Bryttni Pugh

Coyle

Ballet 2B

26 April 2016

Ballet Technique Assessment Paper

1. Alignment

To achieve proper placement I need to think about being stacked in a straight line. My

weight should be evenly distributed on both feet and towards the balls of my feet; ankles are

lifted and allow all five toes to touch the floor, not rolling the foot inward or outward; knees

are pointing outwards directly over the toes, pulling and stretching the kneecaps up to keep

the leg straight; the legs, or femoral heads, are rotated outward in the hip sockets; hips are

underneath the shoulders; the pelvis is shifted down and under, not tucked too hard and not

sticking out; the core is tightened with your belly button to the spine; ribs are closed as your

chest is slightly lifted as if wearing a corset; the spine is elongated straight, flat, and vertical;

shoulders are pressed down and back, elongating through the arms; neck and crown of the

head lifted tall; the head is on the centre of the spine; and keep the chin slightly lifted as you

gaze past your nose.

My physique can affect my placement. I have a flexible lower back, so I have to put forth

more effort to keep my pelvis tucked. My hips are tight, causing me to not have as much Commented [Ma1]: having a flexible lower back
strengthen your core which will help
rotation as I would prefer to have. My ribs tend to open up, but I have been working

throughout the semester to keep them closed in an imaginary corset. I naturally stand with

my shoulders rolled forward, so I need to roll them down and back. I have patellofemoral

syndrome, and my knees often groan and pop when pulling up or bending; however, if I think
 about pulling up through my quadriceps and not locking my knees, then my quadriceps can

take off some tension from my knees.

To improve my placement I can lift my torso up off of my hips more as I elongate

through my spine to give my hips more space and to take off some weight (so I do not sink

into them). Overall, I believe I have good placement, especially compared to the beginning of

the semester, because I have been practicing proper alignment every day. In the beginning I

was told to put my ribs in, stretch in opposite directions, and pull my knees up. Since then, I

have been tightening my core and my ribs, stretching through my hands, feet, and crown of

the head, and pulling my knees up more easily while engaging my quadriceps, back of the

knees, and glutes.

2. Turnout

To achieve proper turnout I think about rotating my legs outward from my hips, not my

knees, with my kneecaps facing away from the centre of my body. I also think about my leg

pulling out of my hip to allow for less crunching and more room. My inner thighs should

press back, and my knees should go directly over my toes. Pulling my heels forward when

coming down from releve, for example, can help me maintain and challenge my turnout.

My range of turnout is limited due to my physique but is appropriate as I continue to

maintain and improve it. In first position my turnout is around 100 degrees; I start from

parallel, open up to first position from my hips, and place down to see my natural range and

to avoid wiggling and adjusting that may result in improper turnout and tension in my knees.

I can improve my turnout by practicing certain exercises - frog, butterfly, lunges, and

pigeon/splits - using a resistance band, pressing the inner thigh back (i.e. in passe), and

bringing the heel forward (i.e. when landing a jump, like jete).
 The weakness I have in technique that is based on my turnout is extending to the side. I Commented [Ma2]: You do need to be careful of your
placement in tendu a la seconde not too back.
often think that my side is farther back than it really is, so I need to rotate my leg more and

bring it closer to the front. I do not think that my fifth position is nice looking, but it works

with my body; and, it is still possible to see turnout there, even though my range may be

more limited than someone elses. Any other movement that shows difficulty with turnout

just requires me to put forth more effort.

3. Shift of Weight

To find my centre when standing on two feet I think about stretching in opposite

directions and being squeezed between two planes of glass. While stretching my head to the

sky, I think about not only lengthening the crown of my head but lengthening the back of my

neck. I also have to remember to pull my heels forward, tighten my core with the imagery of

a corset, and press the underneath of my arms down. Commented [Ma3]: Good

When having to transfer to one leg to make sure I am on balance, I think about shifting

my entire stack or spine over to the balls and first couple of toes of one foot. It reminds me of

Jenga as I carefully take away a leg without letting the remaining stack fall. In retire I have to Commented [Ma4]: I like this

think about pulling the opposite side of my torso forward as I press the inner thigh of my

working leg back. I make sure that my foot is high up and above my knee on the standing

leg, and I bring the heel in retire forward as if tilting my foot to avoid sickling.

When my leg is in arabesque my weight is forward on the balls of my standing foot, more

so on my first two toes. My shoulders and ribs are still stacked over my hips, and my body is

over my toes; and, my upper body is arched back to counterbalance the weight between that

and the extended/working leg.

4. Jumps
 When jumping I need to think about using juicy plies, lengthening the leg through a

pointed foot each time the foot leaves the ground, and keeping the upper body tall and strong.

Plies are essential when landing, transitioning between movements, and gaining height.

Lengthening through the legs and feet is needed to complete each movement properly and is

easier when you strive for height. Perhaps squeezing the inner thighs will help you become

lighter in the feet, so that you can execute the movements properly and quickly. Keeping the

upper body tall and strong is needed to avoid arching, crouching over, and bouncy arms and

shoulders.

My strengths in petit allegro are not traveling too far forward and coordinating the arms.

We practiced one class staying in one area as much as possible and that helped me to not

travel at the wrong time and to challenge my height. I used to lack confidence in my arms

when doing jetes or sissonnes, but I have since understood the correct placement. My

weaknesses are not pointing the feet fully when coming off of the ground (mainly in

glissade) and not fighting to maintain my full turnout. I tend to think about the fast paced

steps more than opening my knees and thighs when I am supposed to. However, for

entrechats I have been more able to execute them whilst squeezing my inner thighs rather

than worrying about the actual change in my feet.

My strengths in grand allegro are being able to reach through my legs and executing the

combination with fluidity. I feel like I can achieve more length here since we need to

generally take up more space. Personally, I believe this allows me to become more fluid with

each movement and transition. My weaknesses can be that I do not always lift my legs up to

ninety degrees when I know I can do so, and I could have more height or be more up by

jumping higher, using plie, and fully stretching and pointing the feet.
 An entrechat cinq is five crossings, changes feet on the beating, and lands on the same

foot that was originally in front. An entrechat trois is three crossings, beats before the change

of feet, and lands on the opposite foot.

When executing a grand jete en tournant, I think about brushing one leg up to ninety

degrees with my arms in high fifth and my other leg kicks up to and meets the other leg as

my arms open second with control. In the preparation I keep my eyes and head towards the

audience and whip it around as I land similar to spotting in a pirouette.

5. Turning/Pirouettes Commented [Ma5]: Be sure to lengthen your supporting

leg in all your pirouettes. Feel your back open and strong
core and arms.
When executing an en dehors pirouette, prepare in fourth with both legs in plie (weight

evenly distributed and spine stacked in the centre) or with the front leg in plie and the back

leg straight (weight towards front leg and squared). Moving away from the standing leg or

front leg, shift the stack onto the standing leg with the back leg immediately coming to

passe. I think about the crown of my head and the balls of my foot in one line like on a

skewer, my arms pressing down in first, my upper body pulling up and not sinking onto the

standing leg, and my back leg coming to passe as quickly as possible.

When executing an en dedans pirouette, prepare in fourth with the front leg in plie and

the back leg straight (weight towards front leg and squared). Moving towards the standing

leg or front leg, shift the stack onto the standing leg with the back leg immediately coming

to passe. The same guidelines follow except with my arms in high fifth, reaching out and up.

I believe the preparation for en dedans is easier to accidentally twist in, so I need to make

sure to square myself off towards the front leg and use the momentum from my arms and leg

in passe, not from winding up.

 Spotting is when you fix your eyes on a point in front of you or where you will land, keep

your eyes on that point as you begin to turn, and whip your head around quickly in the turn to

find that point again. It helps with control when to land, how many turn s to execute, and

keeps you stable - and prevents you from becoming dizzy if you dont spot, then your eyes

are just roaming around through each turn, giving an unclear stopping point and centre of

balance.

Turning is one of my general weaknesses in ballet. My strengths in turning that are still in

progress include pressing my arms down to gain stability and spotting where I am going to

land. I know that I still need to work on spotting more than two turns, however, this was a

concept that I could not grasp all last year. I say that spotting is a strength in progress

because I have improved in whipping my head around in at least one turn, which was a

personal goal of mine. My weaknesses in turning include not pulling up higher on the

standing leg and not opening the inner thigh enough in an en dedans pirouette. En dehors

pirouettes seem better to me because I feel more stable, easier to push my thigh back, and

easier to get up on the standing leg and pulling up.

6. Arms, Port de Bras, and Upper Body

I believe my coordination of the arms in ballet has improved greatly. I have been

comfortable with the coordination at barre; petit allegro was where I had difficulties at the

beginning of the semester. Coordinating jetes and sissonnes with the arms were not easy for

my body to execute, but, now, I have been able to do so. We practice them nearly every

class, and I have been able to understand that the arm is curved and in front with the foot I

land on in jete, for instance.

 In order to improve my upper body and port de bras, I believe I need to release the head

more as I port de bras forward, cambre back, and follow the hand. I have been trying to

elongate my spine with the port de bras, hinging from the hips and coming up through a flat

back; but, I need to bring my head along more to be fully coordinated.

When balancing I think of the underneath of my arms pressing down and my fingertips

magnetizing together. I also think about stretching through each point of my arm shoulder,

elbow, wrist, and fingertips to help with stability and equilibrium. I have been working on

loosening the fingertips because they may get stiff when I tense up. Commented [Ma6]: All good things to think about

7. Feet

My feet are articulate for the most part. I can press and slide them to a full point through

demi-point. It is more difficult to do and more easily lost as the movements become quicker,

but I try to let my feet have resistance against the floor for better brushing and transitioning.

To not roll I think about having all five toes on the floor and eliminating the air pocket

underneath my arches. My main weakness in my feet is sickling, but I have been focusing on

improving this problem since the beginning of the semester. I do not sickle as often, but Commented [Ma7]: The sickling has improved but it is
something you must continue to be aware of.
sometimes I will catch myself pointing too hard and not bringing the heel forward enough

such as in tendu. In jumps I need to point all the way through my feet. I have been able to

point them in the air in saute and changement, and I still need to work to point them in each

movement like in glissades in petit allegro. The weakness I see on half-point is that my

ankles will wobble; however, bringing my heel forward and really pressing down on my big

toe helps me become more stable.

8. Line
 I believe my ballet line is elongated and can reach ninety degrees without looking cut

short or not fully extended. To achieve long lines in my legs I think about stretching through Commented [Ma8]: Be sure to lengthen your legs for a
nice long line.
each point of the leg hips, knees, ankles, and toes and stretching in opposite directions in

arabesque. I also think about reaching past my endpoints, so that I can challenge myself to

touch an untouchable point past my toes.

9. Legs

In developpes and pirouettes, my supporting leg is rooted down into the floor, weight on

the balls of the foot, kneecaps pulled up through my quadriceps to my hips, lifting up out of

my hips, and moving my centre to the middle of that leg. My supporting leg is really strong

and grounded.

I used to not stretch my standing leg fully, but now I have been aware of that and make

sure to straighten my standing leg all the way by engaging the muscles in my knees, quads,

and glutes. A weakness here is that I am still learning to lift off of my hip to give my working

leg more space. I have corrected it most in grand battements, developpes, and balances, but

need to continue to work on it in pirouettes and frappes. I suppose a strength could be the

height of my extensions because I can reach ninety degrees now compared to last year where

it was difficult for me to get above forty-five. I have been learning to reach the extension out

fully instead of just extended it to where I feel comfortable. For example, in degages and

grand battements, I have to extend my leg and foot past my normal stance as if reaching for

the other side of the room.

10. Quality of Movement

I believe that my movement quality is fluid for the majority of class. At times, especially

in petit allegro, my movements may seem choppier because it is more upbeat; and, I need
 more practice with that section of ballet than adagio. I think about using all of the counts

during each movement to transition more smoothly. For instance, I will use a plie that has

elasticity to open and go down for two counts and then continue to rotate and come up as I

tendu front for two counts. I think I am musical because I can find the beat/rhythm more

often than not when the music begins. I remember catching myself once having to slow down

a movement because of an extra count, so I knew I was paying attention to the music.

11. Strengths & Weaknesses

One of my strengths, in my opinion, is my arabesque. At the beginning of the semester I

had trouble rotating my working leg outward and extending it to ninety degrees. Now I have

been able to rotate my leg right away and press it up as I arch my back. I have found stability

here, the correct muscles activating within my sides and back, and a new height a little above

ninety degrees. My other strengths could possibly include pulling the opposite side of my

torso forward when in a balance and starting my plies before they close to a position (i.e.

fifth) and as they open to tendu, for example. I used to struggle with accidentally twisting due

to not maintaining turnout and sickling my feet; but, I have been able to find my centre with

this opposition and can hold my balance longer than before. I feel resistance as I use my plie

when coming to fifth, and it helps me to better execute the next movement.

Although I have been making it a priority of mine to fix, I believe sickling my feet is one

of my main weaknesses. I still find myself accidentally pointing to hard through my toes,

causing my feet to curve inward. I have been attempting to correct this by pointing through

the tops of my feet, bringing my heel forward, leading with the heel in the front or the toes to

the back, and by bringing my leg towards the front a little when going to the side. If I go past

my natural side, then I find my leg turning in and my feet more likely to sickle. My other
 weaknesses include not using plie in petit allegro as much as I should and using the same

reaching sensation in frappe. Sometimes I do not use a large enough plie (even if its small)

in petit allegro and can miss landing in a true fifth. Frappes are quite fast, and I find it more

difficult to fully extend the frappe out to the side than in the front and back (although front

and back may need work, too).

12. Learned Concepts Commented [Ma9]: Bryttni lots of improvements this

semester. After reading your paper I know you are very
aware of things you need to think about and keep
I have learned to arch my back in arabesque this semester, giving me a sensation in my
improving. The sickling has improved! Keep thinking long
lines with your legs and arms (port de bras).
back I have been missing when executing this movement. I have also learned that bringing

my foot higher in passe or retire will help me turn and balance on my centre. The concept of

using the inner thighs was hard for me to understand in the past semesters, but I believe that I

have improved on using these muscles rather than simply my feet. It helps with my jumps; I

can point my feet in the air easier as I use my inner thighs. If I use just my feet, then they

become floppy.