Introduction
With this lesson, you'll be able to learn some new warmups for your class, especially a dance class. This will help learn the basics of ballet, creating a new skill.
Age: middle school, high school, and up
Ballet is a style of dance, and it is the oldest style of dance known. Ballet is a formalized form of dance with its origins in the Italian Renaissance courts of 15th and 16th centuries. Ballet spread from Italy to France with the help of Catherine de' Medici, where ballet developed even further under her aristocratic influence. Later it developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. King Louis XIV founded the Académie Royale de Musique from which the Paris Opera Ballet developed as the first professional ballet company. ballet today is the most common dance throughout the world, and is truly the base of all styles of dance. If you can learn ballet, you can learn all styles of dance. This lesson is for just a warmup of ballet. Dancers do it at the beginning of the class to warm up their bodies.
Task
The main idea of this is to be able to properly warmup the body for dance or any type of activity. The goal is to process how ballet is and what it does to your body, and it truly can be a workout. You'll be able to learn some new things about yourself, and your body.
*if you do not have a ballet bar available to you, feel free to use a wall or the back of chair, comfortable to your height
Process
*Before you start, make a mental note that it takes time and practice to be able to look like the women in the videos, it doesn't come overnight. Do not over work your body, trying to make it do something it can't do. Keep it to your own body's capabilities and its needs and be safe!
The first step is learning all of the ballet positions; 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th. Here is a video for demonstration:
The second step are plies. Plies are little bends with the knees, almost like a squat, but in the five ballet positions. Here is a video demonstration:
The third step are tendus. Tendus are movements of the legs, just one leg first, with a straight leg. These appear to be little kicks. You perform these to the front side and back coming from 1st, 3rd, or 5th position. Then repeat on the other side. Here is a video demonstration:
The fourth step are degages. Degages are exactly like tendus, but you foot leaves the floor to a 45 degree angle, or shin height. Here is a video demonstration:
The fifth step are rande jambes. Rande jambes are leg movements, starting in 1st position, extendending to tendu, and creating a half circle or a capital "D" from front to back, keeping the leg straight the whole way. Hitting both the side position and the back position. Then close to 1st position. Here is a video demonstration:
The sixth step are grand rande jambes en lair. Grand rande jambes en lair are the same thing as the rande jambes, but they are performed in the air, either matching the foot to knee height or hip height (or higher if a pro). Here is a video demonstration:
The last step is going to be grand battment. Grand Battments are comparable to a kick, but have more control. You start in 1st, 3rd, or 5th position, then your leg brushes to hip height or higher and comes back down to the same position you started in. Here is a video demonstration:
Evaluation
Evaluation is being able to demonstrate the movements properly. To evaluate, here is a simple combo for each of the warmups of the body.
Plies: Starting in 1st position, do three plies (take your time), then tendu to 2nd position. Do three more plies, then tendu to 3rd position (outside foot in front). Do three more plies. Then turn around and do the other side.
Tendus: Starting in 3rd position, do three tendus to the front, and do a plie. Then do three tendus to the side, closing to the back first, and do a plie. Do three tendus to the back, do a plie. Then repeat on the side again; three tendus (closing to the front first) and do a plie. *every close of the legs and feet should be in 3rd position. Turn around and do the other side (leg).
Degages: The same pattern as the tendus. Turn around and do the other side.
Rande jambes: Do three from front to back and end in the back, plie. Repeat going from back to front. Do the other side.
Grand rande jambes en lair: These are slow. Same pattern as rande jambes. Do the other side.
Grand battments: These are slow. Same pattern as tendus. repeat and do other side.
Conclusion
Your body is all warmed up! You should be a little tired after too ;). Now you can dance!