Grand Jeté Tips!!

Grand Jeté's is one of my most favourite steps. Why? Because it just makes you want to say "WOW!" and motivate you to want to do it. Unfortunately for me I am not a very good jumper, so Grand Jeté's
aren't really a 'stroll in the park' for me, it's more like 'chasing after your dog in the park' kind of thing for me. Now, I am trying my best to make my Grand Jeté something that makes everyone want to say "WOW!" and clap for me. Although I still have a long way to go until that happens, here are a few tips that helped me, a not so good jumper improve.

Svetlana Zakharova

Tip #1- Stretch.
Again, like the plié tip you need to stretch. For Grand Jeté's you want to stretch your front splits on both sides unlike the plié one. Either way you should stretch all three sides to make your overall performance better. Anyways, stretching helps your Grand Jeté open more and if you have your floor spit then you can do about a 180 degree Grand Jeté. If doing a split on the floor is too easy for you, work on your over split. Remember to challenge yoursellf though. Stretching hurts but in return of that pain  you will earn to lift your leg higher and get a better Grand Jeté, like Nike says, "No Pain, No Gain" right? It may even  help your Grand Jeté look like Svetlana Zakharova's.

^^Imagine This^^

Tip #2- One of the most helpful tip that I learned is to imagine one person standing infront of you and pulling your front like while the other person pulls your back leg. This will help you get your split in the air (At least it did for me.) Try not to focus too much on the height of your jump because as you keep practicing that should naturally come. By aiming for your split in the air first your Grand Jeté will already have that "WOW!" factor so all you really need to do from there is to get the height and maybe work on getting your over split in the air. One more thing, remember that when you jump you aren't going to be able to get to your full flexibility. Meaning that for example, if you can do a 180 degree split on the floor, when you jump it won't necessarily be 180 degrees.

Tip #3- Preparation.
When you are doing your preparation into your Grand Jeté take a deep plié but not a grand plié. You need to have a good plié to give yourself enough momentum to push off into your Grand Jeté.

Tip #4- Practice.
You know that saying, "practice makes perfect"? Well although you may not believe in it and I don't believe in anything to be perfect either but practicing will definitely make better. By practicing your muscles will begin to remember what it is supposed to do and what it is you want your body to do. Your brain controls what your body does so always imagine a "perfect" Grand Jeté so that your brain will tell your body what you want to do.

Over split

Good Luck with your Grand Jeté's and I hope these tips help you. Comment below if you are a good jumper or a not so good one like me.

Plié Tips!!

Grand Plié

Plié's are thought to be an easy step, a beginner step even, but plié's are one of the hardest steps to
master. Obviously anyone can do a plié. It is basically just bending your knees right? No. It's not that simple! There are so many things to be aware of while doing a plié and here are tips to help improve your plié's;

Tip #1- Stretch.

Stretch middle splits

A great way to get that flat plié that we've all dreamed of is by stretching. By stretching your middle splits it opens up your hips and let's you turn out. Some exercises you can do are; the froggy, simply doing your splits while watching tv, going on youtube and find a video that helps you stretch your middle splits, and so on. Stretching is a great for ballet and will definitely help you in your plié.  You should also stretch your achilles tendon so that when you do your plié your foot will stay on the ground and won't lift up.

Tip #2 - Don't force your turn out.

Rolling over feet

This will cause unnecessary injuries and mainly bunions. Instead of deforming your feet by rolling over your feet to make it a 180 degree angle, use your natural turn out by opening from the hips and perform a position that you are able to control and are capable of. This may mean that your first position will not be a 180 degree angle but a V position.

Tip #3 - Pull up.
Always pull up your body but keep your shoulder's down. This will make your plié's look better and it will also help with having a straight back (not arching or hunching), and it will also prevent from sticking your booty out because we are ballerina's and we are supposed to look more elegant than sexy.

Tip #4 - Practice.
Practice makes perfect right? Well, if you don't believe in that at least practice will make better? I guess. Either way by practicing you will be able to have a flatter plié.

About Me!

Hi! I am an aspiring ballerina and I am trying my best to learn more about ballet while sharing what I already know. I post ballet tips that may help in your dancing. These are tips that have helped me and I am hoping they will help you too. If you have any questions you can either comment or e-mail me at 56ballet78@gmail.com56ballet78@gmail.com. Good luck to you and your dancing!