When "it" strikes ... just plié
Updated: Oct 23
I was an anxious child. A rule follower. People pleaser. Every Sunday, around 2 pm it started - the knot in my stomach. The panic of school looming. The dread.
To be clear, I loved learning. And if I could have just kept my nose perpetually in a book, my hand attached to a pencil, it would have been splendid. But those other bits? Making eye contact with the teacher? Answering questions? Figuring out the rules of engagement in the classroom and on the playground? Terrifying.
Changing schools three times in four years didn't make it easier. Moving across the country in the middle of the school year was particularly not fun. All those cliques and social hierarchies to navigate. I couldn't wait for the school day to end. With a sigh of relief, I'd grab my tights and leotard, hairpins and ballet shoes, and head to the studio. Where everything was predictable. We all wore the same pink tights, pale blue leotard, pink satin ballet shoes. No jewellery. No nail polish. No wisps of hair escaping our neat little buns. And then there was the silence. Absolutely no talking allowed. And every class followed the same structure, each exercise following predictably from the last. The pianist turning the pages of the music book at exactly the same place each time. Unwavering order. Unbreakable rules. Such a relief!
Fifty-five years after my first ballet class, my body still exhales as I enter the studio. Fingertips on the barre. Beautiful music. And the miracle of having a body that can dance. And all the everyday worries? Well, there is simply no room for them amongst the pliés, tendus, and grand battements.
Ballerina Gelsey Kirkland said, "Ballet is not just a motion, it's a language." And in every studio and every company on the planet, across generations, the language is the same. Silver Swans® is no different. We warm up. We place ourselves at the barre. And we start with a plié - the foundation for almost everything else in ballet.
What is a plié?
A plié is a bend, and it can be done in all five positions of the feet.
Bend the knees, creating a diamond shape.
Don't let the heels come off the floor.
Keep the knees tracking over the toes, in one imaginary line. Do not let them collapse inward, losing alignment with the toes.
Keep the pelvis neutral. Don't stick it out behind you, or tuck it under. Keep the spine long, the chest lifted, and the feet grounded. (And remember those arches.)
Imagine a gold cord running through your spine and out the top of your head and then imagine someone pulling this cord, lengthening your upper body, as you plié down.
But a plié is never just a plié. It is the foundation for everything else that happens in a ballet class - the launchpad and the landing place. And in ballet, as in life, it's all about quality. We don't just do the thing. We feel the thing. Empty plié...well, you get the metaphor.
The next time you find yourself feeling frustrated, or resentful, or angry, or sad, take a deep breath. Place your feet in first position, lengthen your spine, drop your tailbone, balance your imaginary tiara (or your real one) on your ballerina head. Then exhale- really, really slowly. Feel your shoulders relax, the corners of your mouth turn up, the worry lines on your forehead disappear. And plié. Repeat until the frustration, or resentment, or anger, or sadness has disappeared.
As long as you can plié, anything is possible.
Stay tuned for more ballet steps, snippets and surprises. We'll make our way through the barre and then the centre. Port de bras. Pirouettes. Pas de bourrées.
Happy dancing. Hope to see you in the studio.
xoxo
Lindy
Sources:
Dance Masterclass: The Ballet Dictionary with Mackenzie Brown
The Plié Unlocks Everything, Face the Barre with Cristina Krigolson
Glossary of Ballet, Wikipedia
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