Fun Friday Shoulder Shelves
I’ve talked about the shoulders before. Remember the parrot
on the shoulder? Here’s the link: http://balletwebb.blogspot.com/2013/12/fun-friday-and-parrots.html
Today I’m going to talk about another way to keep the
shoulders level and parallel to the hips (pelvis). Think of the shoulders as a
shelf. It must be level and secure enough display valuable items and not have
them slide off. If you have ever tried to place items an old, out-of-level
shelf, you know it isn’t very useful at all.
Of course, there are times when the shoulders are supposed
to tilt or tip (think ecarté), or when everything on the shoulder shelves would
come crashing down (think port de bras and cambrés), but most of the time you
can safely assume that the shoulders stay level. Beautiful èpaulement is created
mostly by the action of the head – turning or inclining - and not because the
shoulders tilt (with a few exceptions).
So when in doubt, level it out.
From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:
Ballet Secret #1kk:
“Keep your shoulder shelves level most of the time.”
Link of the Day:
Quote
of the Day:
“Don't
lower your expectations to meet your performance. Raise your level of
performance to meet your expectations.”
Help expand the knowledge base!
Leave a comment about any instructions, ideas,
or images that worked best for you!
Really liked this tip! I'm horrible at keeping my shoulders level, unfortunately. I'm working on improving, however, and I hope this will help. Only time will tell. :)
ReplyDeleteI hope it helps you too. Another thought is to imagine a glass of water on each shoulder. Keep on working and things will improve! That's one of the things I love about ballet.
ReplyDelete