Jumping

[Marjolein]

Does anyone here have some good tips to improve my jumping? I don't jump too bad, but I'd like to improve it.

[Victoria Leigh]

Marjolein, your best friend for jumps is your demi plié! It's kind of hard to help you without being able to see how you jump, but good usage of your plié, and understanding the feeling of rebound are the things that help the most! ^_^

[Mel Johnson]

And your next best friend is the way that you use the foot, both on takeoff and on landing! Use the foot through its full length, and articulate it fully. This is one reason that we work tendu and degagé so thoroughly in barre work.

[Victoria Leigh]

Amen!!!

[Guest Nadezhda]

It's very curious - I've always considered myself good at jumping and I like it far more than turning. Even though jumping comes last in class I always do the whole combination and then repeat combination with the other group. Only lately have I realized that I don't jump very high, but I have good timing and make the use of my feet. I think that this is why my teacher has complimented my jumps but not my turns - it doesn't matter really how high you jump but how well you jump. Meaning: it matters how long you can make it look you're floating in the air.

[Victoria Leigh]

The following is a message sent to me by one of our adult members, Paul Parrish. It is valid to this topic, and makes a very good point, so I am copying it here:

 

Hi Ms Leigh--

 

I don't want to intrude into the teen-board, but i was moved by the young person's questions about jumping, since I'm finding myself improving -- even in my 50's -- in my jumps by taking Karsavina's advice to heart -- she stated flat-out that fondu is the foundation of the jump, and practicing it at the barre -- at length, there was a whole article about it in her book, Classical Ballet, the Flow of movement......

(chapter 4)

 

I mention this because A) teachers often say plie when they mean fondu, and so many young dancers fail to cultivate fondu -- but the rebound in petite allegro really comes more from jumps that land on ONE foot than from those that land on two..... since it's distinctly harder to come straight down and land softly (and deep, if that's required) on one foot than on two without bouncing back out of it prematurely.

 

I was thinking about this just today in class, Sally gave Assemble, sissonne ferme, jete, jete, all on whole counts, then a double-time jete, coupe ballonne, coupe tombe pas de bourree.... the HARD things were landing the two slow jetes and the ballonnee, heels down solid, in FONDU, knees spread, absorbing hte shockand accomplishing hte syncopation (since hte first 4 counts had the ups and downs on hte square, and the last four had them displaced -- that was what made the dance "go")....

 

FOndu is harder than plie, for it's harder to turn out the standing leg when it's by itself (even though it's easier to turn out when hte knee is bent) and it's harder to get placed accurately.... but it really pays off to wrk at it, and understand what it's good for. I've been watching a lot of Bournonvillevideos lately and that's what i see over and over in their dancing, excellent understanding of fondu -- they actually seem to LIKe it, they are certainly very familiar with it.

[Guest floatingonair]

i was wondering how you can work on bringing up you back leg. in my grande jetes my back leg seems to fall down! thank you for your help

[Victoria Leigh]

When you throw the front leg up too high, and then do not move your body forward enough in space, there is no way that the back leg can get up. Try lowering the front leg and be very sure you are traveling up and over and forward through space and you should be able to battement the back leg higher!

[Mel Johnson]

And by the way, welcome to the Young Dancers' Forums here at Ballet Talk on Ballet Alert! Online!