Back to Basics: The Power of Demi-Plié

Sprinter at a starting block

By Kate Feinberg Robins

Back to Basics

September is almost over, with the new school year in full swing. It’s the perfect time to go back to basics and delve into Demi-Pliés.

“Power Pose: Ballet Improv with First Position Demi-Plié”

I took advantage of the first week of school to head over to the School of International Ballet, a local ballet studio here in Redlands, California that I recently discovered. I tried out an adult ballet class with Ms. Barbara, a founding member of Ballet West (and retired psychologist, according to my classmate). 

It was a lovely class, with only one other student that day, and it was nice to be back in a studio, with space to move and a bit of an audience (both of which always motivate me).

It turned out the class I took was for beginners, and it served as a nice reminder of how valuable it is to go back to the basics. The next morning, I continued that trend by taking the Beginning Demi-Plié Class in Find Your Center's Adult Ballet Library.


The Basics at Home

I started with a 12-minute Lesson on Lateral Breathing, working my abdominal and intercostal muscles while focusing on posture and breath. That gave me a technique focus to bring with me as I took the Beginning Ballet class. '

The Beginning Demi-Plié Class offers thorough explanations of how to do Demi-Plié in the five basic positions. That's it. Nice and simple. Since Demi-Plié is the foundation and power source for all ballet movements, it's worthwhile to go back to this class now and then.

One thing about beginning ballet classes is that the instructor (me, in this case) spends lots of time explaining things. As a student, I find the explanation time to be a great opportunity to keep myself moving and practicing. 

As the teacher explains, I (the student) practice the details they're teaching, adding more complexities for myself if I need an extra challenge. When I took my class at home, I added Port de Bras, Relevé, Tendu, and Degagé between combinations while following along with the exercises. It was a great workout, leaving me feeling both strong and limber at the end of the 30 minutes.


The Basics at a Studio

When you take online classes at home, you can of course adapt the exercises however you'd like. When you're taking a live class with a teacher, you can still do this as long as you pay attention to the instructor and are careful not to distract other students. It's always acceptable to practice on your own during down time when the teacher is not explaining anything. If you have any doubts, you can always ask your instructor.

Here's to Demi-Pliés, the power they give us when we dance and move, and the value of going back to basics!

Location: Redlands, CA, USA

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