Perform pliés, which are knee bends with legs and feet turned out from the hips. They may be partial shallow bends or deep full-body bending movements. Pliés work by warming up the legs and ankles. According to The National Ballet of Canada, they are beneficial to dancers when turning and landing jumps.
Relevé is the opposite action to plié. According to the Special Olympics Coaching Guides, relevé movements are designed to improve balance in a dancer. Straighten your legs and raise yourself on your toes with feet turned outwards. Arm movements, with one or both arms arced over the head, may be added to relevé as well.
Tendu and dégagé are similar movements in which the dancer shifts her weight to one leg while extending the other leg outward with pointed toe. Once your leg is extended, perform sweeping or brushing movements to the front side and back with each leg. With tendu, the foot stays on the floor, while in dégagé the sweeping movements are larger and the dancer’s foot will elevate off of the floor slightly. The National Ballet of Canada recommends these movements to help both strengthen and lengthen muscles in the legs and torso.
Port de bras are movements of the arms designed to help dancers move gracefully. Standing in what is known as ballet’s first position, with legs straight, heels touching and ankles and legs turned outwards, hold your arms slightly bent at the elbow and firmly locked. Lower your arms, raised out in front of the body, and then raise them above your head before lowering them to repeat the cycle again.
Grand battement are controlled kicking exercises. Extend one leg with pointed toe, and throw the leg high into the air before bringing it back down slowly into a tendu position. Repeat this exercise with both legs. The National Ballet of Canada recommends performing this exercise to help loosen up the hip joints.