Try the Ten-Minute Ballet Break Free!

Enjoy the first four exercises for FREE!

Awaken your body and refresh your mind with these short bouts of ballet dancing that don’t require any warm-up. You’ll get warmed-up naturally as you dance your way through these short, choreographed exercises. Finis Jhung breaks down each exercise and then it is demonstrated by Antonio Carmena, former New York City Ballet soloist. To dance is to live!

ARTISTRY IN MOTION #25 – Natasha in center floor

 

Fascinating. Natalia Makarova practices in center floor. The video quality is very poor, but we can still see her extraordinary control and balance. Notice how she always “gets on her leg”—she places it accurately and it is absolutely perpendicular to the floor—and therefore the free leg and her torso and arms simply float into position. She knew she had to place her toe and drive down. And notice when she does the pirouette en attitude en dedans how she throws the leading arm and simply “coasts” the turn. It’s mesmerizing.

ARTISTRY IN MOTION #24 – Gelsey in Theme

 

A thrilling performance from the 1978 Wonder of the World. How about the solo-defining pas de chats en tournant? Notice how she works in opposition to the direction and movement. She is the classical example of “ears back” and reaching back so you can move forward. When the music speeds up, she is still ahead of it, fearlessly, even while turning and changing directions. And, does it matter that she had limited extension? Not a bit—she pushes the air with her pointes and phrases her movements so beautifully her movements have amplitude and power. So inspiring! Bravo!

ARTISTRY IN MOTION #22 – Darci Kistler & Ib Andersen in Stanley William’s version of “The William Tell” Pas

A joyful experience! Lovely quick footwork with a young Darci showing her fabulous talent. I remember seeing this documentary in fall and at the end Darci is having trouble with the piqué attitude turns, and Stanley very quietly says “toe” (he never said much) and she emphasizes how she places her toe and her body and floats the turn magically. I say this repeatedly in class during pirouettes: toe, toe, toe. Everything begins and ends with the toe.