Assemblé meaning to ‘assemble’ is a common step used during petit allegro exercises and ballet repertoire. There are many variations of this step but in this article I will discuss assemblé dessous (under) assemblé dessus (over), assemblé devant (to the front) and assemblé derriere (to the back). The common feature with the assemblé step is that the working leg maintains contact with the floor until the last moment and the movement doesn’t travel but stays on the same spot. An assemblé that travels is called an assemblé porté.
Assemble Over (Dessus)
1. Plié in fifth position
2. Swish the back foot to second keeping contact with the floor coming to a glissé position. 3. Then simultaneously jump the supporting leg in the air pointing the toes to the ground.
4. The working leg comes to the front and the legs assemble together in the air.
5. The step finishes by landing on both feet in a plié.
Arms: Usually the arms are held in third opposition or open fourth
Assemble Under (Dessous)
1. Plié in fifth position
2. Swish the front foot to second keeping contact with the floor coming to to a glissé position. 3. Then simultaneously jump the supporting leg in the air pointing the toes to the ground.
4. The working leg comes to the back and the legs assemble together in the air.
5. The step finishes by landing on both feet in a plié.
Arms:Usually the arms are held in third opposition or open fourth
Assemblé Devant
1. Plié in fifth position
2. Swish the front foot to the devant keeping contact with the floor coming to a glissé position
3. Then simultaneously jump the supporting leg in the air pointing the toes to the ground
4. The working leg comes back to the supporting leg and then both legs assemble together in the air.
5.The step finishes by landing on both feet in a plié
Arms: Usually the arms would be in third opposition or open third.
Assemblé Derrière
1. Plié in fifth position
2. Swish the back foot to the derriere keeping contact with the floor coming to a glissé position.
3. Then simultaneously jump the supporting leg in the air pointing the toes to the ground
4. The working leg comes back to the supporting leg and then both legs assemble together in the air. 5. The step finishes by landing on both feet in a plié
Arms: Usually the arms would be in third opposition or open third.
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 terminology. Diagrams may be different to what you are used to based on the school of ballet that you follow.