Cati's Beginner Ballet Class #1

The first exercise at the barre sets the tone: a deep plié done slowly, in four levels. The class then moves on to tendus, ronds de jambe, fondus, frappés and an adage, and finishes in the center.

Each exercise leads into the next, from the floor-brushing tendu to the grand battement. You use the floor, and the energy of expansion, to push up and out as you stretch.

The fourth position is the open one, with heel in front of heel, to protect the hips.