Saturday Superstition Imagination

Saturday Superstition Imagination

In the area of pre-performance ritual types we find the dancer who visualizes every single step beforehand. Actually, this is one superstition that has quite a bit of research to back up its effectiveness.

 According to https://www.danceadvantage.net/visualization-for-dancers/ “ Incorporating visualization into dance training increases the efficacy of practice and allows dancers to be better mentally prepared for the changing environments associated with performing, competing, and improvising.”

And this article https://www.danceinforma.com/2016/11/07/the-power-of-visualization-for-dancers/ quotes Josie Walsh, artistic director of the Joffrey Ballet School LA, as saying: “When a dancer directs their mind to visualizing a desired outcome, they are too busy doing that than to get caught up in fear, self-doubt,”

A quick Google search brings up many examples of the power of visualization for dancers and others.

Be a visualizer!

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets

Superstitious Secret #183:

“Some dancers imagine their entire performance beforehand.”

Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrI6Clb4dQ8

Quote of the Day:

“Our way of thinking creates good or bad outcomes.”
― Stephen Richards

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Fun Friday Foil

Fun Friday Foil

Yes, for many people this is their biggest shopping day of the year: Black Friday. But I think it could also be called Aluminum Foil Day. Right?

You probably came home from a Thanksgiving feast with leftover goodies wrapped in foil – or you have some in your refrigerator left from the dinner you prepared. Either way, I think aluminum foil rules the day.

On that subject, aluminum foil can be a good image for dancers. Imagine that your body is made of foil and when you do certain movements pretend you are smoothing out the wrinkles in the foil. For good posture, smooth out the spine, for lovely port de bras smooth out the upper back into the arms, and for abdominal control, smooth out the stomach area…you get the idea.

Happy Aluminum Foil Day!

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets

Ballet Secret #22p:

“Imagine your body as aluminum foil.”

Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGbfs6HZDNo

Quote of the Day:

“We must expect the discovery of many as yet unknown elements-for example, elements analogous to aluminum and silicon- whose atomic weight would be between 65 and 75.”

 - Dmitri Mendeleev

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https://www.amazon.com/Frames-Borders-Backgrounds-Color-Rogers/dp/0980191955/

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Link of the Day:

https://www.dancemagazine.com/best-ballet-turns-2639041936.html?rebelltitem=5#rebelltitem5

Quote of the Day:

“Thanksgiving is a joyous invitation to shower the world with love and gratitude.”
― Amy Leigh Mercree

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My latest books are coloring books! They are available on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Family-Tree-Coloring-Debra-Rogers/dp/0980191947/

https://www.amazon.com/Frames-Borders-Backgrounds-Color-Rogers/dp/0980191955/

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For interesting articles involving mental health:

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Wacky Wednesday Helium

Wacky Wednesday Helium

Most of us have had the experience of holding onto a balloon filled with helium. And some of us have discovered, sadly, what happens if you let go. The balloon floats up into the sky, never to return.

Using this image, pretend your lungs are filled with helium. This produces a constant lift within the torso. Automatically your posture is better. The spine elongates, and the head lifts. Helium power!

Pair this with an equal and opposite energy down through your legs and you’ll be on your way to perfect posture!

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets

Ballet Secret #7vvv:

“ Imagine that your lungs are filled with helium, like a balloon.”

Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBu9erLJINg

Quote of the Day:

“Hope is a helium balloon. It is a wish lantern set out into the dark sky of night.”
― Sharon Weil

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My latest books are coloring books! They are available on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Family-Tree-Coloring-Debra-Rogers/dp/0980191947/

https://www.amazon.com/Frames-Borders-Backgrounds-Color-Rogers/dp/0980191955/

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Terminology Tuesday Fléchir

Terminology Tuesday Fléchir

The verb fléchir [flay-SHEER] means “to bend or to flex”. For example as in fléchir les genoux which means “bend the knees”.

Now this begs the question, what about “plié”, which dancers are usually told means to bend?  According to https://m.interglot.com/fr/en/pli%C3%A9, plié (the adjective) means crooked, bent, curved or warped. Hmmmm…

But as a noun, according to https://m.interglot.com/fr/en/pli%C3%A9, plié means “a movement in which the knees are bent while the back is held straight”. That’s more like it.

But it still sounds like we could all be doing fléchirs instead of pliés.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets

Terminology Secret #69:

“Fléchir means to bend.”

Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnqyY83_iJs

Quote of the Day:

“I believe in the magic and authority of words.”
― René Char

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My latest books are coloring books! They are available on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Family-Tree-Coloring-Debra-Rogers/dp/0980191947/

https://www.amazon.com/Frames-Borders-Backgrounds-Color-Rogers/dp/0980191955/

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Mad Monday Screws and Nails

Mad Monday Screws and Nails

I’ve talked about turnout and how the legs must operate like two barbershop poles: Ballet Secret #3b: Turn out is constant. Both legs continually rotate outward and upward, in opposite directions, like barbershop poles. I’ve also mentioned how your legs should be like two screws: Ballet Secret # 3w: Imagine your legs as two screws.

Let’s combine these ideas today. In order to have a stable position, particularly on one leg, there needs to be sufficient purchase into and through the floor. While it’s good to think of the legs being as strong as nails, this doesn’t work well for maintaining stability. For that, imagine the threads on a screw.

Like the spiraling of a barbershop pole, the screw threads provide grip that provides a solid base – especially when the dancer is on one leg.

Screws, not nails!

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets

Ballet Secret #7uuu:

“Imagine your legs as screws not nails”.

Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2u9urqsaE60

Quote of the Day:

“But screw your courage to the sticking place,
And we'll not fail.”
― William Shakespeare, Macbeth

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https://www.amazon.com/Frames-Borders-Backgrounds-Color-Rogers/dp/0980191955/

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Sunday Thanksgiving Gratitude

Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fh93QZmCFYk

Quote of the Day:

“Thankfulness creates gratitude which generates contentment that causes peace.”
― Todd Stocker

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My latest books are coloring books! They are available on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Family-Tree-Coloring-Debra-Rogers/dp/0980191947/

https://www.amazon.com/Frames-Borders-Backgrounds-Color-Rogers/dp/0980191955/

Want to know more about me? Read my interview at Ballet Connections:

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Saturday Sameness

Saturday Sameness

Last week I talked about one type of dancer and the ritual of being an “early bird”. Today it’s the dancer who has a set process he or she goes through prior to a performance. These set steps are usually done in the dressing room but can also be done on the stage or in the wings.

This may involve how the dressing table is laid out, and in what order. It may be the way the make-up is applied, or which shoe (left or right) is put on first. It can involve a lucky item that is always placed in the same spot on the table or on the mirror. There are as many combinations as there are dancers.

If it spills over onto the stage or into the wings it may involve which wing is walked into first, or involve a run around the stage so many times before the curtain rises. Or, a lucky item may be pinned inside a costume or put in an out-of-the-way spot in the wings. Again, there are many variations.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets

Superstitious Secret # 182

“Some dancers follow a set process in the dressing room.”

Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qAFyX20owg

Quote of the Day:

“The general root of superstition: namely, that men observe when things hit, and not when they miss; and commit to memory the one, and forget and pass over the other.”
― Francis Bacon, The Collected Works of Sir Francis Bacon

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My latest books are coloring books! They are available on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Family-Tree-Coloring-Debra-Rogers/dp/0980191947/

https://www.amazon.com/Frames-Borders-Backgrounds-Color-Rogers/dp/0980191955/

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For interesting articles involving mental health:

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Fun Friday Long Toes

Fun Friday Long Toes

Consider your toes. Seriously. Think about how important they are and how much they do for you. For instance, they push you off the floor, they cushion your landings, they extend your line, etc., etc. They are not just important - they are critical to successful technique.

And the most important thing to think about regarding your toes is this: you always elongate them. You never curl or clench them. Whether on the floor on in the air, the toes should be extended.

This goes for pointe work too. If your toes are curled inside your shoes you need a different size.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets

Ballet Secret #4bb:

“Always lengthen your toes.”

Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXlP-6Ip020

Quote of the Day:

“Toes will always be at the end of your feet, but at the start of your journey.”
― Anthony T.Hincks

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My latest books are coloring books! They are available on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Family-Tree-Coloring-Debra-Rogers/dp/0980191947/

https://www.amazon.com/Frames-Borders-Backgrounds-Color-Rogers/dp/0980191955/

Want to know more about me? Read my interview at Ballet Connections:

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Throwback Thursday and Annabelle Moore

Throwback Thursday and Annabelle Moore

Annabelle Moore was born Annabelle Whitford in Chicago on July 6, 1878. She made her first appearance at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. Sometimes called Peerless Annabelle, she was a dancer and actress in early silent films. She was also the original Gibson Girl in the 1907 Ziegfeld Follies.

She appeared in several films including A Mermaid Dance (1902), Sun Dance - Annabelle (1897) and Butterfly Dance (1897), among others. She was featured in the first Kinetoscope showing in London in October 1894, and was featured in the first hand-tinted movie (see the Link of the Day below).

In 1912 she married Edward James Buchan and retired from performing. He preceded her in death in 1958. She died penniless on December 1, 1961 in Chicago.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets

Dance History Secret #299:

“Dancer Annabelle Moore appeared in the first hand-tinted movie.”

Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YostqK_hFkE

Quote of the Day:

“Some things in life are like ice cream:
They’re only good for a while and then they melt.
The trick is enjoying it and making the most of it while it’s still ice cream.”
― Anonymous

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My latest books are coloring books! They are available on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Family-Tree-Coloring-Debra-Rogers/dp/0980191947/

https://www.amazon.com/Frames-Borders-Backgrounds-Color-Rogers/dp/0980191955/

Want to know more about me? Read my interview at Ballet Connections:

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For interesting articles involving mental health:

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