Analyzing Ballet Moments in Kpop

[LostInTheDream]

When I first got into Kpop, the most appealing aspect was the dancing. This is due to the fact that I took dance classes from the ages of 2-18. I soon found myself learning the dances and analyzing them. While I feel that I do not have the expertise to give an accurate analysis of an entire dance, I think I can explain the ballet moments pretty well.
Here's a bit more info about my training to give myself more credibility:
- Ballet classes at least 2x a week for 16 years, 5 of which were en pointe
- Modern and contemporary classes for 5 years
- Competitive dancing for 4 years
- Tap and Jazz classes for 2 years
- I have self choreographed multiple contemporary and ballet dances
- I did a summer intensive at the Joffrey Ballet (one of the biggest ballet schools in the US)

So let's start with the first ballet moment, and probably the most recent one.

Kazuha (LE SSERAFIM) Leg Lift in "Antifragile"

What is it?
What Kazuha is doing is similar to that of a develope (pronounced de-vel-o-pay). Here's a gif of what it looks like in a classical setting.

Typically the leg being raised starts at the ankle, goes up the knee, and then extends into the air.
Kazuha does a short-cut type of version in "Antifragile". Due to how quick the part is, and the short period she has to get her leg up, she doesn't directly touch her leg to her knee or ankle. However, her placement by hitting those points in the air is accurate and I would not consider it wrong.
Kazuha adds onto the develope by securing her arm under her raised leg's knee. She then bends both knees and extends them, also bringing her raised leg to a nearly 180 degree angle.
This is not something that is seen in classical ballet very frequently, but can be seen in modern and contemporary. You would see something like this without the arm if it were classical ballet. I believe it was added to bring a bit more excitement to the move.

What did she do right?
Kazuha's extensions throughout the move are absolutely beautiful. She develops her leg in the correct manner and with proper technique.
Her raised leg is also perfectly turned out and the line she is creating is perfect.
Something impressive about this is that she is able to maintain so much flexibility while also keeping her hip down. This is incredibly difficult even if you are doing a leg lift at a 90 degree angle.
I also want to commend her on the strength she has when she executes this without her arm assisting her.
Her balance is also very good and I haven't seen her make any major errors in this area.
Her torso is also aligned properly, and she isn't leaning or anything.

What could she improve on?
The biggest thing that stands out to me is that in many performances her standing foot is not turned out. Turn out in ballet is essential and it can remove a lot of grace and elegance within a step. However the rest of her leg is turned out. You can see her knee bending outward. You may also notice her foot turning out just slightly when she bends her standing knee, but then she can go back to parallel. This is done to help with the second extension. I think she may have not turned her foot out in order to help with her balance during such a rapid move.
Another issue present in some of the performances is her leg transitioning to the floor. During a develope the leg should come down straight after fully extending. Kazuha's leg comes down pretty bent in some stages, as too properly hit the next position her leg should be in. There's a good chance she did this due to the lack of time in the transition.
One other issue she shows in some stages is when she barely bends her standing knee. Bending the knee when going into a second extension can really help straighten the leg and bring it higher. So again, she may not have bent her knee as much in order to conserve time. Also this bending of the knee is called a plie (plea-ay).

Best Execution

I think in the showcase Kazuha turns her stand foot out the most, her leg comes down the straighest, and her standing knee bends a decent amont.

Execution Most Needing of Improvement

I think in the dance practice her foot lacks turn out during the entire period except when she bends her knee. This bending is done quite well. However her leg is too bent when it is coming down.

Despite there being some issues, Kazuha executes this move beautifully and I strongly believe she is the best ballet dancer in kpop.

Tune in for another analysis soon!​

 

[Gwacekpop2]

:0 I learned a lot about ballet in just the few minutes I read this, can't wait for the next analysis~

 

[LostInTheDream]

:0 I learned a lot about ballet in just the few minutes I read this, can't wait for the next analysis~

oh I'm glad!

 

[sanasideup]

this is so interesting to see, i love it!

 

[chaechae.core]

notifs!
I find ballet so pretty and it's rlly cool that you did it!

 

[LostInTheDream]

Rachel (April) Intro Turns and Leg Extension in "April Story"

In this clip Rachel is doing two different types of turns.
I am only going to be analyzing the ones she does in the intro.

What is it?
What Rachel is doing is called a pirouette (pronounced peer-oh-et) into an a la seconde turn (pronounced a la sec-owend) and then finally she does an arabesque (pronounded air-a-besk). Here are gifs/pictures of what both of these look like in a classical setting.

This move would typically be executed by starting with your feet in fourth position and your arms in third position.

The leg that you are turning on would be in the front and you would have your opposite arm in front. You would then push off with your front foot going into releve (pronounced re-le-vay). This is just like going on your toes. You would use your back foot to push off and attach to your knee. Your leg should be positioned turned out like that in the first gif, with your knee bent and making a triangle type shape. You would also use your body to twist itself into the turn. You would then land in the same position you started in (typically). Rachel does two of these turns in a row (called a double) and then she goes into an a la seconde turn.
To do this you would put your heel down and bend your standing knee to get more momentum after doing the pirouettes. Then you would go back up and extend your leg to be straight and at a 90 degree angle, like in the gif. You do this transition from the place you started the turn (aka facing front)/ She goes around several times. With each rotation she goes down onto her heel and bends her knee, then pops back up for another rotation.
In addition to this Rachel transitions into an arabesque.
This is quite simple, you step on one leg and the other goes behind you. Rachel does it in releve.

My Issue with the choreo:
One thing I find super weird about this small choreo is her arms during the turns. Like I said, you typically start your turns with your arms in 3rd position. Rachel is doing more of a Jazz version of this. Instead of her front arm hanging lower in a curve, she has it parallel to the ground and completely straight. Then during the a la seconde turns she opens and closes her arms. With a la seconde turns your arms are meant to stay open like in the gif above. Furthermore, I find it strange she is doing a la seconde turns in the first place. These are typically done by men in classical ballet. So I'm just really confused by this.

What did she do right?
Honestly there isn't a lot that she is doing right.
She is executing the turns and the arabesque, just not well.
One thing I believe she is doing (but could be doing better) is that she is spotting. Spotting is when you pick an area to look at when turning and when your head whips around your eyes go to that same location. It helps with balance and maintaining proper form. However, Rachel seems to be spotting something closer to the ground, rather than directly in front of her. Spotting the ground can literally make you fall towards it.
Rachel is also sort of starting with the proper positioning. She does have one foot behind the other slightly spaced (which is what 4th position is), but her feet are not turned out and not spaced enough. She also has her arms placed like the Jazz version of these turns (like I mentioned above). Which is kind of correct but not really?
In her a la seconde turns she does seem to be turning her raised leg out a bit.
In her arabesque her arms and fingers are elegant and properly placed.

What could she improve on?
Rachel could improve her preparation pose, like how I mentioned in the previous section.
She has major alignment issues with her pirouette. Her raised leg is turned in, her turning leg is slightly bent, and she's not pointing her foot. She is wearing sneakers, but you should still be able to see if she is attempting to point her foot/toes with a shoe on. These are all big no-nos when it comes to pirouettes. She also does not do a complete double rotation. About halfway through the second one I think she looses momentum and just puts her heel down. This makes her turns slow down and screws up her a la seconde turns (which should have started when she completed the rotation).
With the a la seconde turns her leg is much too low. It should be completely parallel to the floor, but it is very close to the ground. I think part of the reason this happened is because she is spotting the ground. You can tell her spotting is off by also looking at how her standing leg moves across the floor, it should stay in the same place.
As the turns end she doesn't attempt to land in fourth or fifth position, she kinda just glides to the arabesque.
Speaking of her arabesque, her alignment is really really off. When executing this move your torso should face front like in the photo. She has completely rotated her torso so that it is facing the side. Her raised leg is also bent, her shoulders are up, and her bottom leg is turned in. Literally everything about this arabesque is structurally wrong.
I know Rachel has a background in ballet, but to me it really looks she didn't really train a lot. Or if she did it's primarily in Jazz. I know the shoes may have stood in her way a bit, but it should have only maybe impacted her ability to turn. It should not have messed with her alignment.

*I'm sorry if this was too brutal, but it's hard not to pick out big mistakes like this*

Tune in for another analysis soon!​

 

[LostInTheDream]

It's been a while! Let's do Mina

Mina's Tour Jetes

I am only going to be analyzing this time stamp from the routine: 0:34-0:40.
It would take me years to analyze the whole video so I'm picking on move.
This move is called a Tour Jete (Pronounced tour-zhetay).

What Is It?
A Tour Jete is a type of jump done by both male and female ballet dancers.
If you think of a basic ballet leap, it's like an inverted version. When your front leg leads forward you instead flip it so it goes to the back. Then your other leg wacks backward. The key to this jump is that your legs should be in the air at the same time. Your legs should create a shape like in the gif. This is a step that is notoriously difficult to learn. However it is one of my favorite jumps. Partially because I was horrible at jumps and this was one I could do well.
Here's what it looks like.

*A female ballet dancer may not execute this as powerfully.*
There are multiple ways to start this jump. The most common is with an arabesque (pronounded air-a-besk).

Then your raised leg steps behind you and transfers into sashay (saw-shay).
*Note a sashay can also be written as chasse depending on how the person defines it*
Now you can do a sashay in all directions (front, back, left right). However when doing one after an arabesque into a tour jete it would be a sideways one in the opposite direction you were facing in the arabesque.
A sashay is one of the more basic moves in ballet. Essential one leg steps out, the other jumps a bit to meet it and then the origal leg goes out again. It's kinda like galloping lol.

*I could only find a version going forward so just imagine it going to the side.*
Typically you will only do one sashay in this step. The leg that originally went out in the sashay will then be the stepping off point for the tour jete.
After completing the step your feet typically land in 4th position or do a sashay into another tour jete.

My Issues with the Choreography
I'm not gonna critique the build up to the tour jete due to the fact there is no set way to do it.
What I explained is the most common way. Mina doesn't do this but what she's doing isn't wrong.
However I think her build up significantly hinders her ability to have any power in the step.
What she is doing has very little energy that could help a jump explode.
The one issue I do have with the choreo is that the two steps she took betwen the tour jetes is weird and not proper in classical ballet.
It also doesn't help with building energy for the second jump either.

What Did She Do Right?
The structure of Mina's tour jete is correct from head to toe. I like how she used her head properly and that she changed the shape of her arms with the two jumps. Something I would like to compliment her on is her usage of her legs in the jump. The reason this step is so difficiult to learn is because beginners will often not rotate their body with the first leg, leading them to do so with the 2nd. It can be really hard to get right but Mina does it properly.

What Could She Improve On?
Mina really needs to practice pointing her feet to the point where it comes second nature. Her feet that are raised in the air during the jump are not. Pointing your feet (yes not just your toes) is the bread and butter of ballet. It can make everything look very wrong if you do something without pointed feet. And this probably sounds harsh, but there's not excuse with this example. If she were wearing sneakers or boots it would be understandable, but she is wearing flat ballet shoes. These allow one to properly point their feet.
Mina could also improve on the power in her jump and having both legs in the air for longer.
In her tour jetes Mina really doesn't allow both legs to extend and whack in the air at the same time (like in the gif). Of course she doesn't have to do it at this level. But because there is so little expansion it makes the jumps look like they have very little energy and like they were done half-assed. If she didn't have enough time to really do 2 beautiful tour jetes then she should have just done 1.

Overall
Throughout this performance Mina does really well and you can tell she had proper training. However there are some technical errors like I mentioned above. And overall the performance lacked energy (this is something I've noticed in all of Mina's dancing).
I think that she did good, especially considering she had not been taking regular ballet classes for a couple of years at this point.
Her level would be similar to my own if I was just a bit more flexible.
I would say Mina is the 2nd best idol ballet dancer I've seen so far (behind Kazuha).​

 

[LostInTheDream]

I never knew how hard it would be to explain ballet terms and techniques in words. I'm so used to learning by watching. And when I did teach by talking, they already had a sense of ballet so I didn't have to go into the nitty gritty. I had ton get up at least 20 times to do the step to know what to write down lol