I’m bringing you a ballet concept today that is so fun to watch and also to do, batterie or beats of the legs in classical ballet, which we do as we advance our jumping technique and performance practice. Batterie is a fun and exciting addition to our ballet variations, petit, and grand allegro. It captures the exuberance, joy, and power of certain characters and situations and celebrates the balletic love of flight and virtuosity.
“Beats, the general French for which is batterie, are steps in which one leg is beaten against the other. Beats bring into ballet the element of brilliance, virtuosity, and therefore the execution of them does not allow any carelessness, approximation or simplification, or they would lose their raison d'être." - Russian ballet pedagogue Agrippina Vaganova
Building on a foundation of ballet jumping technique (including foot and leg strengthening, core work, Dance Warmup, Ballet Barre training, and basic beats like Plucky Petit Battement and jumps like Saucy Prances & Sautés), today we're breaking down airborne balletic beats, such as changement, royale, échappé, jeté, and assemblé battu, and entrechats trois (3), quatre (4), cinq (5), six, etc.
I reference the books _Basic Principles of Classical Ballet_ by Agrippina Vaganova, _The Cecchetti Method of Classical Ballet: Theory and Technique_ by Cyril W. Beaumont & Stanislas Idzikowski, & _The Ballet Companion_ by Eliza Gaynor Minden.
Stay tuned on the blog for the companion article, video, and more resources!
Blythe Stephens, MFA
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A Blythe Coach: ablythecoach.com
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