When Plié Struggles to Bend: Addressing Ballet's Most Misunderstood Foundation

When ballet students struggle with plié, it's rarely just about "not bending enough" (although that is often part of the issue). But the majority of the struggle is usually from misconceptions about where and how the movement should occur. One of my very first blog posts was this one about how plié is actually a bend in three joints, not just the knees, and I have been receiving messages about it ever since. Most of the questions are about how to help students release unnecessary tension and actually notice the movement in all three joints, so today is all about troubleshooting! Let's explore some key concepts that often get shortchanged in a plié:

• HIPS

When dancers plié, the hip joint needs to bend (flex). This can be tricky for dancers to conceptualize because it's easy to see the knee joint move away from the midline but it's harder to see the folding that happens at the top of their legs. For my Elementary Division students I often have them make paper fans---the simple ones where you just fold a piece of paper back and forth like an accordion. Then I point out to them that some folds are going outwards while other folds are going inwards and that the same thing happens in our plié. The experience of folding the paper both ways and using their fans as a visual reference for the day really helps the concept stick. I often will have small stickers that students can put on their fans whenever I see them "folding both ways" (using a deeper demi-plié than usual) or when they find a plié in a movement that they hadn't noticed before. Dancing with and decorating the fans throughout class is a really fun way to keep their attention focused and (this is my favorite part) the dancers are discovering the information for themselves instead of me just telling them.

• ANKLES

The ankles need to bend (flex) during plié, just like the hips do. For some students, a shallow plié is caused by tight calf muscles. But I've found over the years that about as many shallow pliés are caused by toes gripping on the ground. You can try it for yourself: grip your toes on the ground and demi-plié. Next, relax your toes and plié. The difference is striking. When dancers grip their toes, it activates some of the muscles that run across the front of the ankle joint, which decreases the range of motion in the plié.

If you find that a student is gripping their toes, check to see how they are engaging their turnout. If they are trying to use more turnout than the hip joints have, the toes will grip to help them keep their balance. If dancers have good alignment and are still gripping their toes, they probably are holding excess tension throughout their body. I have a lot of information about releasing excess tension in my book, Artistry Inside Ballet Technique, volume 1, but the "exhale to relax" is a great starting place. As students begin their plié, have them exhale and imagine their toes melting like butter in a nice, warm skillet.

• KNEES

It would be weird to talk about plié without mentioning the knees. We spend a lot of time (in Ballet Foundations and Elementary Division classes, especially) teaching students about the importance of engaging the muscles around the knees and keeping them straight. But those are precisely the same muscles (the quadriceps) that need to release to create a gooey, smooth plié. If your students have choppy pliés, they probably are trying to keep their quads engaged throughout the movement instead of releasing and re-engaging. Imagery like the waves of the ocean can help dancers understand this concept.

When we help students understand plié as a coordinated movement of all three joints rather than just "bending the knees," we give them the foundation for every other movement in ballet. The key is helping them discover these connections for themselves through thoughtful imagery and exploration.