This is a targeted exercise to prepare students for the demands of allegro. It focuses on the soleus muscle, a key component for effective plantar flexion and control during ballet jumps. It is a fundamental exercise for enhancing young dancers' ankle stability and improving landing mechanics in allegro sequences.

Preparation: Have students face the barre with a fusion ball placed between their knees, ensuring their legs are parallel. They should place their hands on the barre for balance.

Steps:

1. Guide students to transfer their weight onto the left leg, keeping it parallel, and bend the right knee, checking alignment.

2. Instruct them to perform a fondu (bend) on the supporting leg.

3. Emphasise rolling through the metatarsals onto demi-pointe, distributing weight evenly across all five toes.

4. Guide them through a slow stretch of the knees, then reverse the action.

5. Include a sauté after the fondu, followed by a stretch.

6. Repeat the sequence on the alternate side.

Focus: Stress the importance of maintaining parallel alignment of the legs and even weight distribution. Focus on controlled articulation of the foot and ankle.