Articulating your Tendu

Elizabeth, at The Whole Point, has a nice quick-tip video on articulating your tendus.

Tendus are one of the building blocks of ballet. Done properly, they enhance both the strength and the flexibility of the muscles in your feet.

There are many facets to a well-executed tendu, but one of the most important is to make sure you are articulating through your entire foot, as you perform the tendu.

In a tendu, your foot should remain in contact with the floor, brushing outward as if you are pushing through sand.  As you extend the tendu outward, your foot will naturally come off the floor, in stages: first the heel, then the arch, then the ball.  The tendu finishes with your toes extended and just the tip of your big toe touching the floor, but bearing no weight; the arch of your foot is pushing upward, your leg is taught and extended with energy flowing outward, all the way from your hip down to your toe.

When closing the tendu, you reverse the process:  release the toes, push the ball down, release the arch, and finally close with the heel down and return your weight to the closed leg.