Fun Friday Partners
When ballet students begin learning the basics of pas de
deux work (partnering), one of the first lessons involves the correct way to
hold a partner’s hand. This is not as simple as it might seem. Too much
pressure and the hand is painfully squashed, too little and there is no
security.
This is the same lesson that will later apply to other steps.
When the male dancer supports the female, she needs to be (and feel) secure,
but there should never be so much pressure applied that she feels pain. So
learning how to hold each other’s hand is a good first step.
The image I like to use with my students is this: imagine the
pressure you need to hold a carton of eggs. You don’t want to drop the whole
thing, but you certainly don’t want to crush them. That’s the amount of force
that is needed when working with a partner.
From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:
Secret #21d
“When holding a
partner’s hand, use a gentle, but firm pressure – like holding a carton of
eggs.”
Link of the Day:
Quote
of the Day:
“There are so
many fragile things, after all. People break so easily, and so do dreams and
hearts.”
― Neil Gaiman, Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders
― Neil Gaiman, Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders
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Leave a comment about any instructions, ideas,
or images that worked best for you!
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