Terms: Plié

21 feb Terms: Plié

This is a ballet movement that can be done in all positions. The dancer with bends and extends the knees. All steps in ballet come down to
bending and stretching the knees. That is why in my method I pay a a lot of attention to this movement. This exercise serves as a warmup and landing of a jump and is actually the basis for many steps. In the grand plié the movement goes deeper and the knees bend more. Depending on the position, the heels stay on the ground or they come off the ground (in the case of the deep bow). The plié promotes blood circulation in the legs and makes your muscles more elastic. Make sure your knees are looking in the same direction as your toes. The plié activates your ‘en dehors’ (the “turn out” from the hips), so this is also an active stretch for your hips.
Every time you bend, you should feel like you have a rubber band around your legs that you stretch and pull back up. By keeping your heels
on the ground, your calves and Achilles tendons are simultaneously stretching. These should not be “empty” bends with loose legs. A correctly plié is an easy and great way to warm up.