2 3 Fun Friday Down and Out | Ballet Webb

Friday, May 30, 2014

Fun Friday Down and Out





Fun Friday Down and Out

It’s Fun Friday!  Everyone’s Favorite Day!  Let’s talk about looking at the floor.  This is a bad habit that many dancers have, and it can be a difficult one to change.  I remember my teacher threatening to paint eyeballs on the eyelids of anyone who kept looking at the floor, and now that I am a teacher I completely understand.

I suggest to my students that they consciously find something at eye level (or slightly above), in the room, or on the stage to look at.  This also helps them think about something specific and direct their thoughts so they won’t muddle about mentally worrying about lots of things – a common cause of looking down.

Looking at the floor is a problem because it causes a complete disruption of the posture:  if a dancer looks down, their seat will go out to counterbalance them – a natural response.  So now, not only have they altered the aesthetics of the position(s), they have also sabotaged their balance!  A double whammy.

So look up!  (A good lesson for life, too.)

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #16h:
“Looking at the floor causes the seat to go out and disrupts the postural alignment.  It also looks terrible!”

                Link of the Day:

Quote of the Day:
“And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down.  Without the rain, there would be no rainbow.”
-          G.K. Chesterton

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