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Music will help you to jump. Remember to breathe deeply. This jump goes straight up and down, like a soubresaut, but your front foot changes to the back when you are in the air. Practicing a sequence of these will help you get a stronger jump. Remember to change your foot position on each jump. Grand allegro means big, lively jumping steps. Remember all the things you have learned: positions, turnout, ports de bras, steps, directions, traveling, ballon. You will need them all to jump high and move fast. An enchaînement (chain) is a sequence of steps danced one after another.

 

Now that you have learned several different allegro steps, try putting them together in an enchaînement. Each step should move smoothly into the next. Jeté means “to throw” and there are many different ways to do a jeté. You have already read about petits jetés—this is a grand (big) jeté. You will learn this step when you are older, after you have been doing allegro for some time.

 

Practicing grands battements will make this step easier. Joe uses ballon (bounce) to stay in the air long enough to fully stretch his legs and feet before closing into fifth.