Wild Wednesday Towel Support
The most
readily available prop in a dance classroom is probably a towel. I often use
them as a prop for several things. For instance: Ballet Secret #20f: Use a towel to show how the arms must stay
centered on the torso in a pirouette; Ballet
Secret #20k: Pick up a dropped towel
in the center to show how the weight of the body should fall around a central
axis; and finally, Ballet Secret #20g: A towel can be used to support
the thigh of the working leg in rond de jambe en’lair.
Today’s
secret is very similar to Ballet Secret 20g, and is Ballet Secret# 20m: Use a towel underneath the working thigh to demonstrate the support
necessary for petit battements.”
In a petit
battement, the rapid back and forth movement (see yesterday’s blog) of the foot
beside the ankle makes it very difficult to keep the working thigh still. (There
is realistically a little unavoidable
movement in the thigh, but dancers work to minimize this.) Using a towel
underneath the working thigh that is held from above by the teacher or a partner helps the
dancer feel the support they must create in order to keep the thigh from moving
excessively. Then, when the towel is removed, the dancer tries to feel the same
sensation of support by using their own muscles.
From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:
Secret #20m:
“Use a towel underneath the working thigh to demonstrate the support
necessary for petit battements.”
Link of the Day:
Quote
of the Day:
"Everyone wants to live on top of the
mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.”
― Andy Rooney
― Andy Rooney
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