Read this twice then stand up, grab a sturdy chair or table (or barre if you have access to one), and work out. Do you get a lunch? Do this before you eat:

Stand facing the barre/chair/windowsill/table/bench/something-I-haven’t-thought-of and turn your legs out from the hip so that your toes point outward with your heels together. Good. You’re in first position. Demi plié (bend your knees out and sink down, keeping your tailbone tucked but without lifting your heels from the ground), and return to starting position. Ten times. Now descend as far down as you can (yes, you will lift your heels for this) ten times for your grande plies. Good. Now step your feet apart so that you are in second position and repeat this with ten demi plies and ten grande plies. Cool.

Now we break it up a bit. We remain in second position and do “plié, releve, straighten, and down” or “frogs” as my friend and fellow barre instructor Mandy Fish calls them. We’re doing twenty of these in demi plié, than twenty of these in grande plié. Are you ready? Get that way. Demi plié. Now roll up into a demi-pointe (up onto the balls of your feet). Good work. Now squeeze your glutes to straighten your legs, staying on demi-pointe. Do you feel that? Make sure that you do twenty of these before you move on to doing these in grande plié. Between demi and grande plie, you may find it necessary to shake out your legs to keep from feeling as if your legs will cramp. That is allowed and encouraged.

Now you are ready top repeat this process in second position. If you feel fatigued, remember to breathe deeply. When you complete twenty each in both demi and grande plié frogs, then move your feet to fourth position. If you know what this is, then great. If not, then return your feet to first position (remember to turn out from your hips, not your knees or ankles), then slide one foot in front of the other. Keep your weight balanced between the two legs. As you descend, tailbone tucked under, lift your back foot off the floor. Do ten of these in demi, ten in grande, then switch the positioning of your feet, letting the back leg take the front spot this time.

Shake out your legs. Breathe deeply, keeping your feet planted firmly on the floor as if the feet are roots and your legs and torso are a tree trunk, Lift your arms to be branches and let your arms sway as if there is a breeze blowing. Inhale deeply so that you feel your lungs fill up all the way into your pelvis. Exhale. Now breathe deeply and envision the oxygen flowing even farther down your legs into your glutes. Exhale. Now breathe even lower, envisioning the oxygen flowing into the tiring muscles of your hamstrings and quadriceps. Now into your calves and your shins. Exhale, then breather in all the way to your toes. Slowly exhale.

Now turn so that your body is perpendicular to the barre and your left hand is resting on the barre. Turn your legs out from the hips and stand in first position. Now ronde jambe. That means, essentially, take your working leg (to one farther from the barre), and slide that foot to a tendu in front of your body (Point that toe hard out in front of you). Now move that leg, with the motion originating in the hip, around to the rear. Pass back through first position as your repeat this. Do this twenty times, then REVERSE the motion, beginning your semi-circle behind you and rotating it around to the front. When you finish that, try it a l’aire. That means raise your foot off the ground for this exercise. Start with a low set and move higher. Now turn and work the other leg. Sets of twenty. Good work. Shake out your legs.

Now tendu your working leg and then flex the foot. The pointe, then flex. Do ten repetitions of this. The move your foot to the side and do the same thing. Then the rear. When you complete ten repetitions to the rear, lean forward and lift your working leg up behind you. Hold that. Switch sides.

Now for the battlements. That is a “kick,” but it is controlled lifting of the leg. Ten demi battlements, then ten grande battlements to the front. Repeat to the side. Now the rear. Now the side. Now switch sides and repeat with the other leg. Great work!

Last thing for today: releves. Remember lifting the weight off of your calves by imagining the weight of your body first being lifted up by your hamstrings and quadriceps? Lifting the weight up first with your thighs, lift up onto demi pointe twenty five times in first position. Now point your toes forward and parallel to each other and repeat. (Stretch out your calves as you need to. No cramping!) Now put your feet in pigeon-toed position and do the same. Now stretch out. You have finished a mini-workout at the barre. If you want to add difficulty, add bands to this. (Notice in the picture on the right that my turnout on my standing leg is not really there. If you cannot keep the turnout’s point of origin in your hip joint, then do what you see on the right. If you can keep a better turnout that originates in your hip, then do so. Or try both positions in order to work different muscles. I confess that I do not recall why I had my foot in that position in this photo — my foot is on an uneven surface . . . this photo is from a year or so ago. I have no clue what I was saying when this was taken, either.)

(Next week: arms and abs will be included.)