Position:Home>Dancing> How does one train for this ballet position?

The move is called "grand battement pose"!.

The best exercises to get to this is through strength training at the barre!.!.!.!.!.
1!. Do 50 grand battements en avant on your free leg!. Do the first 20 of them slowly, and the next 30, faster!. The supporting leg should releve every tme!.

2!. Then do 50 grand battements en dedans also on your free leg, doing the same step as in no!. 1!.

This will take 3 minutes of your time!. And ballet takes practice to do such flexible moves like the grand battement pose!. Best to do it after class, even though you will do stretch exercises during ballet class!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

---

---

Basically you need two things

the flexibility to get your leg that high (obvious)
the strength to keep it that high (leg, stomach, back, hip, and butt muscles)


How do you make this happen!? You work!

some tips:

1) take enough classes to keep your strength up (this varies by person)

2) during class, when you do grand battement at the barre focus on bringing your leg up quickly, and down slowly!. Kick it up fast, then control the speed as your leg comes down!. This will work the muscles you need!.

3) don't get stuck using only your thigh muscles, it will develop bulky leg muscles and is much more difficult!. Your entire body needs to be activated to hold your leg up!.

4) Start low!. Don't force your leg high only to loose control and have it come crashing down!. Keep it where you can hold the pose, and gradually (daily or weekly) try to get it a little bit higher!. If you can't hold it for at least 4 seconds it's too high!.

5) Ask your teacher for help identifying where you are lacking in strength!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

---

---

What might help you is if you hold onto your thigh (but probably better if you hold your foot!.!.!.), holding onto a support like the back of a chair with your other hand and hold your leg up to this position!. Check that your hips are not tilting, and that your legs are fully turned out!. also check you are not hunching over, but standing up straight!.

Pull your leg up to the position, straightening both!. Now, engage all of your muscles and strength!. Release your leg!. Try your hardest to hold it up in this position!.

It will not happen immediately!. Another thing you can do is lots of grand battlements and developes!. Stand holding a support and turn both feet out!. Have your other arm in 2nd position!. Throw your leg up to the side (grand battement) and carry it down!. The key is to carry the leg down!. Make sure your knee faces the celing, and your legs are turned out!.

Then try developes!. The leg comes up to reterie, or pirrouette position, under the knee and well turned out!. Then, unfold your leg to the side or second position!. Do this slowly!. Grand battements are quick, developes are slower!.

Good luck! Make sure you stretch and warm up before doing this!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

---

---

It took me a years of dance to be able to do that!. And just for the record, you do not want your supporting foot to look like that!. Anyway, you need to stretch and you need to develop muscle!. Stretching you can do through all your normal dance stretches, gaining the muscle is a little different!. Find something that works for you, it doesn't even have to be dance!. Biking or rollerblading for example are good and a trick to this positionis that it is not just about the leg!. You need a strong back and a strong bum as well to be able to hold that!. As you work towards it, practise that position as often as you can and it will be hard for you to see, but it will happen!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

---

---

Ballet dancers train for years to be able to do that!. They are at the barre doing exercises for most of their classes!. Basic barre work is the foundation to all steps!. It is not just practicing holding your leg up!. Check out books at your library on dance!. Really to do ballet you need to be in a class with a teacher!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

---

---