2 3 Super Saturday Statute | Ballet Webb

Saturday, February 21, 2015

Super Saturday Statute

Super Saturday Statute

Yes, it is time once again for yet another Ballet Statute. Those rules that are absolute and (generally) without exception. This one is related to Ballet Secret #1c: The body is straight and forward from the ankles, on a “rocket angle”.  Remember that one?

In any relevé, and in any jump, the dancer never goes straight up (perpendicular to the floor). This is not as simple as it seems. In order to achieve the impetus, or push, for these steps, the body’s natural inclination is to pull up from the chest, which throws the body backward. Even when a dancer is thinking about jumping correctly, a perfectly perpendicular, straight trajectory is still wrong. The body must be on that slight forward angle simply to compensate for the body’s skeletal structure (we weight more on the back half due to the spine, the pelvis and the cranium). Study any picture of the skeletal system from the side and you’ll see what I mean.

Therefore, since we cannot change our skeleton, we must always relevé and jump on a slight forward angle, lifting from the top of the head or the ears.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Ballet Statute #29:  
“Whether performing a relevé or a jump, a dancer never goes straight up (perpendicular).”

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