2 3 Rockets and Relevés | Ballet Webb

Monday, September 16, 2013

Rockets and Relevés


 

In a previous post, I talked about the alignment of a dancer’s body being “straight and slightly forward from the ankles”, which is Secret 1c from the imaginary (so far) Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets.  This forwardness in the posture has been described as a “rocket angle”, since rockets are not launched into space in an exact, straight up trajectory.  (For anyone interested in rockets and how successful launches came about, I would recommend the wonderful, inspirational movie, October Sky). 

This forward angle of the body is necessary largely because of the skeletal structure of humans:  we weigh just a bit more on our back half, skeletally speaking.  Among other things, we don’t have a spine in the front!  If we did, it would be easier to hold our abdominal muscles in, but it would be extremely limiting to our flexibility!

The trajectory that dancers use whenever they relevé or jump should follow the line created by the slight forward alignment of the body.  I have my students stand so they can see themselves sideways in the mirror and thus observe the correct “rocket angle” in action as they jump or relevé.

 

Link of the Day:  The trailer for the movie October Sky:


Quote of the Day:

“If a window of opportunity appears, don’t pull down the shade.”

-Thomas Peters

 

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