Arts >> Dance >> Ballet

How to Do a Ballet Lift

The types of lifts that can be performed in the graceful art of ballet is nearly limitless. However, every ballet dancer has to start somewhere. Learning how to handle one of the most basic lifts in ballet, called the fish dive, is a good place to start if you’re just learning how to perform a basic ballet lift. After mastering the fish dive, you and your partner will have the moves you need to complete a simple pas de deux ballet move, which is beautiful and captivating. Afterward, you can move on to other basic, yet slightly more challenging ballet lifts, such as the shoulder sit and grand jete.

Things You'll Need

  • Ballet shoes
  • Partner
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Instructions

    • 1

      As a female ballet dancer, stand in front of your male partner. Stand en pointe (on your toes) with your left leg planted straight down and your right leg out to the right of you at a 90-degree angle to your left leg. This position is called arabesque en pointe.

    • 2

      Let the male partner wrap his left arm around your waist just below your rib cage. Have him wrap his right arm over and around your right thigh, just above your knee.

    • 3

      Wait for your partner to tilt you downward toward the floor. As the male, make sure you bend one of your knees for added support in preparation of picking your female partner up off the ground.

    • 4

      As the female, bend your straight left leg up so that your toes touch your right knee, moving yourself into what is called the parallel passe position. Use your core abdominal and back muscles to pull yourself upright, creating a clean line and slightly arched back that curves in toward your partner.

    • 5

      Exit the lift by placing your left leg back to a straight position when your partner begins to dip you down again. You should finish in the arabesque en pointe position that you started from.

Ballet

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