Wondrous Wednesday Butterfly Kisses
For correct placement, a dancer’s weight should never be
over the heels. Everyone knows this fact. But how much contact with the floor
should the heels have – if any?
Balanchine is reputed to have said that he should be able to
“slide a piece of paper under the heels”, and this is a great image for getting
the weight over the balls of the feet. But there are other ways and times when the
heels contact the floor.
In jumping, there needs to be a strong contact with the
floor to provide an impetus, but in a promenade, the heels do not touch the
floor at all except momentarily, etc. So there are different pressures exerted
by the heels required by different steps.
To remember which type to use, imagine butterfly kisses
going from the heels to the floor. Sometimes those kisses barely touch the
floor, but sometimes they “kiss” strongly.
From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:
Ballet Secret #7ccc:
“Imagine butterfly kisses from the heels to the floor.”
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