Common corrections: grade 4

I always encourage my students to practice at home. However, it can be hard to practice if you don't know what to work on. Below I have listed my common corrections for each exercise in Grade 4.

For all exercises:

-remember to smile

-keep your body straight (think of stacking yourself like a Jenga tower)

-keep your chin slightly lifted

-tuck your thumbs away and keep your fingers together

-turn out your feet as much as possible

-point your feet as hard as you can when necessary

Barre

Plies

-make sure to keep your legs straight when you rise

-keep your heels on the ground for your Demi pie

-your bum shouldn’t go lower than your hips in your grand plie

-keep your upper body straight when doing your grand plie

-when you do your side bend, only to about a 45 degree angle, no further

-don’t start to turn towards the barre until after you finish your tendu devant. Same with your tendu to the side when turning to do the other side

Battements tendus and battement glisses

-when doing your tendus and glisses, your toes should push into the floor until the last moment

-your glisses should come maybe 1 inch off the ground, no more

-when doing both tendus and glisses, your supporting leg should stay straight the whole time except for when you close from the last tendu

Battements fondus and ronds de jambes a terre

-peel your feet up off the floor so that you work through your whole foot

-knee is right to the side when you bring your foot up and bend

-toes are just above the ankle

-when you come from the bent position to both legs stretched, the legs should finish at the same time (the working leg needs to straighten faster)

-for the rond de jambes, make sure your foot points right in front of your nose and right behind your bun (don’t cut your corners) and bring your heel down when brushing through first

Developpes

-knee is directly to the side when you bring your feet to passe

-inside of the heel faces the sky when your extend the working leg

-supporting leg needs to stay straight

Grand battements

-both the supporting leg and working leg need to be straight when doing your grand battements (including closing to 3rd)

-touch your toe to the ground before closing in 3rd

-when you releve and turn toward or away from the barre, both feet need to snatch tightly together in 5th

-when doing your releve passe, your foot needs to draw up your leg to your knee and your knee needs to be out to the side

-remember to keep your leg directly behind you when doing grand battements to the back

Centre

Port de bras

-in the beginning when bringing your back foot to the front, your foot must slide through first with your heel down and you need to think about pushing the inside of your heel forward to make sure you have good turn out

-you must also make sure when you get to your arabesque position that both legs are straight and that your back leg is turned out

-when you bring both feet together on demi pointe the legs and feet need to squeeze together in a tight fifth position

-make sure every movement in this exercise is slow and controlled and that you are constantly thinking about turning your legs and feet out more

Centre practice

-your legs must stay straight when doing your tendus

-when bring your back foot the front, you foot must come through first with the heel touching the floor

-your feet need to snatch together, both moving to be underneath your body

-your supporting foot (the foot that stays on the ground) when you do your releve to retire must move a little to be underneath your body instead of you pushing yourself up to be on top of your foot

Adage

-always be thinking about turn out, when you take the steps at the beginning make sure you lead with the inside of your heel. When do the turning steps make sure the foot on the ground is turned out and the knee of the working leg is facing the side. When you lift your leg make sure the inside of your heel is facing up towards the ceiling

-when you lift your leg up, be sure all your weight is transferred into your supporting leg and that both legs are straight

Transfer of weight

-teacher choreographed, not applicable

Allegro

Sautes, echappe sautes, and changements

-for every jump, you need to start in a plie, your feet need to point in the air, your legs to be straight in the air, and when you land any jump you need to plie, your toes and the balls of your feet will touch the floor first and you will roll through your feet till your whole foot is on the ground so that your jumps are quiet

-always be mindful of your turnout when jumping

-every time you come to fifth, it should be a tight fifth

Jetes ordinaires and pas de chat

-for your jetes, always the foot you pick up to the back and the big toe should be hidden behind the leg

-for every jump, you need to start in a plie, your feet need to point in the air,  and when you land any jump you need to plie, your toes and the balls of your feet will touch the floor first and you will roll through your feet till your whole foot is on the ground so that your jumps are quiet

-always be mindful of your turnout when jumping

-every time you come to fifth, it should be a tight fifth

-this exercise needs to be practiced until you can make it look easy, you shouldn't look like you're using alot of energy (even though you are)

Assembles and temps leves

-your feet must join in the air before you land when you do an assemble

-keep your torso stable and straight over top of your pelvis/hips

-when you land each jump you need to plie

-your feet must be fully pointed in the air whenever you jump

Turns

-for the springs at the beginning of the exercise, you must spot where you are going (don't look in the mirror or at your teacher)

-all your jumps must be soft, supple- roll through your feet as you land

-when you do your pirouette at the end, your foot must come right to the knee and close in a tight parallel when you land your turn

-again, always land all of your jumps in a plie

Grand allegro

-arms must come to a V and be straight on the jump in arabesque

-when you galop, your heels cannot touch the ground

-when you do your grand jete's, don't sacrifice your posture for a higher jump, your body still needs to be straight, elongated, and stable.

Dances

Dance C

-dances are everything in one and they count for a large portion of the grade so you need to make sure your feet are pointed, you are showing your best turnout, you are holding your posture at all times, and you need to show the character of the dance through your body and face

-for me, the character of this dance is playful but also strong... think Anna from Frozen but more coordinated

Dance F

-this dance is tricky because there is never a slow moment but if you work hard at all the necessary skills: turnout, pointed feet, posture, making sure your timing is correct, and adding in all of those little touches like head movements and epaulment then it can be very rewarding

-for me, the character of this dance is energized, joyful, and bold... this dance makes me think of joy from inside out or judy hopps from zootopia

Reverence

-teacher choreographed, not applicable