A balancé is a step which rocks from one foot to the other and is usually performed to waltz music of 3/4 time where the music has three beats in each bar. A waltz is usually danced using soft and fluid movements and is quite often seen in romantic ballets such as Swan Lake and Giselle etc. Often performed by the corps de ballet this balancé step helps when the dancer needs to travel gracefully around the stage. As the step rocks from one foot to the other so does the weight of the body transferring into the opposite direction with the head inclined to where the body has landed. In a balancé de coté you would most commonly take the arms to third opposition with a twist of the spine but you can also use fourth opposition with the gaze looking up at the wrist of the arm above. A balancé de coté using the back foot can travel en avant (to the front) or en arriere (to the back). A balancé de cote using the front foot would only travel en avant (forwards). When performing a balancé en avant and en arriere the arms would come to an open fourth looking up with the weight back on the balancé en avant and then in third with the weight forward looking down in the balancé en arriere. A balance can also be performed turning called balancé en tournant.
Below I will describe the various balancé steps in more detail;
Balancé de coté (traveling to the side using the back foot)
1. Standing fifth position left foot front* 2. Plié
3. Extend the right back leg from a cou de pied derrière position to second with the left leg en fondu arms in second. 4. Jump lightly onto the right leg bringing the left foot behind arms move to third with the left arm in front and a slight twist in the spine. The weight is placed slightly to the left. 5. Shift the weight onto the left leg in a demi pointe
6. Shift the weight back onto the right foot in a demi plie with the left leg in a cou de pied derrière
7. Repeat again to the other side.
Balancé de coté (traveling to the side using the front foot)
1. Standing in fifth position left foot front arms in bras bas
2. Plié
3. Bring the right foot to cou de pied derrière
4. Extend the right leg to second with the left leg in a fondu. The arms are in second.
5. Lightly spring onto the right foot with the left foot coming to cou de pied devant. The arms can move to a third, open third, fourth or open fourth position with the weight of the body tilted away from the leg in front. The gaze would be looking at the arm in front in third or looking up at the arm in fourth.
6. Transfer the weight onto the left leg in front en demi pointe
7. Transfer the weight on a fondu onto the right foot
8. Extend the left leg to second with the right leg en fondu to commence the step again.
9. This step travels forwards.
Balancé en avant
1. Standing in fifth position left foot front arms in bras bas croisé facing DSL
2. Plié
3. Bring the right foot to cou de pied derrière
4. Extend the right leg to the croisé line DSR in second with the left leg in a fondu. The arms are in third.
5. Lightly spring onto the right foot with the left foot coming to cou de pied derrière. The arms move to an open fourth position with the weight of the body tilted backwards and the eye line looking at the right arm up in open fourth.
6. Rise into demi pointe on the left leg
7. Fondu back onto the right foot with the left foot in a cou de pied derrière again. 8. You would normally perform a balancé en arriere immediately afterwards (see below without steps 1 & 2).
Balancé en arriére
1. Standing in fifth position right foot front arms in bras bas croisé facing DSL
2. Plié
3. Bring the left foot to cou de pied derrière
4. Extend the left leg to the croisé line USL in second with the right leg in a fondu. The arms are in third.
5. Lightly spring onto the left foot with the right foot coming to cou de pied derrière. The arms stay in third position with the weight of the body tilted forwards and the eye line looking towards the floor.
6. Rise into demi pointe with the right leg
7. Fondu back onto the left foot with the right foot in a cou de pied derrière again.
8. You would most commonly perform another balancé en avant immediately after (see above without steps 1&2).
At Balletic we follow the bbodance ballet syllabus which in turn uses the Gail Grant ‘Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet’ for all of it’s ballet terminology. The diagrams depicted here may be different to what you are used to based on the school of ballet that you follow.