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Ballet can be so much fun.
It's wonderful to watch and even greater to do.
We all know it takes a long time to be a true professional,
but I want to show you in this video
just how really simple it can be,
how much enjoyment you can get.
You know, dancing, after all, is just an inspiration
like any other art.
It's all to give our emotions and our moods.
So let's go inside and see what we can do about all this inspiration.
You can begin to learn ballet almost anywhere.
And the marvelous thing about being a dancer is that you've got all you need, your body.
I'd like to show you a few basic steps that are fun to do on your own or with your friends.
And let's start with breathing.
Let's really enjoy ourselves.
Begin relaxed. Feel the music.
Let it flow through you.
Become aware of your breathing.
In and out.
Breathing involves muscular contraction and expansion.
Begin to use more of your muscles.
First body movement is stretching.
Upwards with the head leading until we achieve our stance.
Now for a simple standing exercise.
Stand with your weight balanced evenly between your two feet, arms loose by your sides.
Relax. Breathe evenly.
And bend.
And again.
And stretch.
Let's use our arms.
Up and forward.
Touch your toes.
Don't worry if you can't do it first time. Just practice.
Feel that stretch.
Curl your spine.
And again.
Up and down.
Easy does it.
Feel good. Feel your body.
And curl up again.
Let's separate our legs. Shake out the tension.
Okay, breathe.
Relax.
And down.
And in.
And out.
And bend.
Those knees are separated now.
Hold the waist and stretch to the side.
To the other side, pull away the body from the legs.
And use the arm and bounce.
To the other side, always do both sides.
And right round in a big circle using the head stretching the spine.
And the other way.
Feel good with yourself.
Shake out the tension.
And relax.
Walking is a natural warm up.
Take your time and use the music.
Push gently forward on the feet.
Little faster now.
Gentle trot.
Keep moving forward. We can all do this. Doesn't matter who you are.
Let's find a support.
Push slowly through the feet.
Stretch out the tendons.
Easy does it.
The other one.
And push together.
Gently through the feet. Let's do it again.
Push together. Gently through the feet. Let the toes massage the floor.
Little swing.
Front. Back.
And front. Together.
The right leg.
Always make sure you do it evenly.
Together.
Little jog now. Little faster.
And together.
These basic natural movements that you've just seen involving breathing can be very beautiful.
And eventually transformed into creating a variety of attitudes and emotions.
Try it by yourself now and use me merely as a guide.
Breathing.
Standing.
Stretching.
And back.
Walking.
And back.
The exercises were based on simple weight transfer.
And the legs were parallel.
Now a dancer will turn her legs out.
Now that's to show off their shape and to display and create better effects.
Now let's go to the bar where the dancer will warm and prepare up the body for more sophisticated movements.
The bar can be practically anything you can hold on to.
A mantelpiece or a towel rail or even a chair.
The exercises we do at the bar are primarily warm up exercises.
They're strengthening and they're preparing us to do the exercises and the steps that we're going to do later on in the class.
We start these exercises with the simplest one.
That's to bend.
In ballet language that's plié.
Now after that we go on to doing more stretching things.
Tendu.
We go on and do a glissé which is again a little bit higher off the ground.
Another stretch but sharper.
Then we go on and we do our rond de jambe.
Now this is using more of the leg.
Higher up on the leg.
And strengthening again.
And we then go on to doing another plié but it's called fondu.
Now the fondu is more strengthening and the leg goes higher and off the ground.
Now then we go on to doing grand battement.
Now grand battement is the last exercise usually at the bar.
That's the one that really prepares us for the big jumps.
Bending the knees completely.
The heel come off the ground.
Bend forward and recover.
Find a new position.
Stretch front.
Close.
Side.
And close.
Back.
And close.
And side.
Settle in an open position and bend.
Arm lowers as the knees bend.
Recover.
Lift the arm and stretch to the side.
Find a new position.
Close.
Back.
Close.
Side.
Close.
Front.
Settle in another open position.
Bend.
Use the head.
Keep breathing.
Recover.
Forward to go back.
Stretch out the spine.
Lift the arm and bring it to the side.
Front with the foot.
And side.
And close.
And back.
And close.
And side.
Into a closed position.
Bend again.
Watch the arm.
All the way round.
Every position we've used.
And balance.
Look out.
Hold it.
Lower the heels gently and the arms.
And stretch.
Tendus.
Front.
And close.
And front.
Close.
Toes along the floor and bend.
Transfer the weight back and close.
Back and close.
Back and together.
And back.
Transfer the weight to the arm lowers.
And close.
Arm to the side with the leg.
Close.
And side.
And close.
And side.
Plie.
And stretch.
And close.
Side.
And close.
Keep breathing.
Side.
And close.
And side.
Transfer the weight back to the bar.
And close.
Faster.
To.
Out.
To.
Plie.
Stretch.
And close.
Back.
Close.
Back.
Close.
Plie.
Stretch.
And close.
Side.
And plie away and close.
And side.
Plie.
Stretch.
Close.
And from the back.
And side.
And close.
Front.
Close.
Front.
Close.
Plie.
Stretch.
And close.
Side.
Keep looking at your arm.
Plie.
Stretch.
Close.
Side.
Close.
Side.
Close.
Breathe.
Faster and off the ground.
Front.
Plie.
And back.
Back.
Plie.
And front.
Side.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Plie.
And back to the barre.
Faster.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Plie.
Little jump.
And back to it.
Back.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Back.
And front.
Close.
Side.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Plie.
To the side and back to the barre.
Side.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Little jump.
And back to it.
And back to the barre.
Side.
Two.
trip to the side.
Bend your body.
And bring yourself back to the barre.
Side.
Two.
Three.
Four.
And back to the barre.
Side.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Good.
Two.
And back to the barre.
Side.
Two.
And up.
Two.
And back.
Two.
Four.
Two.
and back and round. Imagine chalk on your toes drawing a big circle on the ground.
Bigger circle. Close front, round, round again, but off the ground a bigger circle in the air.
The other way and back, front, off the ground, circle the other way in the air.
Close and stretch round in a big circle with the body to the bar and round to the back
to the side and balance.
Let's settle and reverse it back and side. Keep the body moving and breathing and close and back round.
More circles, bigger circle and front and side and present yourself and close front, side and round
and big again and hold it and back round and off the ground circle and the other way
and off the ground two circles and stretch backwards and towards the bar, elongate the spine,
separate the bones and balance. Lift one leg and the arm, hold it for as long as you can
and our fondue. Prepare arm and leg together, two legs bend, two legs straighten
and balance in a closed position. Back leg open and balance and bend, arm moving all the time
and balance, balance in an open position. Test it with our left arm and bend and balance.
Arm moving, breathing all the time and balance, going through the foot to the side and balance.
Open position in front, test it again, hold and close.
Front button, prepare, throw the leg to the front, to the back, to the back and close, to the side, arm lifts
and balance again, strong and back, close, back, close, front, close, enjoy it, to the side, close and side, close
and front, balance and finish.
Shall we go back to the beginning and start with our plies?
Tendus