you can improve it with work and stretching. Battement tendu Battement tendu is a stretched movement. It's important in a battement tendu that the toe always remains on the floor. Otherwise it will turn into a battement jeté. Tendus warm up the legs and gets the muscles going.
 What Ruins Most Dancers?Most trainee dancers ultimately fail... WHY? Find out from Odette for free... | Frappé Frappé means "to strike". Frappé is important because it's preparing you to jump. It's sharp and precise; a lot of quick footwork is needed. The more it's practiced, the easier fast footwork will become. Glissade A glissade is a gliding step. It's a traveling step which is frequently used in allegro exercises. It's often used in performances for the linking steps in a choreography. Pas de bourrée Pas de bourrée is made up of three quick steps. It's a small running step. It's used a lot as a linking step in performances and in ballet exercises. Pas de bourrée can be done in many different ways. It can be done quickly, slowly, traveling or staying on the spot ... it's very versatile.
The phrase "linking step" is what you do in between different movements.
For example, a typical step which a lot of teachers use is "Chassé pas de bourrée glissade jeté". The Pas de bourrée would be the linking step because it links into the grand jeté.
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