Assemblé

Assemblé, meaning “assembled” in French, is a common jump that appears often in choreography and ballet class. In class, assemblé will usually be done in petit or grande allegro or sometimes as its own combination. Assemblés are most commonly done with a brush to the side, but they can also be done to the front or back. An assemblé starts with a plié (generally from fifth position) and the first leg brushes out to dégagé. While the brushing leg leaves the floor, the other leg simultaneously comes up to meet it in a fifth position en l’air with pointed toes. Assemblés return to fifth plié with both feet landing from the jump at the same time. 

One of the most challenging but remarkable aspects of an assemblé is the ability to showcase the “assembled” part of the step for which it’s named. If done right, it will look like there’s a moment when the fifth in the air is suspended before landing in plié. The goal is the appearance that the jump primarily happens in this assembled position. While it can be difficult to get both legs together again in the jump after you’ve just brushed one leg away from the other to lift yourself into the air, it can be useful to think of both legs collecting into fifth from the very beginning of the jump. If you can think of the non-brushing leg meeting the brushing leg immediately after the dégagé, you will be able to get to the fifth en l’air position quickly and have more time to “hold” in the air. By imagining the legs collecting before the height of the jump, you won’t have to waste time trying to bring them together during the jump and they will already be in the correct place. 

Another essential moment for assemblé is the plié dégagé brush that generates the power for the jump. Think of the energy from the dégagé brush going down into the ground and the standing leg straightening at the same time, while immediately pushing into the ground to launch you out of the plié and into the jump. This will help you lift into the air quickly. Glissades and assemblés actually use an identical dégagé brush takeoff, and we talked about this important jump element in last week’s Technique Thursday glissade post! 

This week, try imagining assemblés as a held fifth in the air, think of using correct technique on the brush takeoff, and remember that plenty of practice and repetition will contribute to assemblés that are more efficient, polished, and the best they can be!

Have a wonderful Technique Thursday!