Petite allegro is one of the most basic and important drills in ballet. In this video, Elizabeth Quinn Welch will instruct you on how to correctly perform this drill.
When performing this drill, it’s important to roll down through the feet every time you land to help prevent injury to your knees and ankles. Be sure to concentrate on your upper body. As Elizabeth points out in the video, you want to have your belly in, butt tucked under, chest lifted and ribs closed. You also want to make sure your arms are maintained in the same position - your upper body should be very calm. You also want to point your toes and straighten your legs between every jump. Think about using your feet as the power to help you jump rather than using your legs. Your quad muscles are the secondary helper along with your hamstrings, which help to aid in the strengthening of the leg.
Petite allegro means small jumps. In this exercise, you will do eight jumps in first position, eight jumps in second position and eight échappé jumps. Echappé means to escape, so think about your feet escaping from fifth position to second position. You should land in plie every time. Your arms should remain in first position as you perform the jumps in first and second position. As you perform your échappé jumps, your arms will switch from first to second position. When your feet are in fifth position, your arms should be in first position. When your feet are in second position, your arms should be in second position as well.
If you are new to petite allegro jumps, it is okay to slow down the speed if you need it. It’s more important to be using the correct technique, rather than trying to maintain the speed provided in the video.
When performing this drill, it’s important to roll down through the feet every time you land to help prevent injury to your knees and ankles. Be sure to concentrate on your upper body. As Elizabeth points out in the video, you want to have your belly in, butt tucked under, chest lifted and ribs closed. You also want to make sure your arms are maintained in the same position - your upper body should be very calm. You also want to point your toes and straighten your legs between every jump. Think about using your feet as the power to help you jump rather than using your legs. Your quad muscles are the secondary helper along with your hamstrings, which help to aid in the strengthening of the leg.
Petite allegro means small jumps. In this exercise, you will do eight jumps in first position, eight jumps in second position and eight échappé jumps. Echappé means to escape, so think about your feet escaping from fifth position to second position. You should land in plie every time. Your arms should remain in first position as you perform the jumps in first and second position. As you perform your échappé jumps, your arms will switch from first to second position. When your feet are in fifth position, your arms should be in first position. When your feet are in second position, your arms should be in second position as well.
If you are new to petite allegro jumps, it is okay to slow down the speed if you need it. It’s more important to be using the correct technique, rather than trying to maintain the speed provided in the video.