Today we will discuss sickling the foot when making the Battement Tendu à la Seconde (to the side.) This also includes the battement degagé, since they are worked the  same way.

When students stand in first position what I often see is the position foot moving out to the side and sickling as it reaches full pointe.

When I do this, I feel the outside of my foot and the little toe. The muscles on the inside of the ankle feel shortened. You want to avoid doing this.

What you want to do is feel the inside of the foot and slide it along the line where your toes are pointing. Always follow your toes when you do the battements à la seconde.

When I work this way, as I show you on the video, I feel the connection between my inner ankle bone and the big toe and second toe. As I begin drawing the foot back into first position, I am still trying to keep that sense of the inside of my leg and the inside of the foot.

To repeat, as you push the foot out to tendu, we always want to sense the inner ankle bone, the big toe, and the line along the inside of the foot, the inside of your leg.

As you draw your foot back, put all the toes on the floor, followed by all the bones of the metatarsal.

In review, the difference is whether I deliberately sickle the foot—curling the outside of the foot—or whether I focus on working the inside of the foot .

When the tendu brushes off the floor it becomes a degagé. A degagé is simply a tendu that leaves the floor.

The correct principle remains the same: the inside of the foot, the inside of the leg, the inseam, the inner ankle bone. You must always connect with your big toe.

The way you slide your foot off and on the floor will either strengthen or weaken it. You will reaize this when it comes time for you to relevé and jump.

In our next blog we will discuss The Battement Tendu Front & Back.

To dance is to live – Finis

We also recommend:

• The Finis Jhung Ballet Technique Level 1 Barrework: Barrework for Beginners
• The Finis Jhung Ballet Technique Level 2 Barrework: Barrework for Advanced Beginners
• The Finis Jhung Ballet Technique Level 3: Barrework
• The Finis Jhung Ballet Technique Level 4: Intermediate Barrework
• The Finis Jhung Ballet Technique Levels 2 & Up: The Power Barre
• The Thinking Dancer: Working at the Barre Levels 2 & Up – Basic Ballet 8