Sensational Saturday Glass

Sensational Saturday Glass

The popular image used to achieve the correct shape and physicality of the arms in fifth en avant (first) is that of a giant beach ball, and it can be very effective. But sometimes it is as though the beach ball becomes under-inflated (with no reference here to “Deflate Gate”, for you football fans!). In ballet, when the beach ball image deflates, the arms droop and come inward, too close to the body.

So here is another image for fifth en avant of the arms: imagine holding a beautiful, huge glass ball, almost as big as the crystal ball used in The Wizard of Oz (see link below). This ball can’t deflate, and it must be held firmly enough to prevent dropping it and having it smash to pieces all over the floor. But it shouldn’t be squeezed so tightly that it gets crushed, and once again, scatters all over the floor.

Next time try holding a glass ball instead of a beach ball and see if this image works better for you.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #6x:  

“Imagine holding a huge glass ball when the arms are in fifth en avant (first).”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnMa652dZ5E

Quote of the Day:

““We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.”
― Maya Angelou

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Fabulous Friday Below the Knees

Fabulous Friday Below the Knees

A common problem in grand pliés occurs in second position. Grand pliés in this position are designed to help the dancer “open” the turnout, that is, stretch and warm up the legs and their connection in the hip socket for the more difficult work to come. However, this grand plié is still a controlled movement, and the hips should never be allowed to drop below the knees. Going below the knees is not a safe place (health-wise), since it puts too much stress on the knee joints.

Remember Ballet Secret #2l? It states: A grand plié in second makes the shape of a house. This house, with a slightly peaked roofed, helps the dancer maintain the correct height of the pelvis at the bottom of the plié. If the plié descends too far and the hips drop below the level of the knees, it is as though the roof of the house caved in!

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #2o:  

“In a second position grand plié, the pelvis never descends below the knees.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-O8PrT4hDE

Quote of the Day:

“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.”

-          Albert Einstein

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Throwback Thursday and Maya Plisetskaya

Throwback Thursday and Maya Plisetskaya 

One of the world’s legendary ballerinas is Russian dancer Maya Plisetskaya.  Born in Moscow 1925, she studied at the Bolshoi Theatre School. She hails from an artistic and dancing family: her uncle Asaf Messerer was a famous dancer and choreographer, her aunt Sulamif Messerer was a first generation Soviet ballerina, and her mother was an actress. 

Historic and political events in Russia played a sad role in Maya’s life. In 1937 her father was arrested and executed, and a year later her mother was arrested and sent to a prison camp in Kazakhstan. Maya was taken in by her aunt Sulamif who also sheltered her older brother Azari. Later, Azari was a frequent partner of Alicia Alonso.

Maya rose rapidly through the ranks at the Bolshoi, and during her first season she performed more than twenty important roles. Known for her extraordinary technique including high extensions and long lines, she also possessed an exquisite musicality. She went on to perform principal roles for the rest of her career.

In 1959 Maya performed with the Bolshoi on its history-making tour to the United States. Before this time she had been forbidden to travel because of her family history. Now she was an international star and she continued to tour and perform throughout the 1960s and 1970s.

Later, she left the Bolshoi and became artistic director of the Rome Opera Ballet, and then the Ballet del Teatro Lírico Nacional in Madrid, Sprain.

She wrote a memoir I, Maya Plisetskaya in 1994, and since the 1990s she has been living in Munich, Germany.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #58:  

“Maya Plisetskaya is a Russian ballerina, choreographer and teacher.”

                Link of the Day: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Luz5g-doa34

Quote of the Day:

““Everyone wants to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.”
― Oprah Winfrey

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Wonderful Wednesday Three

Wonderful Wednesday Three

Tendues are important for many reasons, but one of the most important is that a tendu establishes the proper direction of movement. With few exceptions, where the tendu is placed establishes where the dégagé will go, and where all the higher extensions of the leg will go. There are lots of places the leg can go (or drift) that are wrong so repetition on the correct pathway is crucial.

It doesn’t matter where the torso (body) is facing (front, side, croisé, etc.).  The tendu is always placed in one of the following places: 

1. A tendu devant is in front of the belly button. Simple as that.

2. A tendu (and dégagé) derrière is placed directly behind the standing (supporting) heel.

3.  A tendu à la seconde is placed according to the dancer’s degree of turnout, usually slightly in front of the side seam of one’s leotard or tee shirt.

The main exception is in high derrière positions like attitude or arabesque. Here the leg is aligned behind the working hip instead of the standing heel.

There you have it. Three places. That’s it. All balletic positions come from these specific locations, and no deviation is allowed. That’s why so much repetition is needed throughout a dancer’s life. It is all too easy for habits of over or under-crossing to occur in tendues and all the position that follow.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #4l:  

“Tendues go in three specific directions: front, side and back.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3rxzbpomuo

Quote of the Day:

“The good life is a process, not a state of being. It is a direction not a destination.”

-          Carl Rogers

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Technical Tuesday Towel

Technical Tuesday Towel

Here we go with yet another prop demonstration. A towel is a readily available prop in most dance classes, and I have blogged before about ways to use one. Today the towel is going to illustrate body placement, specifically alignment in a relevé - like a dancer would do in a pirouette.

Drop the towel on the floor, then pick it up using two fingers, and select a spot on the towel as close to its center as possible. Lift it quickly straight up. Notice how the folds of the towel fall aligned and centered under the fingers.

This is how the body should align as the dancer moves from a wide plié preparation into a “pulled up” position such as retiré prior to a pirouette. Imagine all the folds falling down simultaneously around the body.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #20k:  

“Pick up a towel from the floor to show how the weight of the body should distribute in a relevé.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQ6LrqNDFPM

Quote of the Day:

“Do not quit! Hundreds of times I have watched people throw in the towel at the one-yard line while someone else comes along and makes a fortune by just going that extra yard.”

-          E. Joseph Cossman

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Marvelous Monday In Between

Marvelous Monday In Between

One way to illustrate the correct alignment for pliés  is to have the students stand behind the barre – between the barre and the wall. This only works in studios where there is enough room between the wall and the barre for the dancer to stand.

Young children in particular love the “being bad” feeling of being allowed to scrunch behind the barre. But it serves a useful purpose: once the student is there, have them face the barre and plié. Since there is so little room they immediately feel how a plié must go up and down without deviation – like the image of being in a toaster.

I don’t recommend doing this if there is a mirror on the wall behind the barre. Do it only if there is a bare wall and enough space for the student to get there with relative ease.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #2p:  

“Standing between the barre and the wall illustrates the correct posture for plié.”

                Link of the Day:

http://balletoman.com/1608-alina-cojocaru-balance.html#vid

Quote of the Day:

“There are only two options regarding commitment; you're either in or you're out. There's no such thing as life in-between.”

-          Unknown

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Sunday Sun

Sunday Sun

Last summer I noticed an old, gnarly rhododendron bush in front of my house. It was almost completely bent over and surrounded by a variety of weeds and volunteer trees that kept it in perpetual shade. The bush looked sad to me, as though it had given up. My husband went to work clearing out the overgrowth and after a few weeks a wonderful thing happened. The bush began to lift its old branches upward – toward the sun.

All plants do this – stretch in the direction of the sun – even the shy, shade loving ones. It is as though all living things have a natural preference to lean toward the positive.

That’s what we need to do. Clear away the dark thoughts. Reach toward the sun, which for us would include doing good things and thinking good thoughts. Without sun, we will become as bent over as my rhododendron bush.

So this week think about the beautiful trees and plants you see, even the dormant winter ones. Look closely and even now you’ll see some with tiny buds reaching skyward in anticipation of spring.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #55:  

“Think about how plants stretch toward the sun.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLYOBi5gaVs

Quote of the Day:

“The sun always shines above the clouds.”
― Paul F. Davis

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Super Saturday Water Glasses

Super Saturday Water Glasses

Here we go again with yet another image using water. This time it is designed to promote proper posture.

A common malady for dancers involves the shoulders. The shoulders cave inward, they droop forward, they tilt backwards, or they slant sideways. There are many other possibilities as well.  Instead, in classical ballet, the shoulders are expected to be level. Most of the time. There are exceptions:  in port de bras or cambrés, or in places where there is a slight forward lean with an inclined upper body as in brisés or jetés.

Keeping the shoulders level and square is particularly important for beginners as they learn how to keep their body aligned correctly, but it is also critical for dancers at other levels as they struggle to perfect new steps and achieve higher levels of technique.

The image for keeping the shoulders level  is a simple one:  imagine a glass of water balanced on each shoulder. Don’t spill any of the water or (Gasp!) drop the glass.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #1mm:  

“ Imagine a glass of water balanced on each shoulder.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dGufX2MIU0

Quote of the Day:

““It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.”
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

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Fun Friday Ovals and Circles and Squares, Oh My!

Fun Friday Ovals and Circles and Squares, Oh My!

I've blogged often about geometry and how important it is in classical ballet. Balletic positions are based on correct line, and movements are based on geometric pathways. So an understanding of shapes and lines is critical for a dancer’s success.

Three major shapes are circles, ovals and squares (and/or rectangles). The curve of the arms overhead in fifth en haut forms an oval – not a circle – an important difference. The shape of a rond de jambe en l’air is an oval, not a circle, and the arms in fifth en avant are a circle, not an oval. You get the idea. These small details are important!

The torso can be visualized as a rectangle (remember the cereal box), and this rectangle maintains its shape most of the time with no crunching or twisting (except in port de bras and cambres for example). Other shapes are triangles and diamonds, like the shape of a plié in first position (diamond).

So hunt for shapes in ballet. There are lots of them!

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #7ll:  

“Understand where to visualize circles, ovals and squares.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAmenVR_5SA

Quote of the Day:

“Let your hopes, not your hurts, shape your future.”

-          Robert H. Schuller

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Throwback Thursday and Jean Coralli

Throwback Thursday and Jean Coralli

Giovanni Coralli Peracini, better known as Jean Coralli, was born on January 15, 1779 in Paris, France. He received his dance training in Paris and debuted at the Paris Opera at age 23. By 1808 he was principal dancer at La Scala in Milan, where he remained until 1815.

Coralli eventually returned to Paris and became ballet master at the Porte-Saint-Martin Theatre.  There he choreographed ten ballets along with other works, including one with an ice-skating scene that used roller skates.

In 1831 he became the ballet master of the Paris Opera and choreographed many works for Fanny Elssler and for Carlotta Grisi. In 1841 he began working with Grisi  on the ballet he is best remembered for, Giselle.  Although the ballet is often attributed solely to Coralli, who oversaw the production, much of the choreography was created by Jules Perrot.  But because Perrot wasn’t on the payroll of the Paris Opera, Coralli got the credit.

Jules Coralli died on May 1, 1854.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #59:  

“Jean Coralli is best known for contributing to the choreography of Giselle.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-PSbs0incE

Quote of the Day:

“A brave man acknowledges the strength of others.”
― Veronica Roth, Divergent

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Wild Wednesday Angles and Circles

Wild Wednesday Angles and Circles

One of the most difficult things to achieve when learning beats is to make the path of the foot angular and not circular. The first beats are taught at the barre as petit battements and students are instructed to take the foot out in a straight line and bring it back in a straight line. But the natural tendency is to curve this pathway, destroying the angular nature of the step.

Instead, imagine drawing a sideways “V” (like this: >) with the working foot. The beat starts at the normal beginning point of the letter V and goes out slightly to the point of the V before returning to the normal ending of the letter V, being careful to trace a straight line in and a straight line out.

This pathway is practiced with the understanding that no circular movement is allowed to take the place of the angular path.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #15v:  

“Beats are always angular, not circular.”

                Link of the Day:

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

Quote of the Day:

“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading”
― Gautama Buddha

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Technical Tuesday Temps Lié

Technical Tuesday Temps Lié

Temps lié is a step that transfers weight from one foot to the other. It begins with a tendu in any direction and usually passes through either fourth position or second position, in plié, on the way to shifting the dancer’s weight to the other foot. 

The confusion usually occurs because of the similarity between these two terms:  temps lié and temps levé. These terms also sound very much alike especially in a large echoing studio space.

The difference between these two steps is significant. Temps lié is a transfer of weight using a plié and is very much an on-the-floor movement, whereas a temps levé is a jump that can be on one foot or two.

Another reason to listen carefully in a dance class.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #14k:  

“A temps lié is a step that transfers weight from one foot to the other.”

                Link of the Day:

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

Quote of the Day:

““We have two ears and one mouth, so we should listen more than we say.”
― Zeno of Citium

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Mad Monday Non-Sickle

Mad Monday Non-Sickle

“Sickle-ing” the foot is a common problem. Often seen in retiré, presumably because there seems to be a natural reaction of the foot to curve away from the standing leg, or to rest on it. For beginning dancers, establishing the correct position of the foot in retiré can be challenging.

It helps to have the student tendu to the side and establish a good, solid stretched foot with no sickle. Have them imagine placing a cast on the ankle and then move to retiré simply by bending the working knee. At no time should the ankle in the cast move, or change position. The foot in retiré has the  same shape as it does in tendu.

The rotation in the hip socket is also important for getting and maintaining the correct shape since the rotation not only turns the leg outward, it also rotates the heel of the working foot forward, thus preventing the dreaded sickle.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #16o:  

“To establish the correct non-sickled position of the retiré foot, tendu à la seconde first.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zj_5ttV3f7U

Quote of the Day:

“Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.”

-          Lou Holtz

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Sunday Pay It Forward

Sunday Pay It Forward

Most of us have seen the movie Pay It Forward, and most of us are familiar with the concept of returning a favor by doing a favor later for someone else. Well, I was on the receiving end of several favors last Saturday when my car broke down.

While I waited for AAA on the side of the road, the first person who stopped to offer help was an older gentleman who looked under the hood and gave me a spot-on diagnosis. The next person was a gentleman who pulled up beside my car and simply asked if he could do anything to help. Then there was the lady and her children in a minivan (with an FSU license plate on the front) who obviously had a full plate herself. But she stopped and asked if she could bring me some water or anything to make my wait more comfortable! Finally, as AAA was loading my car onto a wrecker, the first gentleman stopped by again to make sure I was “still okay”.

Days of car trouble aren’t usually regarded as wonderful days. But thanks to the kind people who offered help to me, last Saturday will always be a great day in my memory. This is a thank you to those kind strangers and a promise that I will pay it forward.

I invite all my readers help someone in need whenever they can do so safely, and to pay forward any kindnesses that are done for them.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #54:  

“Pay it forward.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pCtXRP1edo

Quote of the Day:

“You will find as you look back upon your life that the moments when you have truly lived are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love.”

- Henry Drummond

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