Friday, March 7, 2014

Fun Friday Palm Reading


Fun Friday Palm Reading
No, this is not a blog about fortune telling.  It is about the position of the arms called fifth en haut, or high fifth.  This lovely position frames the dancer’s face, much like a portrait in an oval picture frame.  Note that it is an oval picture frame, not a round one.  An important difference.
One common error in this position is a lack of rotation in the arms.   The triceps should rotate back and the hand rotates toward the dancer.   If this is done incorrectly, the palm of the hand faces the audience, when it should face the dancer and not be seen by the audience. (see cat above)
When correctly placed, with the palms facing the dancer, the hands could provide a great place for written notes on choreography.  That way the dancer can just look up and have a set of Dancer Cliff Notes so they won’t forget any steps. 
Alas, this “cheat sheet” on the palms isn’t workable in reality since sooner or later the arms will come down and the palms of the hands will be at least partially visible. 

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #6m:
“In fifth en haut, the palms face the dancer, not the audience.”

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Quote of the Day:
“Look up to the sky.  You’ll never find rainbows if you are looking down.”
-Charlie Chaplin

 

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