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Beginner Ballet Centre Class: Pirouettes and Small Jumps

Beginner Ballet Centre Class: Pirouettes and Small Jumps — video by Nationale Opera & Ballet Play · 21:18

Video by Nationale Opera & Ballet on YouTube · Open on YouTube

Simona Ferrazza, a former Dutch National Ballet dancer now teaching at its academy, leads a beginner centre class with live piano: balances, an adage, a simple pirouette, grand battements, then sautés, assemblés and jetés. Best after some barre work.

  • 21 min
  • Beginner
  • High impact (jumping)
  • No equipment
  • Ballet barre

Good forDancing for fun

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Step by step 8

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  1. Find your balance in the centre: fondus and tendus twice in every direction from fifth. 0:40
  2. Adage: shift the weight, développé and arabesque, slow and controlled, shoulders over hips. 3:42
  3. Simple pirouette exercise: tendu, plié in fourth, a single turn and close in fifth. 8:08
  4. Grand battements in the centre; keep the arms lower if that is easier. 10:20
  5. Small jumps from first position, taken in two groups so you can rest in between. 13:28
  6. Assemblés: a small combination that stays on the spot. 15:34
  7. Jetés, starting with an échappé: the right side twice, then the left. 17:25
  8. Final jump combination to the side; at home keep it simple, jumping right and left. 19:18

The steps are a summary in our words, checked against the video — the coach shows every move.

Form cues from the coach

  • Keep the shoulders square over the hips as you shift your weight
  • Keep the arms lower in the grand battements if that is easier
  • Don't stop the plié between the small jumps

What it works

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Joints it uses 3 takes load

  • Hips takes loadgrand battements, développés, arabesque
  • Knees takes loadpliés, sautés, échappés, assemblés, jetés
  • Ankles & feet takes loadsmall jumps, relevés, pirouette
  • Shoulders movesport de bras arm lines
  • Lower back movesarabesque and port de bras
  • Jumping or hopping. Impact goes through the ankles, knees and hips.
  • Standing on one leg. Keep a chair or a wall within reach.

Easier option from the coach: Lower arms in grand battements; keep the last jumps simple, right and left

A guide to the joints this video’s moves load, from what the coach does — not medical advice. Some ache is normal; stop if a joint hurts sharply. How joints are rated

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Video by Nationale Opera & Ballet; the summary, steps, cues, body areas and joint notes are Notbroken’s, written from what the coach actually does in the video and checked a second time. Warm up first, take the easier options until a move feels easy, and stop if you feel sharp pain, chest pain or dizziness. General instruction, not advice for your body. About & safety