What Is the Order of Barre in Ballet?

Ballet

Barre is an integral part of ballet training and technique. As such, the order of barre exercises is carefully planned and structured in order to ensure proper execution and safety. The order of barre exercises usually consists of a warm-up, followed by stretching, strengthening, and finally finishing with coordination exercises.

Warm-Up

The warm-up at the barre typically begins with pliés (knee bends) in first position in the center of the room. This helps to increase blood flow to the muscles, as well as prepare them for more advanced movements. Following pliés are tendus (leg stretches), frappés (footwork combinations), ronds de jambe (circular leg movements), battements jeté (jumping leg movements), and relevé (rising onto demi or full pointe).

Stretching

Once the muscles have been warmed up, stretching exercises are then done at the barre. These include grand battements (large swinging leg movements), dégagés (footwork combinations), élévations (high extensions of the working leg), adagio movement combinations, and allegro jumps. Stretching helps to increase flexibility while preventing injury.

Strengthening

Following stretching are strengthening exercises at the barre which are designed to build strength and stability in ballet technique. These include petit battements (small beating steps), fondus/ronds de jambes en l’air (rounding actions in the air), pirouettes en dehors/en dedans (turns out/inward from fifth position) and grands allongés/petits allongés (grand jumps/small jumps). These exercises help to improve power and control in ballet technique.

Coordination

The last part of a typical barre class is devoted to coordination exercises which help to refine technical precision. These include adage combinations, petit allegro jumps, grand allegro jumps, waltz turns on one foot or two feet, chaînés turns on one foot or two feet, brisé volé turns on one foot or two feet and pas de chat turns on one foot or two feet.

Conclusion:

The order of barre in ballet is carefully planned and structured with a focus on warming up muscles, stretching for flexibility and range of motion, strengthening for power and control as well as refining technical precision with coordination exercises. By following this sequence of steps at each class dancers can be sure that they are getting the most out of their training while also minimizing their risk for injury.