Super Saturday Affectionate Changements
One of the first jumps a dancer learns is a changement de pieds, usually shortened
to changement. It is a jump from fifth to fifth, and can be
small or large. The words mean to change
the feet, and that is exactly what happens:
they change position in the air.
If the right foot starts in front in fifth position, it lands in the
back.
A common problem is this:
the foot landing in the back never makes full contact with the floor,
and this causes the heel to be raised upon landing. This is a big problem because it can cause
injuries because the
cushioning nature of the plié is not being allowed to happen.
Usually the reason dancers fail to get the whole foot on the
floor is because their weight is not distributed over both feet when they land
in plié. Often the seat goes out, the
weight is thrown forward, and the back foot cannot complete the necessary plié
upon landing.
To help with this, imagine that both heels must be able to gently
“kiss” the floor on each landing.
From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:
Secret #15i:
“To achieve a good plié upon landing in a changement, imagine the heels ‘kissing’
the floor.”
Link of the Day:
“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are
challenged to change ourselves.”
-
Victor Frankl
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