Start with arms in Bras Bas, legs in first position or in a comfortable position. Do 8 gentle breaths with both arms, then 4 with each arm. Lead with elbows as you lift your arms and breathe in. Let your arms float down as you breathe out. Repeat for 5 minutes.
Standing in first position, move your arms in a full Port de Bras. Inhale as you lift your arms and exhale as you lower them. Experiment with moving faster and slower. Keep your chest up and shoulders back. Repeat for 3-5 minutes.
With legs in a wide second position, do slow Grand Pliés with Full Port de Bras, coordinating arm and leg movements. Keep your chest over your hips and pull knees back over your toes as you go down. Press into the floor with your feet as you come up. Repeat for 3-5 minutes.
From first position, do full Rond de Jambes en Dehors bending and stretching the supporting leg. Then add a Full Port de Bras, coordinating upper and lower body movements. Repeat for 1-2 minutes on each side.
Standing straight in a comfortable position, bring your arms up through High 5th Position to Arabesque and then lower to Bras Bas. Repeat on the other side. Open your shoulders to make the longest line you can with your arms. Try it with different leg positions. Continue for 3-5 minutes.
With legs in first position and arms in Bras Bas, do double-bounce Demi-Pliés. Continue with arms changing positions, and with arms moving in Full Port de Bras. Repeat for 5 minutes.
Standing in a parallel Second Position, repeat Cambrés forward, backward and to both sides. Inhale to stand up straight, exhale to engage the core and bend your upper body, inhale to lengthen as you return to standing, exhale to prepare for the next Cambre. Repeat for 5 minutes.
On one knee with a barre for support, push your hips forward and then pull them back to dynamically stretch your legs for 2-3 minutes. Then slide into splits (with a pillow or other support under your hips if they are high above the floor). Hold your splits for at least 1 minute. Repeat on the other side.
Starting in 1st Position, rise to demi-pointe and balance on Relevé. Keep the balls of your feet planted firmly on the ground, lowering your heels if you lose your balance. Once you´ve found your balance, add head and arm movements. Balance for 5 minutes. Then stretch your calves.
Do a Grand Plié in 1st, 3rd, and 5th Positions without a barre. Repeat on the other side. Then repeat the 5th Position Grand Plié six more times on each side. Finish with a quad stretch.
Promenade with your leg in Degagé Devant (front) position. Do a full turn En Dehors, pausing at each quarter turn. Reverse with an En Dedans turn. Switch legs. Repeat in Degagé de Côté (side) and Degagé Derrière (back). Try to lift only your heel as you turn, keeping your body still like a dancer on a music box.
Put both hands on the barre, legs in 5th position. Do each of these movements 4 times: Tendu back, reaching your toe straight behind the center of your head. Lift to high arabesque and lower to tendu. Lift higher without moving your upper body. Penché slightly, allowing the chest to lower as you lift your leg higher, and then allowing the leg to lower as you lift your chest. Rise to Demi-Pointe and lower. Balance. Repeat on the other side.
Do slow straight leg Relevés (Elevés or Rises) in 1st, 2nd, and Open 4th Positions. In Open Fourth Position, align your feet with First Position (instead of Fifth). Add Port de Bras and Épaulement if you would like.
With one hand on your barre, do a Demi-Plié and Relevé in First, Open Fourth (aligned with 1st), Third, Middle Fourth (aligned with 3rd), Fifth, and Closed Fourth (aligned with 5th). Repeat with both hands off the barre. Turn to repeat on the second side.
Facing the barre with legs in Parallel First Position, pick up one foot to your ankle and do eight Rises (Elevés or straight leg Relevés) on one leg. Repeat on the other side. Do two sets of eight on each leg. Test your balance by letting go of the barre.
Do a slow controlled ballet walk forward and backward through your space. Pause and balance with every step. Continue for 3-5 minutes.
Bring your arms to an Open Fourth Position and extend to Alongé with Épaulement. Repeat 7 times and then transition to the other side. Stand up straight in any position. Gradually increase your head and shoulder movements. Continue for 5 minutes.
Do four-part Tendus in every direction from First Position. 1) Shift your weight to one leg and reach to demi-pointe. 2) Stretch your toes to full pointe. 3) Return to demi-pointe with a stretched leg. 4) Close in First position with weight on two legs. Repeat En Croix (front, side, back, side) on each leg twice from turned out First Position and twice from Parallel First Position.
Repeat a step facing in each of the 8 directions. Imagine a square around yourself and face each side and corner. Follow along with the video or choose your own steps. Continue for 5-7 minutes.
Leading with your head and shoulders, do four quarter turns in one direction and then back in the other direction. Repeat with half turns, then full turns. The first time, relax your arms and swivel on your feet. The second time, keep your arms in First Position. The third time (not demonstrated), choose a dance turn of your choice to practice.
Practice Épaulement in Fifth Position with the head turning toward the front foot. Follow along or make your own combination. Practice on flat and demi-pointe. Continue for 3 minutes.
Do eight Sous-Sus with head turned toward the front leg, switching legs immediately for the next set of eight. Continue for 3 minutes. If you get tired or aren´t ready for Sous-Sus, do Demi-Plié in 5th Position with Épaulement.
After warming up, practice Glissades forward and backward jumping or en Demi-Pointe. Move through three clear positions: 1) Degagé or Tendu Devant (front), 2) Fourth Position en Demi-Pointe or in the air with feet fully pointed, 3) Degagé or Tendu Derrière (back). Continue for 5-10 minutes.
After warming up, practice Sissonne positions with high leg extensions. Start with Chassés (sliding along the floor), focusing on the landing position. Then practice Sissonnes en Demi-Pointe and jumping Sissonnes landing in the same positions. Continue for 5-7 minutes.
Standing in 2nd Position, push one foot at a time off the floor, working only your feet with straight legs. After 30 alternating pushes, push all the way to a Degagé Side position and hold for 30 seconds. Repeat on the other side. Repeat in 4th Position holding Degagé Back and Degagé Front on each leg.
Starting in Demi-Plié, slide along the floor between 1st, 5th, and 4th positions. After a few repetitions, stretch your legs. Continue alternating between Demi-Plié and stretched leg positions for 5-7 minutes.
Piqué forward, sideways, backward, and sideways to First Position en Demi-Pointe with the right leg. Repeat in First Position with the left leg, and then in Second Position on each leg. Lower to Quarter-Pointe or flat if you get tired. Repeat the exercise twice.
Windmill your arms and sweep your downstage arm forward, looking over your shoulder at the audience. Then leave your arms in place and turn your body half way so that your back arm becomes the front arm and vice versa. Repeat 8 times on each side. Continue for 5 minutes. Then start adding leg movements.
Do three Cambrés forward with Full Port de Bras. Inhale lifting the arms in 2nd Position Alongé. Exhale bending forward from the waist, bringing the arms to 5th, and relaxing the head. Inhale to come up with a flat back, keeping the arms in 5th. Exhale bringing the arms down to 2nd. Switch positions and repeat. Follow along or choose your own leg positions.
Starting with arms in Bras Bas, open one arm to acknowledge and bow to the audience near the stage on one side. Repeat on the other side. Repeat bringing each arm up to acknowledge the audience in the balcony. Repeat starting with hands on hips. Follow along with the leg positions or choose your own. Continue for 5 minutes.
Keeping your arms behind your back, bring the backs of your wrists up to touch each other above your head with shoulders down and arms almost straight. Then bend your elbows, keeping your wrists together until they are behind your head. and push your palms down toward the floor behind you as you stretch your arms. Repeat your Swan Arms for 3-5 minutes.
Dance a beginner version of the Little Swans step from Swan Lake. Make sharp head and foot movements, traveling directly side to side. Continue for 1-2 minutes.
Practice Spanish dance poses with flamenco music. Focus on head and shoulder positions as you turn body from one corner to another. If you need to break it down, practice transitioning back and forth between just two poses. Continue for 2-3 minutes.
Practice a simplified version of the entrance of The Shades in the ballet La Bayadère. Start by leaving your foot on the floor in the Arabesque en Fondu, and then gradually lift it higher as you repeat the sequence. Emphasize upper body movements in the step back. Repeat 16 times on each side.
From a lunge position, brush your back leg forward to do 4 Grand Battements front and 4 side on each leg. Then brush your front leg backward to do 4 Grand Battements back and 4 side on each leg. Start with a lower battement if you´re not ready for high legs.
Practice Saut de Basque arms on each side. If you´d like, add half turns, leg positions, Relevés, and/or Jumps. Practice for 2-4 minutes on each side.
Starting with legs in 5th Position, Plié and slide forward to 4th. Then “chase” the front leg with the back leg, bringing the back leg quickly into 5th. Repeat going backwards and then switch legs. After practicing on flat, bring your 5th Position up to Relevé and then to a jump. Continue for 3-5 minutes.
Practice Chassé Turn arms on each side. If you´d like, add turns, leg positions, Relevés, and/or Jumps. Practice for 2-4 minutes on each side.
Open your arms to 2nd Position. Gently bend and stretch to an Alongé position, making a rippling movement. Follow along with other arm positions or choose your own. Continue for 5 minutes.
Follow along with this Forced Arch exercise in First Position. Repeat in Second and Fifth and on the other side. Do the whole exercise twice. Make sure you put your heals all the way down on the floor in flat positions and stretch your ankles fully on Demi-Pointe. Coordinate your upper and lower body movements.
Lying on your side, do a Développé and Enveloppé in every direction on both sides. Lie prone and do a Développé and Enveloppé back and side on both legs. Lie on your back and do a Développé and Enveloppé front and side on both legs.
Transition smoothly from one side to the other at barre. Focus on keeping your arms in front of you and spotting. Practice for 3 minutes.
Holding your calf or thigh, do 8 slow Single Leg Pulls and 16 fast, and then repeat. Then hold your stretch in a front extension position for 60 seconds, using a band or strap if available. After 60 seconds, cross your leg over and open it out 4 times. Repeat on the other side.
Lying on your stomach, gently push into a back arch, keeping the lower back long. Pick up and circle one arm at a time. Then bend one leg at a time, looking back at your foot. Then hold both feet to pull yourself into a rocking position. After repeating the sequence, stretch your quads.
Sitting on the floor, stretch one leg forward and bend the other behind you. Stretch forward, sideways, and backward in this leg position. Then stretch your back leg and bend the front leg. Sit up straight, then stretch forward, then pick up the foot behind you. Repeat on the other side.
As you walk around your space, slowly place your toes, then ball of the foot, then heel on the ground with each step. Carefully pick up your heel, then ball of the foot, then toes every time you lift a foot. Continue for 5 minutes.
