Ballet, like all dance styles, relies heavily on proper use of warming up the muscles, strengthening, stretching, and getting ready for each exercise.
There are several different orders to how the ballet barre combinations should follow, and they’re different for several reasons. I’m going to share with you my favorite way to have the ballet barre combinations flow that leads
to a fully warm and ready dancer.
Floor Exercises and Foot Progressions.
All my classes begin with a short floor exercise segment to work on warming up and strengthening the body. Normally we’ll do some planks, abdominal exercises, push ups, or any exercises that are specific to the age group that is being taught. Since it’s not safe to stretch with cold muscles we do not add any stretches to this first part of class, unless they’re dynamic stretches.
Pliés.
Pliés come next and we never have a class that doesn’t have pliés. Even Jazz and Modern includes a plié combination of sorts.
Tendus.
I’ll normally have a total of 1 or 2 tendu combinations. A slower one to gently warm up the ankles and metatarsals, and then a faster tempo.
Dégagés.
By the time dancers get to battements dégagés their muscles and bodies are starting to get warmer and are able to move at a quicker tempo.
Ronds de Jambe à Terre.
Ronds de jambe à terre is a wonderful exercise to make sure that dancers hips are warming up and able to move in circular motions, hence the name being translated from French is “circle of the leg on the ground”. Traditionally you’ll add some stretches and balances to these combinations as well for more advanced students. Beginners should stick with solely ronds de jambes since it takes a lot of control and concentration on not twisting and turning the hips.
Frappés.
Battement Frappés are a quick and exciting dance movement, which help prepare dancers for petit battements and allegro combinations.
Fondus.
Battement Fondus are personally one of my favorite combinations at barre. The legs must be timed perfectly together so that they bend and stretch at the same time in any direction. I call these the “ballet squats” since they work the glute and leg muscles more than any of the other barre combinations.
Grands Battements.
Grands Battements translated is “Big Beat” and that’s exactly what it should look like, a fast and large kick in the air with the leg completely straight so that it looks like you’re beating the air. Grands battement combinations are a lot of fun and by the time you reach it you should be fully warm and almost time to leave the barre.
Adagio.
Sometimes I’ll skip an adagio combination at barre if I have a lot of things planned for center work, since dancers are normally fully warm by this point. If I notice dancers still not in correct alignment or not using their muscles correctly I will have them do an adagio since they’re showing me that they’re not ready to leave barre yet. The point of using the barre is to make sure that the body is in complete alignment and warm, so dancers should continue using it until they are confident that in both areas they are prepared.
Stretch.
For the beginner dancers it’s important that they learn and eventually achieve a flat back cambré front, and a cambré side and back. Once dancers become more advanced they will do the cambrés, along with jambe à la barre, main, and other stretches as well.
Depending on the level and the day I’ll also include a jumps, petit battements, and pirouette at barre, but listed above are the 10 barre combinations and their order that I have dancers follow from Level 2 and up. Level 1’s will follow the same order, but won’t do Battement Frappés or Battement Fondus yet. I’d love to answer any questions you have about my order, the different steps, or anything on this topic so feel free to email me at anytime! virginiaacademyofdance@gmail.com
~Savannah Helmer Newman