Eggs and Fun Friday
Teaching students the proper amount of energy to use is often difficult. Different steps require different attack, and the students themselves often feel like they are expending a great amount of effort when actually they are not.
The theory is simple: Use the amount of energy you need, no more and no less. However, it is not at all that simple in practice. Dancers often clench their muscles, gripping their hands or lifting their shoulders, etc. thus using too much energy. Or, they let their arms droop in à la seconde, or their body sinks and the weight drops, using too little energy.
I tell my students to imagine holding a raw egg. They need to grip it with enough energy to prevent dropping it, but loosely enough to keep from breaking it. This helps them understand the concept of using the correct amount of energy, and this image also works well in partnering classes, for both males and females.
From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:
Secret #1k:
“Use the amount of energy you need, no more and no less: like holding onto a raw egg.”
Link of the Day:
Quote of the Day:
“It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.”
-Eleanor Roosevelt
Help expand the knowledge base!
Leave a comment about any instructions, ideas, or images that worked best for you!
No comments:
Post a Comment