Plié [plee-AY] is French for "creased", in ballet, the "creasing" or bending of one's knee or knees in any position (and subsequentially the ankles and hips as well).
THE TECHNICAL STUFF
There are two basic kinds of pliés - demi (half) and grande (large). Demi pliés are generally done while keeping the heels on the ground (the fancy French word for it is à terre) and grande pliés descend as low to the ground as possible while keeping proper body placement (second position grande plié is an exception - heels stay on the ground and hips go no lower than the knees).
WHY WE DO IT
STRETCHING/STRENGTHENING - The act of plié stretches your calves and the area surrounding your Achilles' tendon while strengthening your quadriceps muscles (the muscles in the front of your upper leg) and your "glutes" (bootie muscles).
TRANSITIONS – Pliés are often a large part of transitions between more explosive ballet movements. The bent knee position helps you maneuver on the floor to adjust your weight before beginning another movement. It's your best opportunity to readjust not-so-perfect placement.
JUMPING – Pliés prepare for and absorb the shock of all jumps. Think of a trampoline - the higher you jump on the trampoline, the lower the trampoline goes when you land. Plié works the same way. The deeper your plié, the greater your high-jumping potential.
***Test it out! Try jumping from straight legs. Note how high you jumped. Now, try bending your knees first and then jumping. Higher, right? Now try the opposite. Try jumping and then landing WITHOUT a plié at the end. Ouch. That's precisely why pliés are important.***
HOW TO MAKE IT BETTER
* When landing from a jump into a plié, make sure to put your heels on the ground. (Otherwise your Achilles tendons will be very mad at you).
* Make sure that every time you execute a plié, you keep your knees directly over your toes - misalignment can lead to knee and hip injuries. Also, it just looks weird.
* Having trouble with balance in transitions or between turns? Consider staying in plié longer - standing on a bent knee rather than a straight one leaves more room for fixing alignment or balance that is less than perfect!
Photo credit: John Manning
Dancers (L-R): Drew Hoffman, Sydney Price, Alyse Carriere, Noemi Salazar
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