| Every grand battement begins with a strong brush into | | | | the first leg does a grand battement as you jump - |
| the floor. This challenges the hip placement, the | | | | you fouette in the air and battement the second leg at |
| posture, and the feeling of lifting the leg from | | | | the top of the jump, not on the way down. The legs |
| underneath. The leg does not lift from underneath, that | | | | have to have a powerful and perfectly timed action. |
| is just a mental trick of elongating the leg, keeping the | | | | Putting grand battement into center exercises is an |
| working hip placed, and lifting the leg (from the top | | | | effective challenge. |
| muscles) but without shortening and bunching the thigh | | | | Having a classmate check your posture and |
| muscles. | | | | placement will assure you that you are building strength |
| Every battement tendu and degage you have done | | | | correctly. Your weight should not get pulled off your |
| determines the strength of your grand battement. | | | | supporting side. If it does, that is what will destabilize |
| Your grand battement determines the strength and | | | | the take off into a jump. Parts of the body moving out |
| elegance of your grand allegro. | | | | of alignment above the pressure of the brushing foot |
| Even if you can sit in perfect splits, your grand jete will | | | | and the heel into the floor in your demi plie, weaken the |
| not achieve a split position if your legs cannot arrive at | | | | push off. I know I just said that twice, it is important. |
| the peak of the movement at the same time, with | | | | Basic technique creates the right movement patterns |
| your postural position as well. It's like everything | | | | for classical choreography. Grand battement builds |
| freezes in position for a second, and with soft and | | | | strength for that. It is indeed a full body workout in your |
| elegant arms. | | | | ballet exercises. |
| Grand jete en tournant requires the same strength - | | | | |