2 3 Marvelous Monday Tennis Balls and Goldilocks | Ballet Webb

Monday, August 31, 2015

Marvelous Monday Tennis Balls and Goldilocks


Marvelous Monday Tennis Balls and Goldilocks

When the arms are in fifth en bas, the correct, curved shape of the arms must be maintained. You will remember that this curve is the same in almost all positions of the arm (except ones like arabesque, etc.).

The problem in fifth en bas is a tendency for the elbows to either droop backwards (and there is no drooping in ballet), or relax too much and rest against the torso. Not good.

A small space is always maintained between the elbow and the side of the dancer’s torso. This space shouldn’t be too big or too small (think Goldilocks) – it must be just right. So imagine being able to pass a tennis ball through the space. It should just fit, with almost no space left over.  Something like a bowling ball won’t fit, it would be too big. And a ping pong ball is a bit too small…

But a tennis ball is just right.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:
Secret #6aa:  
Imagine being able to pass a tennis ball between the elbow and the torso in fifth en bas.

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