Expert: Dianne M. Buxton - 8/16/2008

Question
QUESTION: Hi, I have been dancing for about eight years now, and I am having some
trouble with leaps, such as grand jete.  I have pretty good right leg leaps, but
my left leg leaps are still pretty low.  I am also having trouble with side leaps
and switch leaps.  Could you give me some tips on how to improve?  I think
my main problem is how I go into the leaps, as I am pretty flexible and have
both my right and left leg splits, and am pretty close to having my side splits,
so I feel like I should be able to do the leaps.  Any help?

ANSWER: Hi Mara. Since I cannot see you dance, I am going to follow logic and see if that helps you. Ballet is certainly more satisfying if you can do all the big leaps well.

My first thought is that your left side is stronger as a supporting side. In other words, a leap to the right is from the left supporting push off leg. Either your left side is stronger through your back muscles, turnout muscles, et., et., or all left side muscles. Or, your right side muscles are more tense, and have lost some strength and flexibility because of accumulated tension.

This would make the right side weaker as a supporting side, diminishing the power of the push off into a grand jete.

You can check this out with your ballet teacher or a dance class buddy by using the barre so you can do a slow motion push off to the front, pushing forward with your grand battement as for as jete, letting the barre catch your weight and the working leg.

Do this on both sides, and see what is different. On the weaker supporting side, your left, check everything in progression - does anything change in your weight or placement at a(the demi plie before the jump b)during the grand battment. Watch your placement carefully for a change as you slow motion the push off. You will see something happen somewhere - hips, back, shoulders, even some extra tension that is compensating for a weakness. For example, if you see the right side of your neck tensing, or your right shoulder lifting even a tiny bit, you know that you are maintaining your placement but it is a struggle to do so -and you can work on strengthening your right side back muscles, all core muscles, or left quads, wherever you locate the weakness.

I'm sure you can figure this out if you do this.

If you want to read some articles on placement or any technical basics, I have posted many at http://www.balletshoesandpointeshoes.blogspot.com.

All the best with it, Dianne

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you, Dianne, for the advice.  However, I am a little confused.  Do you mean for me to actually do a jete, or do you want me to do a grand battement?  
And also, in one of my dance routines, I am doing one of those leaps(can't remember what they're called)where you do your jete(in my case, on the right leg), but then you turn your body in the air.  I am having a little trouble with this.  Could you give me any advice?

ANSWER: Hi Mara. Yes, you are just doing a grand battment, to see where your technical error is. You could releve up at the end of the movement in imitation of a jump,pushing yourself forward, and let the battment leg land on the barre, to catch your weight.

I'm not sure what kind of turning leap you mean. You could mean a fouette saute where you turn and face the other direction, so your devant leg becomes an arabesque. Or a grand jete en tournant, quite a difficult jump requiring you to switch legs so the other leg comes up into arabesque. In this case the strength is needed in your arabesque position, back, core, legs, everything. As you turn, your devant leg shoots down, and the other leg comes up, all at once, your torso remaining up.

That's as detailed as I can get in text, Mara. I hope that helps.

All the best, Dianne

http://balletshoesandpointeshoes.blogspot.com/2008/02/ultimate-ballet-line-arabe
that's an article on how to strengthen your arabesque

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi, Dianne.  I have been having trouble with switch leaps.  Do you have any ideas on how I can get my legs strong enough to get to a full split leap while still being able to switch fast enough.  I am learning them starting with the right leg in front, and then switching it to the back so I end up in a left jete leap.  I am able to get my right leg front to back no problem.  However, my left leg can't both jump off the ground, and move upward and forward at the same time.  Please help!  I am desperate. I want to perfect these before my dance lessons start up again in September, because I have been put in a class with older, more experienced dancers who all seem to be able to do these fairly well, and even though I know I can't get it perfect, I don't want to embarrass myself.  Thank you!

Answer
Hi Mara. A switch leap requires a lot of height and obviously, quick leg work. Since I can't see you dance, I do not know what you are falling short on. The kind of leap you are describing I am used to seeing in gymnastics, but it is not a typical leap found in classical ballet choreography. Unless I'm just not understanding what you are describing.

Other than get some coaching, by someone who can see you, you can strive for more height, which means that you would be able to switch legs by the time you arrive at the top of the jump, and not on the way down. Just like the first question that you asked me above, you are depending on a quick strong push off.

I feel like something is giving out on you when you push off. Your body and your grand battment should go up together, along with your back leg.

You could practice that, and when you do a grand jete there is a point where you should be moving forward in the air, with both legs held up in place, not coming down. If you can do a grand jete with the back leg held still for a moment, that would enable you the moment you need to switch legs.

In other words, someone taking a photo would get a frozen moment with both legs equally in a split, not going up or down. In a switch leap you would switch legs as soon as the back leg got up to the split, instead of holding it for that moment. So you would switch the split before you start to descend.

I hope that makes sense! All the best, Dianne