Technical Tuesday Body Positioning
Classical ballet’s specific body positions, such as croisé,
ecarté, en face and éffacé, grew out of the very early days of ballet when
dancers performed for nobility and royalty. During this time it was critical
that dancers abide by the prevailing rules of etiquette, the most important of
which (for dancers, anyway) was that performers were never allowed to turn their back to the audience.
Thus, the system of diagonals we recognize today was
employed. Today, we know this angling of the body also exhibits the most
pleasing, aesthetic line of the body. Look at any advertisement for a
weight-loss scheme and notice that the “Before” pictures are almost always
taken with the person facing directly front (en face), and the “After”
photographs are shot with the person standing on an slight diagonal.
From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:
Secret #22s:
“A dancer’s
positioning evolved from ballet being presented before an audience of royalty.”
Link of the Day:
Quote
of the Day:
“Art is the
imposing of a pattern on experience, and our aesthetic enjoyment is recognition
of the pattern.”
― Alfred North Whitehead
― Alfred North Whitehead
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