2 3 Happy Valentine’s Day and Almost A Hug | Ballet Webb

Saturday, February 14, 2015

Happy Valentine’s Day and Almost A Hug


Happy Valentine’s Day and Almost A Hug

In honor of Valentine’s Day,  I’m going to talk about that almost-a-hug-position of  fifth en avant (or first) position. When the arms are in this “fat hug” position, the hands are level with the lower rib cage, and the dancer visualizes holding a beach ball, a glass globe or something similar.  The distance between the hands is approximately the length of the dancer’s little finger.  I’ve blogged about all these things before. But what happens when only one arm is in front?

Dancers often over cross this arm, bringing it too far across the torso, especially during a port de bras that moves back and forth (as in a plié combination). Instead, the arm should be placed exactly as it is when both arms are present – leaving enough room for the other arm to join in, creating the perfect fifth en avant position with the “little finger” space between the hands.

This is not intuitive. The natural inclination is to take one arm too far across the body, so dancers must remind themselves to “leave a space” any time they are doing only half of a first port de bras. No over crossing is allowed.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #6z:  
When only one arm is in fifth en avant (first), it always leaves enough room for the other arm to complete the position.”

                Link of the Day:

Quote of the Day:
“They invented hugs to let people know you love them without saying anything.”
-          Bil Keane

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 Leave a comment about any instructions, ideas, or images that worked best for you!


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