Land that Jump! Practicing Proper Allegro (Jumping) Technique
Practicing Proper Allegro (Jumping) Technique
Jumping is not every dancer's cup of tea. It requires strength, stamina, proper alignment, flexibility, core strength and a lot of practice. Jumping is probably one of the most impressive movements performed by a dancer. In ballet repertoire, big jumps or grand allegro are often rewarded with a loud applause by audience members shouting “bravo!”, to express their admiration and appreciation—or on the contrary...a loud gasp, if not landed properly!
Start with a proper dance floor…
Even before you step foot into the studio, it’s important that you move on a proper dance floor. Just as a figure skater wouldn’t step onto a melted ice rink, a dancer needs the right dance floor to perform, spin, and jump to their heart's content!
A household name in the dance industry, Harlequin has been perfecting and updating the technology of studio and stage flooring for over 40 years! They meet all your needs when it comes to finding the right base for your dance space. Whether it’s sprung floors, vinyl performance surfaces, wood performance surfaces, portable or permanent floors, you
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Shock absorption is the key to keeping your joints happy and healthy as you perform allegro work. Most footwear in dance just doesn’t cut it. As dancers, we rely on a proper floor to provide the right amount of traction and shock absorption to execute our movements safely and beautifully. We all want to be dancing into our old age, and that starts with using the right surface.
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Warming up and building strength…
Warming up the body is very important before dancing. A good warm-up gets the heart rate going and allows blood to pump to all the muscles in the body, so don't shy away from a few jumping jacks. Core exercises like sit-ups, planking, and basic crunches also warm up the body and strengthen the abdominal muscles. As a dancer, it is imperative to have strong core muscles because all movement should originate from the center of the body.
You have to go down before you can go up…
Pliés are the most important building blocks for jumping. A jump, any jump, starts and finishes with bent knees. In other words a 'plié'. Try jumping without bending your knees. Did you
try? Really? I can tell you it is possible, however, not as impressive as when you bend your knees before. Increasing the depth of a plié and the amount of pressure into the floor will aid in jumping higher. A lot of dancers forget to bend their knees after they jump and this is when most knee and back injuries occur. Pliés strengthen the legs and in conjunction with the feet act as a shock absorber for the body when landing after a jump.
When you become airborne…
Make sure you breathe! Holding your breath during jumps will create tension in your upper back and shoulders which makes you stiffer and heavier. Correct posture during the jump is important. This includes pointing your toes the moment they leave the ground, engaging your core and lifting your eye line. Looking down when you jump drops the head which is the heaviest part of the body. This causes the spine to be distorted and the momentum that is needed to gain height is lost.
Landing that jump…
Land through your feet! This is a term you will hear quite often in a ballet class. Articulating through demi-pointe when you descent from a jump and bending the knees the moment your feet touch the ground, allows for a soft and quiet landing. Imagine a stage with 20 ballerinas all jumping and not landing through their demipointe. This would be a very noisy performance. Dancers who don't follow this recipe are prone to ankle and knee injuries, making a jump seem very heavy and laborious. Another important tip is to put your heels down when you land.
This becomes tricky when doing petit allegro due to the quick transitions between jumps. Ballet dancers are often culprits of this habit known as 'the shortcut.' When a dancer presses their heels into the floor they can achieve a deeper plié. This puts more power into the jump and greater elevation can be achieved. This becomes especially important when doing slower grand allegro.
Land through your feet
Mastering allegro takes practice and patience. If you try out these tips and avoid any shortcuts, you’ll be well on your way to achieving stunning allegro work.
Happy Jumping!