Madcap Monday Promenade Propulsion
Last week I talked about the fact that the hood ornament
doesn't steer the car (in an arabesque promenade). Today I’m going to discuss what does steer the movement. This awareness of correct propulsion becomes
even more important later, in arabesque and attitude turns.
It is a simple philosophy:
the movement must occur without disrupting the position or the
turn-out. To achieve both goals, the
dancer must understand how to propel the movement, and it all depends on the direction of the promenade.
If the direction is en dedans, the supporting leg – particularly
the inner thigh on downward to the heel - is the engine that propels the
movement. If the direction is en dehors,
it is the working leg (the arabesque) that leads the movement. In the en dehors direction, particular
attention must be paid to maintaining the
turn-out on the supporting leg, something that isn't much of a problem in
the en dedans direction.
To demonstrate the effectiveness of each direction, have
students try doing the opposite. They
will immediately discover why the propulsion must occur in the correct manner!
From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:
Secret #14j:
“In an en dedans promenade, the supporting leg steers, in an
en dehors, the working leg does.”
Link of the Day:
Quote
of the Day:
“The great
thing in the world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are
moving.”
– Oliver
Wendell Holmes
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