Ballet Beautiful: Transform Your Body and Gain the Strength, Grace and Focus of a Ballet Dancer (22 page)

a
Return to the basic Battement Tendu Lift on the right side, legs stretched out.

b
Lift your top leg and extend it out high into a tendu in parallel side, then bend it into an attitude parallel as you bring it in.

c
Stretch and extend back out into a fondue. This fondue movement is similar to what you did with your leg in the can-can kick in the Bridge Series.
8 counts, 4 sets.

Note
:
Throughout this exercise, remember to engage through your stomach, keep breathing, relax, and stay stable in your upper body resting on the mat. Keep your top toe
pointing down toward the mat to help guide your hips into a truly parallel position. Your muscle is fatigued now, so expect to be really feeling it.

Stretch
:
Take a break to take a sip of water, move a little, and stretch your inner thighs and hamstrings.

Repeat all of the movements in the Outer Thighs Series on the other leg, remembering to stay connected to your center by pulling your abs in tight. (
/A
. Lift your leg higher and keep your hip parallel to make the lifts more challenging.)

The Standing Series is a quick (only 5 to 10 minutes!), fun, and graceful workout that gets your heart pumping and helps get the muscles you’ve just been working to release in an active way. It’s also a terrific upper body workout that builds and tones muscles without making them bulky. Because we are standing, we are going to use our basic ballet vocabulary (see “Your Ballet Primer” on
page 49
).

If you’ve ever been to a ballet, I’m sure you’ve noticed the incredibly graceful way dancers carry their arms. They’re both strong and weightless, with impeccable posture. The movements in this series will give you a terrific way to sculpt your arms and connect more deeply to your center. Take care not to arch your back (you will be engaging your center, remember?), and keep a beautiful lift through your elbows, without lifting your shoulders. (The arm positions are described on
page 51
.)

STARTING POSITION:
Your legs are nice and warm from the mat work, so you can get right into the Tendu Arabesque. This is a terrific exercise for toning your legs while building strength through your center and creating better posture. The Tendu Arabesque is in many ways like a graceful ballet version of a lunge—but one that will not bulk your thighs!

a
Begin by standing on your right leg in a ballet lunge, with your right knee slightly bent into a demi-plié and your left leg stretched out behind you in an arabesque.

b
With your stomach pulled in and your arms lowered down to your sides, you can keep your back foot on the floor. Your weight is over the ball of your front foot. Keep your neck long and your stomach engaged. If you feel unsteady, improvise your own ballet barre by holding on to a chair or a wall.

c
Bend your standing knee slightly deeper in demi-plié, with a slight pulsing motion.
8 counts, 4 sets.

a
From the starting position, stretch your standing knee straight and lift your back leg off the floor into arabesque en l’air. Don’t worry about how high your back leg is here—you can start with your foot just off the floor and lift higher in time as you gain strength and stability.

b
As you lift your back leg high, pull in through your stomach, engaging your stomach and center.

c
Lift your arms up high above your head into a V position and stretch both knees.

d
Lower your back knee down to the floor, returning to your starting position, a ballet lunge. Bring your arms down at the same time without collapsing your back and upper body. This movement works your legs, core, and arms, but the main focus is on your arms. Make sure the raising and lowering of them is focused and concentrated.
8 counts, 4 sets.

Stretch
: /B.
Beginners may stretch here (Standing Stretch for Legs), while the more advanced
/A.
continue directly to the next movement.

a
Bring your back leg down into a tendu arabesque and bend your standing knee.

b
Lower your arms to first position (rounded in front of you, elbows lifted), keeping your stomach engaged, your neck long, and your chest open. And do not arch your back!

c
With your arms staying in first position in front of you and your standing knee positioned over your toes, lift your back leg into an arabesque en l’air, keeping your standing knee bent.

d
Pulse here in a demi-plié while keeping your back leg lifted in arabesque.
8 counts, 4 sets.

Use a chair or wall for extra support if you feel unsteady.

Stretch: /B.
Beginners can take a Standing Stretch here.