Mastering the Relevé: A Comprehensive Guide for Ballet Beginners and Beyond

The relevé, a fundamental movement in ballet, is often one of the first steps a dancer learns and continues to refine throughout their training. It’s seemingly simple – rising onto the balls of your feet – but executing it with grace, strength, and precision requires understanding and practice. This comprehensive guide will break down the relevé, providing detailed steps, tips, and exercises to help dancers of all levels improve their technique. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced dancer looking to perfect your form, this article is for you.

Understanding the Relevé

Before we delve into the ‘how,’ let’s clarify the ‘what’ and the ‘why.’

What is a Relevé?

The term “relevé” comes from the French word “relever,” meaning “to raise.” In ballet, a relevé refers to rising from a flat foot to either the demi-pointe (balls of the feet) or the full pointe (tips of the toes, in pointe shoes). The relevé can be executed from various positions and is the basis for many other ballet movements.

Why is the Relevé Important?

The relevé is crucial for several reasons:

• Builds Ankle and Foot Strength: It directly strengthens the muscles in your feet and ankles, which are vital for balance and stability in all dance movements.
• Improves Balance: By requiring you to support your weight on the balls of your feet, the relevé enhances your sense of balance and control.
• Develops Leg and Core Strength: While focused on the lower leg and foot, a correct relevé engages the leg and core muscles to maintain proper alignment and stability.
• Prepares for Pointe Work: For dancers on pointe, the relevé on demi-pointe is a crucial precursor to learning to rise onto the tips of the toes.
• Improves Articulation: A well-executed relevé demonstrates articulation and control of the feet, contributing to the overall aesthetics of ballet movement.
• Foundation for More Complex Steps: Many ballet steps, including piqué turns, bourrées, and sauté jumps, are built upon the fundamental relevé.

Detailed Steps: How to Execute a Perfect Relevé

Now, let’s break down the process step-by-step. We’ll focus on the relevé in first position, which is the foundation for many variations.

Step 1: The Starting Position – First Position

Begin standing in first position. Here’s how to achieve a proper first position:

• Feet: Heels together, toes turned out, forming a straight line (ideally about a 180-degree angle, but this is very individual and should never be forced). The angle of turnout comes from the hip joint. Don’t simply rotate your feet.
• Legs: Legs straight (not locked) and engaged. Think of lengthening your legs from your hip joints down to your toes.
• Hips: Hips are level and tucked in slightly, engaging the core muscles. Avoid sticking your tailbone out.
• Torso: Spine elongated, ribs lifted, and shoulders relaxed. Imagine a string pulling you up from the crown of your head.
• Arms: Arms should be relaxed by your sides, or in a preparatory port de bras position. Typically, in a beginner scenario the arms might be by your sides.
• Head: Head held high, with your chin parallel to the floor. Look straight ahead.

Take a moment to ensure you’re correctly aligned in first position. This is the foundation for a successful relevé.

Step 2: Preparing for the Rise

Before you lift your heels, there are some critical details to keep in mind:

• Engage Your Core: Maintain the core engagement you established in first position. This will prevent you from wobbling and assist in stability.
• Maintain Turnout: Keep your turnout engaged through your thighs. Resist the temptation to let your feet roll inwards as you rise.
• Lengthen: Imagine your body is a single line lengthening toward the ceiling. Don’t allow your ribcage to pop.
• Distribute Weight: Ensure your weight is evenly distributed between both feet.

Step 3: The Relevé – Rising to Demi-Pointe

Now, comes the crucial step of the actual rise. Here’s a breakdown:

• Slow and Controlled: Begin rising slowly, using the muscles in your calves and ankles. Avoid bouncing or jerking up.
• Push Through Your Toes: Imagine you’re pushing down through your big toe, second toe, and third toe – all three are equal partners. This will ensure your weight is evenly distributed on the ball of your foot.
• Engage Ankle and Foot: Focus on articulating through your ankle and foot. Don’t allow your ankles to roll in or out.
• Maintain Alignment: Keep your alignment. Your heels should be lifting straight up and down, not leaning to the front or side. Your hips remain stacked and do not shift backwards or forwards.
• Find the Highest Point: As you rise, aim for a full demi-pointe where you are as high as you can be on the balls of your feet, while still being balanced and maintaining a straight leg (not locked). The heel bone and Achilles tendon should be stretched as you reach the top of the relevé, creating a smooth and graceful line.
• Full Extension: In a well-executed relevé, your foot should be fully extended from the ankle to the tips of your toes, creating a beautiful line.

Step 4: The Descent

The descent is just as important as the ascent. Here’s how to lower correctly:

• Controlled Lowering: Slowly lower your heels back to the floor with control. Avoid collapsing down.
• Engage Your Muscles: Continue to engage your core and leg muscles throughout the lowering process. This is an eccentric contraction (muscles are lengthening under tension) which is key for building strength and control.
• Smooth Transition: Ensure a smooth and seamless transition from demi-pointe back to flat feet. Avoid any sudden jolts or collapses.
• Return to First Position: When your heels reach the floor, you should be back in your initial first position, ready to repeat the relevé.

Step 5: Practice and Repetition

Consistency is key. Practice the relevé in first position repeatedly, focusing on proper form over speed or number of repetitions. Start with a small number of repetitions and gradually increase them as your strength and control improve. Aim to perform several sets of relevés, focusing on the quality of each individual execution.

Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them

As you learn the relevé, be aware of these common mistakes and how to correct them:

• Rolling In or Out: A common mistake is allowing the ankles to roll inwards or outwards. To fix this, focus on maintaining the correct turnout from your hips and use your intrinsic foot muscles to control the roll, thinking of pushing through the big toe, second and third toes equally. You can work on building foot and ankle strength with specific foot exercises.
• Bouncing: Avoid bouncing up and down. The movement should be slow, controlled, and fluid. Engage your core and leg muscles to prevent bouncing. Think of growing upwards rather than springing up.
• Collapsing on the Descent: Don’t allow your heels to crash down. Maintain control throughout the descent. Engage those calf muscles and imagine a balloon floating you down.
• Shifting Weight: Avoid shifting your weight forward or backward as you rise. Maintain an equal distribution of weight between both feet. Practice in front of a mirror to observe if your hips are moving.
• Locking Knees: Keep your knees straight but not locked. This is important for joint health. Imagine lifting up through your inner thighs, to keep the knee caps lifted.
• Lack of Turnout: Ensure you are properly turned out from the hips, and that this turnout does not decrease as you perform the relevé. Practice turnout exercises to strengthen your turnout.
• Lifting too quickly: Don’t rush the relevé, especially as a beginner, because the speed will cause you to neglect the technical details. A slow and controlled movement is essential for proper form. Once your technique has improved, you can introduce speed.

Variations of the Relevé

Once you’ve mastered the basic relevé in first position, you can explore other variations. Here are a few:

• Relevé in Second Position: In second position, the feet are wider apart, maintaining the same turnout principles. This position requires slightly more balance.
• Relevé in Third and Fifth Positions: The same principles apply to these positions, just with a slightly different foot placement.
• Relevé in Cou-de-Pied: This requires you to raise onto demi-pointe with one foot wrapped around your ankle of the other leg. This is a more advanced relevé, demanding more balance and stability.
• Relevé Passé: The leg is brought up in a retiré position while relevéing.
• Relevé on One Leg: Once you develop sufficient balance on two legs, practice relevéing on just one leg. This will challenge your core and ankle strength.
• Relevé in different tempos: Practicing the relevé in slow tempos, and faster tempos, as well as practicing it in different rhythms, are all methods to strengthen and improve this movement.
• Relevé with different arm positions: Practice the relevé with arms in first, second, and fifth positions. This will challenge your overall coordination and help to strengthen arm position in general.

Exercises to Improve Your Relevé

Here are some exercises to help you strengthen the muscles needed for a strong and stable relevé:

• Calf Raises: Stand with your feet flat and lift your heels, engaging your calf muscles. Do this on flat feet, and then try to do this while pushing through the balls of the feet.
• Ankle Circles: Rotate your ankles in both directions. This can improve flexibility and range of motion.
• Toe Points and Flexes: Point and flex your toes to strengthen your foot muscles. You can also practice with a resistance band for increased challenge.
• Single-Leg Balance Exercises: Practice balancing on one leg to improve your overall balance. Try it with and without plié, and try it with different port de bras (arm movements).
• Foot Doming: This is a very important exercise to strengthen the intrinsic foot muscles that control the arch of the foot. Place your feet flat, and then lift the arch of your foot, while keeping your toes and heel in contact with the floor.
• Foot Scrunches: Place a towel on the floor, and try to scrunch the towel towards you, with only your toes.

Tips for Success

• Practice Regularly: Consistency is key. Make relevé practice a part of your regular routine.
• Focus on Quality: It’s better to perform a few perfect relevés than many poorly executed ones.
• Use a Mirror: Practice in front of a mirror to observe your alignment and technique.
• Get Feedback: If possible, ask a teacher or experienced dancer to provide feedback on your form.
• Be Patient: Improving your relevé takes time and dedication. Don’t get discouraged; keep practicing.
• Listen to Your Body: Avoid pushing yourself too hard or through pain. Rest and recover when needed.

Conclusion

The relevé is a foundational movement in ballet that requires a strong base of technique and a consistent dedication to practice. By understanding the principles, practicing diligently, and paying attention to detail, you can develop a graceful, strong, and controlled relevé. This will not only improve your ballet technique but also enhance your overall strength, balance, and coordination. Remember to be patient with yourself and enjoy the journey of mastering this beautiful and essential ballet step.