grand battement

ballet

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Last updated

June 29, 2026

Quick Summary

A grand battement is a fundamental ballet movement characterized by a high extension of the leg. In French, it literally translates to "great beating."1

This technique involves lifting the free leg high, typically to hip level or even higher, while keeping it straight. It is a significant element in ballet training and performance, showcasing a dancer's strength, flexibility, and control.21

Other related battement movements include battement tendu (stretched beating), battement frappé (struck beating), and petit battement sur le cou-de-pied (small beatings on the instep), each with its own distinct execution and purpose within ballet.2

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battement
…foot barely touches the ground; grand battement (“large beating”), in which the leg is lifted to hip level or higher and held straight; battement frappé (“struck beating”), in which the ball of the foot brushes the floor as the working foot is briskly extended from a flexed position against the…
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…foot barely touches the ground; grand battement (“large beating”), in which the leg is lifted to hip level or higher and held straight; battement frappé (“struck beating”), in which the ball of the foot brushes the floor as the working foot is briskly extended from a flexed position against the…
Read More