How do I improve my rond de jambe en l'air in ballet?

Question: How do I improve my rond de jambe en l'air in ballet!?

When I move my leg from front to side my leg seems to automatically drop and go back up again when my leg goes to the back!. also my legs are very long and seem to hit everything and everyone no matter where I practice!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

Well for the long legs all I can say is find someplace more open than where you would hit people and things! You're lucky though, long legs are DEFINITELY a good thing in ballet!. I assume since you are talking about going from front to side to back you mean a grand rond de jambe and not a rond de jambe en l'air (where you hold your leg in seconde and make a small circle at the height of your knee)!. The first thing to think about is that your leg needs to be lowest in the first position of the rond (either front or back), and then get higher à la seconde and then be highest at the back to be correct!. Usually most people drop their legs from back to side, not front to side!. You need to just concentrate on NOT letting that leg drop!. If you can't, then that means your extension to the front is higher than your extension to the side and you have to lower it to the front in this movement until your extension to the side is higher!. If it's not an issue of side extension, then it's most likely an issue of turnout!. Practice the whole movement veeeery slowly, concentrating on keeping those hips under and keeping your leg as turned out as possible!. It's also possible you are trying to carry the leg farther to the side than your turnout will allow, causing you to turn in!. Make sure that even in an extension in seconde you are keeping your leg in front of your hip, where your tendu would be (unless you have perfect 180 degree turnout)!. I would say just keep practicing the movement very slowly, and lower than you would normally hold it paying attention to placement and turnout!. Good luck!Www@QuestionHome@Com