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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