 Barre
1, 2: Pliés: A choice of two beautiful melodies in 3/4 time
with rich orchestrations that will start your class in ballet
Élite style 
3: Excellent for
slow dégagés, this inspired piece has an eerie
yet peaceful quality
4: A bright
Tchaikovsky style 2/4 which is ideal for faster dégagés
5: Similar tempo
to 4, but with different colours
6: In 6/8 tempo,
nice for lighter dégagés, en l'air etc.
7: A sweeping
waltz with full orchestration for ronds de jambe/ports de bras
etc.
8: The same length and tempo as 7, but
with a totally different character. I like to call this the 'ronds de
jambe blues'!
9: A light 2/4
great for starting batterie
10: Using folkloric instruments, this 6/8 gives a
whole new colour to batterie
11: A nice piece
for facing the barre; battement jetés, petite batterie
etc. Could also be used later for fouettés
12: A rich adage
for developpés/fondus. Full orchestration, beautiful
melody
13: For all those
who appreciate a tango for fondus, this one uses authentic sounding
Argentinean orchestration for passion
14: Tango too
much? This 3/4
adage is also great, with an original melody sounding as if it could
have
come from Chopin himself!
15, 16: For grands
battements, the first is a sturdy orchestral march, the second a
polonaise. Both are energetic and inspiring. Those legs should be going
higher very soon!
17: a brisk 3/8 great for battements cloche.
(try 16, then turn to the other side for 16 more)
18: A great
bluesy sounding adage in 3/4 for 'jambe sur la barre' and
stretching
Centre
19, 20: Two beautiful 'adages', both with
classical melodies and subtle orchestration. The second of these is in
24 counts instead of 32, for those classes that are little short on time
21: A crafty
little 2/4 for dégagés au centre. Resembles early
Prokofiev
22: A little
balletic 3/4
23, 24: Two
pieces for 'sauts'. The first is short & sweet, the second
twice the length, with playful orchestration. Cute!
25: An energetic
3/4 great for pirouettes. Good length for repeating 'on the
other side' etc.!
26, 27: A couple
of nice 'shorts' for petite batterie. Sugar Plum fans will
recognise some references to Tchaikovsky in the orchestration of the
first one. The second, in 3/8
is brisk and cute for
sharp, precise footwork
28, 29: Two big
waltzes for 'from the corner' steps. The first is extra long to give
everybody a turn, the second is shorter and great for boys
Variations
30: A beautifully coloured Satie-inspired adage. My
personal favourite
31: This one's a
little different, in the style of Gershwin. Featuring clarinet, it'll
add a different, lighter quality to an adage (4/4)
32: A sharp,
snappy mazurka
33: A short
waltz. I use this for a warm-up exercise for Les Grands Ballets
Canadiens
34: In 2/4, this
cute piece is great for petite batterie and features a dialogue between
flute & clarinet
35: Similar to
27; a sharp & bouncy 3/8
36, 37: Two
'codas' for posé turns, fouettés etc. The first is short
& sweet, the second, lasting over two minutes, is full of great
melodies. A grand finale to ballet Élite that will
keep your dancers whistling throughout the rest of the day!
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