The Barre Part IV

BATTEMENTS

Battements are as much a hip exercise as they are a foot exercise.  The body responds to the placement and transfer of weight during all battement formats.  Battement is one of those words (like pas and temps) that is frequently omitted and understood.  For example, frappé is short for battement frappé, etc. 







ROND DE JAMBE EN DE HORS (outward) AND EN DE DANS (inward)

Like pliés, rond de jambes should offer the dancer breath, stretch, and relaxation during the exercise.  While it is true that the rond de jambe is predominantly for the hip, the foot and ankle do gain great flexibility, power, and response to the floor during this practice.  Even the head, shoulders, and center gain knowledge of where and how to be placed during moves from front to side and back during the rond de jambe execution. 

Sometimes the speed should be very slow and alternately very fast, but the body should be uplifted and postured at all times, without tightly gripping the barre during movement.  There should be a relaxing stretch during rond de jambe par terre (on the floor).

The exercises listed in this and previous posts should be combined in as many formats as possible so the dancers can gain experience and learn the dynamics of position and velocity of execution.  As much port de bras as is valuable to the student should also be given.  A good practice, however, is centered on placement of shoulders and hips and weight change.  Port de bras and head freedom, with solarplexes well-carried at all times, give the dancer the composure to execute turns and jumps with ease and precision. 

These essential practices make it quite easy to advance through beginning to advanced practices.  Without the response to the floor for the foot, and the correct alignment of the body learned through these exercises, no amount of rehearsal will perfect the choreography.  The perfection lies in these simple exercises.