Primaballerina1 Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 Hi all, DD is twelve has recently started Grade 5 ballet and is struggling with her grand jete en tournants. Does anyone have any tips for her to help get them better as she is taking her exam at summer/xmas? Ps. she is often a little dainty when she does them as she doesn't want to fall in front of her whole class.???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drdance Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 These are hard. I teach them with the students first doing 3 runs into a hop with a grande battement devant, whilst taking the arms from 2nd on the runs to 5th/En Couronne on the hop. I encourage them to get as much jump height on this hop as they can. Next I walk through the action of turning around - so doing 3 walks with arms in 2nd, grand battement devant taking arms to 5th then stepping onto that leg (that was in the air) and at the same time, turning 1/2 way and doing a grande battement derriere whilst bringing the arms from 5th downwards and forwards to demi-bras. The emphasis on the correct ports de bras is very important (IMO). 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiz Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 Primaballerina1, I fell over doing these a couple of years ago when I was taught them. Luckily I was only with my ballet teacher and a good friend and they didn't laugh. I felt such a fool but my teacher said that every ballet dancer falls at least once and that unless you did, you weren't a proper dancer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anondancer_15 Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 omg, are they in grade 5 now?! i've only just learnt them in advanced oops Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primaballerina1 Posted March 4, 2016 Author Share Posted March 4, 2016 Yes they are anondancer and most of DDs class find them quite a struggle!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dance*is*life Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 (edited) Grade 5 RAD???? Surely not? I thought that they were introduced in Advanced Foundation! Edited March 4, 2016 by Dance*is*life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primaballerina1 Posted March 4, 2016 Author Share Posted March 4, 2016 Grade 5 ISTD though I'm not too sure about RAD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lily_883 Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 In my (adult) class, we've spent a lot of time walking through the action as drdance has described, which helped build our confidence before we started jumping, and got us used to the feeling of switching the legs as you turn (rather than swinging them around). We do three steps as preparation and my teacher always tells us to do big step + big step + small step pushing into the ground so our weight is over our leg before we start to jump. Hope that helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balletmum13 Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 If she has the confidence to do them, it will make it much easier. Although I am not an expert in ballet, when leading any skill for any sport such as learning a walkover in gymnastics, when you have confidence it makes it much easier and you are more likely to succeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anondancer_15 Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 ah ok, yes in RAD they're not in the grades at all (actually maybe grade 8 now I think about it) but other than that it's not until advanced foundation 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primaballerina1 Posted March 5, 2016 Author Share Posted March 5, 2016 Thank you for all the tips!! DD is currently at dance but I will share them with her when she comes back???? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dance*is*life Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 It's a really advanced exercise - I am rather surprised that ISTD do them so early. What she has to think about is not to make it a round movement - ideally the legs should go straight up and down. Think of throwing the first leg up to the front facing the back corner and then twist to the front landing on that front leg, but bringing the other leg up into arabesque. The changeover is supposed to happen in the air as high as you can, but if you do the movement first without jumping it should help her understand what she's aiming for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flit and float Posted March 5, 2016 Share Posted March 5, 2016 I learned them similar to the way Dr Dance describes and also down the barre - we were allowed to push off it a bit to begin with to help get the "up" feeling - it helped! Defo think of a good push off on the hop, to get right up to give time to change legs. My teacher used to go mad if we did a dainty little gallop into them, need to do the three good steps! The steps are the travelling bit more than the actual jump really. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dance*is*life Posted March 6, 2016 Share Posted March 6, 2016 (edited) Yes Flit and Float - I agree with you - the run up to it travels and the actual jump goes high almost on the spot. Edited March 6, 2016 by Dance*is*life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betterankles Posted March 6, 2016 Share Posted March 6, 2016 Nothing like just watching a good entrelace done by a really good dancer, and copying... Usually much quicker and easier then 'explaining'... then can be corrected... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate_N Posted March 6, 2016 Share Posted March 6, 2016 As well as up, I always think of weight forward, particularly coming into land, after turning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pas de Quatre Posted March 7, 2016 Share Posted March 7, 2016 Agreed, only the preparation steps travel, the jump doesn't (unless you are very, very advanced). It can help to think of the leg you will land on coming forwards, almost like a sissonne ouvert en avant! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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