Ballet Lesson Plan for Beginning Adults
Cognitive: Dancers will be required to remember principles from the barre and carry
them into the center work.
Kinesthetic: Dancers will build strength and develop body awareness, specifically
focusing on the mechanics of the arabesque.
Affective: Dancers will be approach ballet with a positive energy, finding imagery
throughout the movement in order to move more easily through the steps.
Center Strengthening/ Warm up- Ellie: With legs to the front in sixth position, turn in and
out at the hip joint with feet flexed, and then pointed. Stretch forward over the legs.
Repeat hip articulation and stretch. With the legs in a wide position, or straddle, stretch to
the side, then over the leg, and then between the legs. Alternate sides. Clamshell
exercises on both sides.
Plank, later extending one leg at a time to prepare for arabesque.
Stretch/Foot articulation-Ellie: In parallel position, circle the shoulders at the shoulder,
then the elbow, the full arm, and contract forward. Repeat circling the joint the opposite
direction and ending in high release. Repeat the shoulder exercises. Roll down and stretch
the hamstrings. Plié twice, and then roll back up to standing, stepping in to the barre.
Foot articulation with increasing speed follows, one in four counts, one in two counts,
and two in one count. Repeat with the left foot. Parallel tendus to the front, the third
tendu lowers and flexes, followed by two regular tendus, and a plié relevé. Repeat the
tendus to the left. Turn out to first position and repeat the articulation (right, left) and then
tendus (right, left) to the side, rather than front. Side stretch to the right and left, followed
by a brief balance in relevé.
Plies- Nicole: Music is in a three. Begin in first position with the left hand on the barre.
Prepare “5678” with right arm taking a small breath and then going back down to bras ba.
Perform two demi plies in first position, with the arms carrying through the port de bras
(small breath, go through bras ba, first position, and open to second). Each demi plie
takes a full three to hit the bottom of the plie and takes a full three to straighten. After the
two demi plies, go into a grand plie in two threes (“5-2-3”, “6-2-3”) and then recover to
straight legs in two threes (7-2-3. 8-2-3). Releve in first position (feet and arms) for two
threes (9-2-3, 10-2-3). Recover on “11-2-3” and tendu to second on “12-2-3”. Repeat the
same layout in second position. Following this, tendu to first position and soutenu to left
side and repeat.
Tendus- Nicole: Music is in a two. Begin with preparation (5678) carrying the arm into
first and opening to second. Tendu twice to the front (out 1 close 2, out 3 close 4). Tendu
to the side twice (out 5 close 6, out 7 close 8). Repeat again to the back (out 1 close 2, out
3, close 4). Perform one tendu to the side on 5, close and plie on 6, and open arms
through first to second on 7,8. Repeat combination starting en dedans. Releve and
soutenu to the left side and repeat.
