How to Do a Demi-Plié & Grand Plié (With Recommended Warmups)

A plié is a simple ballet step that is learned while covering the basics. Although it’s often taught to beginners, it’s one of the most important movements that you’ll learn because it’s used in so many different dance steps. By nailing the right form and correct body positions, you can learn how to plié in minutes! However, mastering the form can take years, so keep practicing! Read on to learn how to do a plié, including expert tips from professional ballet instructor Geraldine Grace Johns.

Plié Ballet Move: Overview

Start in first position and bend your knees. Keeping your heels planted to do a demi-plié. Ballet instructor Geraldine Grace Johns advises dropping your knees over your first 2 toes and keeping your stomach lifted to lower your body perfectly straight. For a grand plié, bend farther and lift your heels off the ground.

Section 1 of 8:

How to Do a Demi-Plié

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Start in first position and bend with your knees. The first position consists of standing with your heels together and feet pointed out in each direction. Start by bending your knees just slightly, keeping your upper body straight with your shoulders down. Don’t stick your backside out or adjust your hips—simply lower at the knees while keeping the rest of your body straight.
- Johns shares, “You want to have your knees in alignment, dropping over your first two toes. Keep your stomach lifted and think of your waist as a bucket of water. You want everything just to go down perfectly straight.” ^{[1]
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  Expert Source
  
  Geraldine Grace Johns
  Professional Ballerina & Ballet Instructor
  
  Expert Interview. 11 November 2020.}
- She adds, “You have to use your core muscles, your turnout muscles, and to keep a long back. Think of just going down very evenly and carefully, keeping your back straight.” ^{[2]
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  Expert Source
  
  Geraldine Grace Johns
  Professional Ballerina & Ballet Instructor
  
  Expert Interview. 11 November 2020.}
  - Turnout muscles refer to the external rotation necessary to do a plié. ^{[3]
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Stop bending your knees when they extend just over your toes. If you feel your heels starting to come off the ground, stop bending. ^{[4]
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Push your weight straight down into the floor with your legs and feet to push yourself back up. Continue keeping your shoulders down, head up, and bottom tucked during the upward movement. Continue rising until your thighs and knees are back together in first position. ^{[5]
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Section 2 of 8:

How to Do a Grand Plié

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Since you are bending further down at the knees in a grand-plié, your heels will naturally come off the ground. Even though the weight shifts to the forward parts of your feet entirely, your upper body should be perfectly straight, meaning your center of gravity should still feel as though you are standing with your legs straight.
Once your heels come off the ground, keep bending your knees even lower. Continue lowering as far as you can until your thighs are nearly horizontal and your knees are almost fully bent.
Engage your quads and glutes to push your body back upwards into your starting position. When rising, use your feet and legs rather than simply the knees to straighten. Push down with your raised heels to reconnect them with the floor as soon as possible in the rising motion. ^{[6]
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Section 3 of 8:

Plié Definition

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A plié is a bent-knee ballet exercise usually done at the barre. It’s one of the first moves that you’ll learn, but you’ll have time to perfect it as you advance your technique. You can do a plié from all 5 ballet positions : first position, second position, third position, fourth position, and fifth position. ^{[7]
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- A plié is one of the 7 basic dance movements in the Cecchetti method.
- “Plié” is pronounced “plee-AY.”
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Pliés are the building blocks of ballet. Pliés are essential in conditioning the necessary muscles required to perform many other aspects of technique, including leaps, pirouettes, and landing after a lift. Proper plié form is key, as improper form can lead to restriction of movement and potential injury. They’re used in jumps and turns to absorb shock and prevent injuries in the knees.

Section 4 of 8:

Types of Pliés

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You won’t bend down as far in a demi-plié, and you might need to work a little more on your balance and control. This is usually the first type of plié that you’ll learn.
In this plié, you’ll bend down as far as you can go while keeping your spine straight and your backside tucked. It can take a little more strength and muscle to control the plié all the way back up. ^{[8]
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Section 5 of 8:

Which muscles are used in a plié?

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It’s important not to hunch over or bend your spine as you lower down. You can control your movements by engaging your core and your abs to lock your spine into place. ^{[9]
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As you bend down, engage your glutes, quads, and hamstrings to slow your movement. When you rise, engage your glutes, quads, and hamstrings again to push yourself up slowly without jerking your body around.

Section 6 of 8:

How to Stretch to Improve Your Plié

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Do calf stretches for a deeper plié. Place your hands on a wall or the barre and stick one foot out about 12 in (30 cm) behind you. Bend your front knee and push your back heel down onto the floor until you feel a stretch in your calf, then hold it for about 30 seconds. Repeat this on the other leg. ^{[10]
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- Johns notes the importance of a good warm-up, advising, “If I was just doing a warm-up, I would do demi-pliés to the ground plié. Warming up your hip is also really important.” ^{[11]
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  Expert Source
  
  Geraldine Grace Johns
  Professional Ballerina & Ballet Instructor
  
  Expert Interview. 11 November 2020.}
- For warming up the hips, she suggests doing a “hip swing,” by “standing on one foot and just swinging the other leg forward and back.” ^{[12]
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  Expert Source
  
  Geraldine Grace Johns
  Professional Ballerina & Ballet Instructor
  
  Expert Interview. 11 November 2020.}
- Another hip stretch begins by lying on your back on the floor. You can either rotate your hips from side to side or “lift your knees up” one at a time, Johns adds. ^{[13]
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  Expert Source
  
  Geraldine Grace Johns
  Professional Ballerina & Ballet Instructor
  
  Expert Interview. 11 November 2020.}
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Warm up your feet and body. Johns offers a few ideas when it comes to taking precautions to avoid injury. To warm up your feet, she instructs, “Do little prances with your feet as if you're a horse. Do circles with your feet and pliés, relevés, and then do a few little jumps.” She reminds that blood flow to the heart and muscles is essential to avoid injury: “You need to get your heart rate up [...] The first thing we do [in class] is form a circle, and walk. From a walk, we go to a jog, and from a jog, we go fast, and then [the students] change direction.” ^{[14]
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Expert Source

Geraldine Grace Johns
Professional Ballerina & Ballet Instructor

Expert Interview. 11 November 2020.}
- Johns explains, “If you're going into a class cold, you're going to have an injury. If your body is warm, and your heart is pumping, then you're going to be fine.” ^{[15]
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  Expert Source
  
  Geraldine Grace Johns
  Professional Ballerina & Ballet Instructor
  
  Expert Interview. 11 November 2020.}
Sit down on the ground and pull your heels in toward yourself, letting your knees splay outward to create a diamond shape with your legs. Rest your elbows on your knees and slowly lean forward until you feel a stretch in your inner thighs. Hold the position for 30 seconds to 1 minute at a time.

Section 7 of 8:

What are the 5 basic positions in ballet?

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First position In ballet, first position is the foundational pose that all other positions and techniques build upon. It features dancers standing with their feet touching at the heels and pointed outward in opposite directions, or turned out. ^{[16]
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- Pliés are commonly practiced starting in first position, but can be performed from any position depending on the requirements of the choreography.
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Second position In second position, dancers stand in the same pose as first position, with their feet turned out. However, in second position, their heels don’t touch and are instead a few inches apart.
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Third position Again, third position is similar to first position in the sense that both feet are turned out. The main difference is that there is one foot in front. The heel of the front foot should align with the middle of the back foot. ^{[17]
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Fourth position Fourth position is often used to help dancers improve their balance. This position involves standing in third position, except that each foot pointing in an opposite direction should be perfectly aligned with the other, and there should be about 12 inches (30.4 cm) of space between the two turned-out feet.
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Fifth position Fifth position is typically achieved by more seasoned dancers as it requires the greatest level of balance and skill. This position is similar to fourth position, with the hips equally rotated outwards. The heel of the front foot should lean against the big toe of the back foot, perfectly balancing the dancer’s weight. ^{[18]
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Section 8 of 8:

Final Thoughts

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Doing a plié is an important and foundational dance move in ballet. Doing a plié may be considered basic, but it requires conditioning, stamina, and control over several muscles, like your hips and core. Don’t attempt a plié unless you’ve done warm-up exercises, as this could result in injury. Remember: in a successful plié position, your feet are arched and pointed outward in opposite directions— nailing this requires stretching beforehand! ^{[19]
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- In every position, divide your weight between both feet evenly so you don't topple over in the plié.
- Turn out from your legs at the hip joints. Don't force your knees and ankles to bend at uncomfortable angles because it will lead to injury.

Expert Q&A

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How can I improve my plie?

Geraldine Grace Johns
Professional Ballerina & Ballet Instructor
Geraldine Grace Johns is a Professional Ballerina and the Owner of Grace Ballet in New York and Los Angeles. Geraldine toured through New Zealand, Australia, Japan, and Korea as Jammes in Ken Hill's Original Phantom of the Opera. She has studied with the Royal Academy of Dance in London to become a teacher and taught for the Kudo School of Ballet in Yokohama. Geraldine also ran her own Royal Academy of Dance School in New Zealand before studying at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York City. Geraldine was a guest coach and Master Class teacher in Toronto for the Canadian Royal Academy of Dance's Dance Challenge in 2018, 2019, and 2020. She was also a guest coach and Master Class teacher for the USA Royal Academy of Dance Challenge in Long Beach, California in 2019 and 2020. Grace Ballet Los Angeles has won recognition as one of 13 Best Ballet Schools in Los Angeles since opening her school. Geraldine is a contract Practical Teaching Supervisor for the Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies for the Royal Academy of Dance.

Geraldine Grace Johns

Professional Ballerina & Ballet Instructor

Expert Answer

Keep your knees in alignment with your first two toes, your back straight, and your tummy lifted. Think of your waist as a bucket of water—you want to keep everything perfectly straight.

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When I Demi plie in second position, should my knees go over my toes?

Community Answer

I believe your knees should stay in line with your toes, but not go over until you are in a grand plie, if at all.

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How can I do a grand plie in 4th position?

Community Answer

In fourth, it is the same principle as in every other position. Keep your torso in between your two legs, do not lean forward or backwards, and make sure you are positioned correctly.

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Professional Ballerina & Ballet Instructor

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How to Do a Demi-Plié & Grand Plié (With Recommended Warmups)

Plié Ballet Move: Overview

Steps

How to Do a Demi-Plié

How to Do a Grand Plié

Plié Definition

Types of Pliés

Which muscles are used in a plié?

How to Stretch to Improve Your Plié

What are the 5 basic positions in ballet?

Final Thoughts

Expert Q&A

Video

Tips

You Might Also Like

References

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