Wild Wednesday Wings

Wild Wednesday Wings

It is easy to think of the arms as starting at the shoulders – they look that way, after all.   But it works better for dancers to think of them as starting at the spine.  

Think of them (the arms) as having lots of long feathers, like a bird’s wings.  They start at the spine and span outward and downward so as to catch the air if the dancer suddenly decides to take flight.

This image works very effectively because the muscles do work that way.  Many of the muscles in the arms come from (extend into) the back, and when these muscles are allowed to take the day off (or droop), the arms are no longer adequately supported.

So whenever performing any kind of port de bras imagine the unfolding of wings!

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #6v:  

“Imagine the arms starting not at the shoulders, but at the spine – like wings.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IW3GAjAKges

Quote of the Day:

“I have come to accept the feeling of not knowing where I am going. And I have trained myself to love it. Because it is only when we are suspended in mid-air with no landing in sight, that we force our wings to unravel and alas begin our flight. And as we fly, we still may not know where we are going to. But the miracle is in the unfolding of the wings. You may not know where you're going, but you know that so long as you spread your wings, the winds will carry you.”
― C. JoyBell C.

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