Ballet Term
Battement Arrondi
A battement arrondi is defined as a “rounded battement.” The battement arrondissement is a step when the dancer’s toes of a working foot move in a semi-circle in the air, at about 45 degrees from the front to back, or back to front. This is commonly used in ronde hame exercises at the barre.
A battement arrondi is a “rounded battement.” Instead of the working leg moving in a straight line, the toes of the working foot trace a semi-circle in the air, usually at about 45 degrees off the floor, carrying from front to back or from back to front. The curved path is what makes it “arrondi,” meaning rounded.
How it is performed
The dancer starts with the working leg extended, most often to the front and low off the floor. Keeping the leg turned out and the knee straight, the toes sweep in a smooth arc out to the side and around toward the back, or the reverse path from back to front. The height stays fairly constant so the toes draw a clean half-circle in the air rather than dipping or rising. The supporting leg stays pulled up and still, and the hips stay square and quiet so the movement lives in the working leg, not the torso.
Where you will see it
Battement arrondi most often appears at the barre inside rond de jambe exercises, where the class is already working on circular paths of the leg. It teaches the control needed to carry the leg along a curved line at a set height, which feeds directly into rond de jambe en l’air and the many other circular steps in the vocabulary.
Common mistakes
The most common error is letting the height wobble, so the arc bulges up or sags down instead of staying level. Another is turning the arc into a flat, straight swing, which loses the rounded quality the step is named for. Dancers also tend to let the supporting hip shift or the standing knee soften as the leg travels behind. Keeping the standing side strong and the working knee fully straight keeps the semi-circle clean.
Good to know
Frequently Asked Questions
How is battement arrondi different from rond de jambe?
Both trace a circular path, but battement arrondi carries the toes through a semi-circle in the air at a set height, while rond de jambe en l'air and rond de jambe à terre have their own specific paths and are a broader family of circular leg movements.
At what height is a battement arrondi usually done?
It is most commonly performed at around 45 degrees, low enough to keep control of the arc but high enough that the leg is clearly off the floor.