Technical Tuesday Promenade
Promenades are more than promenades. They prepare the dancer
for other, more complicated turns. Think of a promenade as training wheels for
pirouettes, because that is essentially what they are. Of course, a promenade
is also a beautiful step in its own right, but as with most steps in ballet, promenades
have a double purpose.
A correctly executed promenade is done with the weight over the ball of the foot, and
that area becomes the pivot point. At no time is the heel allowed to stick to
the floor and try to be the pivot. This throws the dancer’s weight back and
unbalances the whole operation.
Keeping the weight on the ball of the foot allows for a
smooth rotational movement, plus it trains the dancer to maintain their balance
over the ball of the foot – absolutely essential for pirouettes that will be
done on pointe or demi-pointe.
Promenades are so useful they could be sold with an 800
number.
From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:
Ballet Secret #14p:
“In any promenade,
the weight must remain over the ball of the foot.”
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― Albert Einstein
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