Marvelous Monday Balancing
The ability to balance for long periods on one leg is
something dancers work on every day. After all, almost all ballet is done on
one leg or another. Seldom is a dancer standing still on two feet.
The problem that occurs in balances is when a dancer
attempts to makes the position rigid, in the hope that if nothing moves,
nothing falls. Nothing could be further from the truth. Instead, a balance is a
living, breathing thing. There are always slight (emphasis on slight)
adjustments that are going on throughout the duration of any balance.
That being said, in order to balance effectively, the bones
must be stacked (balanced) correctly. If the bones are in the right place, the
amount of muscular strength necessary to hold the balance isn’t as great as one
might think. This is why beginners can often balance rather well.
This bony arrangement will be different for each balletic position,
and there is always a counterweight – in arabesque, for example, the upper part
of the torso is actually in front of
the supporting leg, not directly over it, to counter-balance the weight of the
working leg extended to the back.
So, although it may seem counter-intuitive, for effective
balancing, think of stacking the bones in the correct structure, and avoid
becoming rigid: allow the body to breathe.
From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:
Secret #22l:
“Think of a
balance as a living, breathing position.”
Link of the Day:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQul4DIdl-Y
Quote
of the Day:
““Keep your best wishes, close to your
heart and watch what happens”
― Tony DeLiso, Legacy: The Power Within
― Tony DeLiso, Legacy: The Power Within
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