Episode 8 ~ January 5th, 2021
Booty, bend, bop to the Top – Plié with Resistance
Hey dancers! Welcome back to “Dance Tips with Brittany”
Happy New Year! We survived! Yay! The new year is always inspiring to set resolutions and have a refreshing kickoff to the new year. For this month’s tips, we are going to go back to the basics and break it down at the ballet barre. There is only one place to start: Plié
Today’s Dance Tip with Brittany is:
Plié with Resistance
How do we do this? Booty, Bend, Bop to the Top
- Booty – Fire up the glutes
- Bend to your juicy plié
- Resist while you rise to the top
- And in time to the music (don’t rush)
Ballet class is structured to begin with juicy pliés. Why is this?
I found an article by BrilliantDance that said it perfectly.
“Pliés begin to warm up the joints of the feet, ankles, knees and hips, and brings awareness of the turn-out in the hip sockets.”
That last part is what we are focusing on today. “Bringing awareness to the turn out in the hip sockets.” And by doing so, we strengthen our glutes to maintain our turnout. Everyone knows how to go up and down bending the knees, but the part we can often skip, is activating the glutes, using our resistance, and starting class by firing up our turnout muscles. The sooner you fire up the glutes, the sooner you will begin to have more control and strength throughout the rest of class. Correct the movement and you will give the most basic step purpose and energy.
When we don’t use resistance, we start to look like a horse on a carousel. We want to focus at the start of class to use our resistance; that feeling you get when you push off the bottom of the pool and feel pressure of the water holding you back. This will also help us master our musicality! When you feel the resistance, you are forced to use the full bar of music. It’s no longer a race but a challenge to accomplish that juicy plié.
So remember, the rise is just as important as the bend. Stay focused and start your class like the pros: Booty, Bend, Bop to the Top
- Booty – Fire up the glutes
- Bend to your juicy plié
- Resist while you rise to the top
- And in time to the music
You’ll be able to get your sweat on earlier in the game while sculpting that booty!
Excellent job today dancers! You are looking better and stronger every day! Thanks for joining me here on “Dance Tips with Brittany”! Make sure you click subscribe and I’ll see you next week to take a deeper look at our tendues.
Click on the link below if you want to learn more about working with me on a personal level.
Catch ya at the barre!
