2 3 Wild Wednesday Gorillas | Ballet Webb

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Wild Wednesday Gorillas




Wild Wednesday Gorillas
One area that frequently needs improvement in dance students is the use of the arms during balancés.  Balancé is a step that is based very much on illusion – that is, what it looks like to the casual observer is not the way it is actually performed.
For balancés that move side to side, the correct port de bras requires that the arms move across the body, (roughly parallel to the floor).  The path follows the correct back and forth framework of a first port de bras with the arms at the height of the lower rib cage.  The illusion is created because the torso moves side to side with the balancé, giving the impression that the arms do more, and move more, than they actually do.
The most frequent mistake students make is bringing the arms down and then moving them back and forth.  I call this the gorilla port de bras, because that is what it looks like! 

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #6L 
“Avoid gorilla arms in balancé.”

 

                Link of the Day:  

 

Quote of the Day:

“The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work."
- Emile Zola

 

                Help expand the knowledge base!
 Leave a comment about any instructions, ideas, or images that worked best for you!

 

No comments:

Post a Comment