Mad Monday Armpit Zone
Accomplished artists in any area make their skills appear
effortless. For dancers, this involves “hiding”
the physical effort needed to produce each step. Part of this is simply control
over facial expressions – no grimacing allowed.
But it goes beyond this.
Most of the work, or physical effort, is done below the
armpits. That’s right, everything from
there down works – the turn-out, the extension, the stretching of the feet –
the list goes on and on. But the type of
effort is different above the
armpits.
The arms, head, shoulders, and even the upper back do not do
“grunt” work. The effort here is absolutely
physical, but in a more sculptured way.
The arms are shaped and the muscles are being engaged, but no barbells
are being lifted. The spine is being
lengthened away from gravity, but it is not like pulling a horse out of the
mud. It is a kinder, gentler sort of
physical effort.
Above and below the “armpit zone” require two different
kinds of physical effort – the difference between holding a raw egg and
squashing it (see previous blog, Secret #1k).
From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:
Secret #7hh:
“The work occurs below
- in the armpit zone.”
Link of the Day:
Quote
of the Day:
“The dance can reveal everything
mysterious that is hidden in music, and it has the additional merit of being
human and palpable. Dancing is poetry with arms and legs.
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