Plies

Hey guys! Welcome to another blog post. Earlier this week, I asked on my Instagram if anyone wanted to see more ballet content on my blog. The answer was a resounding yes which made me super happy. So every month now, you’ll get a ballet-themed post from me. These posts will mostly be “how to improve [insert move here]. To begin, I thought I’d start with the most basic and important ballet move. Plies. A pile is the foundation for everything from petite jetes to grande jetes and the prep before turns. A pile really is the first thing you learn and the last thing you master because there is so much more to a plie than a bend of the knees and straightening up. You’ll find out what I mean in this post. So without further ado, let’s get right into the post.

Posture

First things first, you have to have correct posture. You don’t want to be arching your back/sticking your butt out (aka the duck butt). You want to ensure your rib cage is closed, your shoulder blades are down and back (try shrugging your shoulders and then slowly push them back, so your back flattens out). You also want to remember to squeeze the credit cart between your butt crack (sorry if that is slightly gross). This engages your lower body which will also help with your posture.

Opposition 

Whenever you do plies, no matter the position, you need to think of opposition. You’re moving down into a pile while remaining tall in your upper body. This will really warm up your muscles…trust me. Plies are exhausting when done correctly.

Weight 

Where your weight is, is everything in plies. You will be entirely out of alignment if your weight is too far forward or backwards. You want your weight to be right on the balls of your feet so you can easily rise to demi-pointe if that is part of the combination you are doing (my teacher always has us rise on to demi and balance after the grande plie in every position. It really helps you find your balance. Having your weight on the balls of your feet will also engage your quad and calf muscles. Your calf and quad muscles disengage if your weight is too far backwards. Having your weight on the balls of your feet will help you with your petite jetes and any other jump you do.

Now Let’s Try It

Here is a basic plie combination for you all to practice with.

And this concludes my post on plies. I hope this helped you and that you enjoyed this post. As always don’t forget to like this post, share it with all your dance friends and leave me a comment below if this post helped you. Also follow me on all social media (links below) and I’ll see you next week. Sending you all the love and light in the world.