2 3 4 5 Ballet Webb: Search results for tipping
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query tipping. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query tipping. Sort by date Show all posts

Friday, March 14, 2014

Fun Friday: No Tipping, Tucking or Tilting



Fun Friday:  No Tipping, Tucking or Tilting
For most dancers, one of the most difficult things to maintain is a level pelvis.  I’ve talked before about a floating pelvis and other images related to this large bone.  But it all comes down to keeping it level.
With the exception of derrière positions that are above about 30 – 45 degrees, the pelvis must stay in a level position, without tipping backward (seat up), tucking under (hips angled forward), or tilting sideways (one hip higher than the other). 
Despite the classic directive to students to “tuck under”, the pelvis shouldn’t actually “tuck under” and thus lose the level position of the pelvis.  If the dancer is tipping the pelvis backwards, they must return it to a level position, and to get students to do this, teachers often say “tuck under” – hence the confusion.
So remember:  There is no tipping, tucking, or tilting!

 
From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #1v 
“There is no tipping, tucking, or tilting of the pelvis, most of the time.”

 

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Quote of the Day:

“If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way; if you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.”
-Jim Rohn

 

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Wednesday, July 10, 2019

Wacky Wednesday Water Level



Wacky Wednesday Water Level

We all remember that there is no tipping, tucking or tilting of the pelvis, with only a few exceptions. If you need a refresher here is the link to that previous blog: http://balletwebb.blogspot.com/search?q=tipping.

Another way to to keep the pelvis level is to imagine the pelvis as a large vessel (cup or bowl) that can hold water. Now keep the water in this vessel level. Simple. Water level.

Now there is no more tipping, tucking or tilting.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets
Secret #1ddd:
“Think of water level to keep the pelvis correctly placed.”

Link of the Day:

Quote of the Day:
“High and fine literature is wine, and mine is only water; but everybody likes water.”
― Mark Twain

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Monday, May 1, 2017

Mad Monday Dinosaur






Mad Monday Dinosaur

Remember the blog where I said there is no tipping, tilting or tucking in ballet? Well, here is an image to help keep the pelvis aligned.

Imagine having a dinosaur tail. It’s long and thick and drags along the floor. It is heavy. Therefore, imagining this helps lift the front of the pelvis to prevent the dreaded “sticking the seat out” problem, and helps keep the pelvis level. No tipping, no tucking, and no tilting.

Voila! Simply imagine having a dinosaur tail!

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:
Ballet Secret #1ttt:
”Imagine having a dinosaur tail.”

Link of the Day:

Quote of the Day:
“Dinosaurs are extinct today because they lacked opposable thumbs and the brainpower to build a space program.”
Neil deGrasse Tyson

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Wednesday, January 3, 2018

Wacky Wednesday Hip Eyes


Wacky Wednesday Hip Eyes

Some time ago I talked about how the hip bones can be imagined as having headlights, and these headlights must always stay focused “on the road”. Today let’s take this a step further.

Imagine that the hips have eyes. If this is the case then they will “see”. Think about what is being seen by the hip eyes. Is it the floor? Not good, especially in things like rond de jambes and any time the working foot is in the back. If the hip eyes are focused on the floor it means that the pelvis is tipping and we all know that there is no tipping, tilting or tucking in ballet.

There is seldom (if ever), a time when the hip eyes should be looking at the floor, unless you are lying on your stomach, on the floor – as would happen during  stretching or floor barre.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets
Secret #:7nn
“Imagine eyes on your hip bones.”

Link of the Day:

Quote of the Day:
“What we do see depends mainly on what we look for. ... In the same field the farmer will notice the crop, the geologists the fossils, botanists the flowers, artists the colouring, sportmen the cover for the game. Though we may all look at the same things, it does not all follow that we should see them.”
John Lubbock, The Beauties of Nature and the Wonders of the World We Live in

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Monday, April 23, 2018

Mad Monday Rails



Mad Monday Rails

Wherever the pelvis goes, the dancer goes. Think about it. When you want to sit down, what do you do? You move the pelvis downward until you are seated. This works well for most things in life, but in dance the pelvis is often the culprit of unbalanced positions.

Imagine, when you are moving in any direction, that the pelvis is gliding along on a shiny, polished set of railroad tracks. This prevents any bumps or jostling and allows for smooth transitions.

If the pelvis is tipping, tucking, or tilting, the ride will be bumpy. And we all know there is no tipping, tucking, or tilting of the pelvis (most of the time) in ballet.

Ride the rails!

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets
Secret #22l:
“Imagine the pelvis gliding along shiny railroad tracks.”

Link of the Day:

Quote of the Day:
“Time goes faster the more hollow it is. Lives with no meaning go straight past you, like trains that don’t stop at your station.”
― Carlos Ruiz ZafónThe Shadow of the Wind

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Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Terrific Tuesday Tip


Terrific Tuesday Tip

Today we have a tip about tipping. The pelvis, that is. When can a dancer tip/tilt the pelvis and not be wrong? The answer: in a développé derrière.

This can be a sticky area. Dancers are trained to keep their seat “under”, and told they should never lift or tilt the hips (pelvis). This is all true, for the most part. However, some derrière positions are the exception. To achieve an arabesque higher than about 30-45 degrees, the pelvis must tip or tilt. An important point to remember is that the rib cage and shoulders remain square, but not the hips. Allowing a tilt in the pelvis is confusing to many young dancers since it seems to be in conflict with everything they know.

It is a simple fact of bone structure. Due to the anatomical limitations of the human body, particularly the femur in the ball-and-socket joint -  in order to achieve a high extension, the pelvis has to tip – but not until the leg is higher than the 30-45 degree point. Dancers who don’t do this wonder why they can never seem to “get their leg up in the back”.

I tell my students to look closely at photographs of dancers in arabesque and notice the alignment of the pelvis. They are often surprised.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #11c:  
In a développé derrière, the hips remain level only a brief time.

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Quote of the Day:
“The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things.”
-          Henry Ward Beecher




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Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Technical Tuesday Arabesque


Technical Tuesday Arabesque

Yesterday I blogged about how a dancer’s bones must be stacked correctly in each position in order to balance effectively. One of those positions, arabesque, creates an interesting problem.

I often see students attempting an arabesque and struggling valiantly to keep their hips square. While a square hip line is important in many other steps, it doesn’t work in arabesque due to the nature of the human bone structure.

In order to achieve good extension and a turned out working leg in arabesque, the pelvis must be permitted to tip (the exception to the rule of “no tipping, tucking or tilting”), after the leg is lifted above about 45 degrees (or sooner).  This makes a completely square position of the hips impossible. If the pelvis isn’t allowed to tip, the leg will turn in and the extension will be compromised. And it makes for a very frustrated student.

Practice arabesque facing the barre. As the leg lifts into arabesque, keep the hips square as long as possible, and then allow the upper torso to move up and forward slightly, and add the necessary tip in the pelvis. Doing this makes it clear how soon and how much the pelvis needs to tip. It also lets the student see whether or not their rib cage stays square (it must).

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:
Secret #18i:  
“In an arabesque, the hips cannot be perfectly square, but the rib cage should be.”

                Link of the Day:

Quote of the Day:
“No matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.”
Maya Angelou


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Friday, May 16, 2014

Fun Friday Prop



Fun Friday Prop
           
In a previous blog, I mentioned how an accurate model skeleton is useful in demonstrating the ball-and-socket joint and its relationship to turn-out (Secret #3f).  But such a model can go way beyond that.  It is helpful for dancers to see how the bones align and how this skeletal structure either allows, or limits the movement required in classical ballet.

For example, the pelvis is a very large bone, and wherever it goes, the dancer tends to go.  Also in a previous blog, I discussed “no tipping, tucking, or tilting” of the pelvis.  This is true except in high attitude or arabesque positions, due to the limitations of the bone structure and the pelvis.  This is easily observed using a good model skeleton.

A model also helps students see that their spine begins not at their shoulder line, but at the base of their skull.  Just another reason why dancers wear their hair up off their neck – so any deviation in the spinal alignment can be seen.

So grab a small model skeleton.  I call mine Seymour (because you can “see more” bones).


From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #20b:  
“A model skeleton is useful for illustrating how the body works.”


                Link of the Day:

Quote of the Day:

“Today was good.  Today was fun.  Tomorrow is another one.”
-Dr. Seuss

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Monday, October 12, 2015

Marvelous Monday Elevator Shaft


Marvelous Monday Elevator Shaft

Here we go again with yet another elevator image.  You will remember Ballet Secret #1m:  Imagine the navel (belly button)is an elevator “up” button.  Press in it and hold when you want to go up; and Ballet Secret #12a: Press the elevator button (belly button/abdominals) in to facilitate a gentle landing from a grand battement. But today’s image is most closely related to Ballet Secret #2m: Plié like your body is an elevator in a shaft.

Let’s get specific. Imagine that the pelvis is the elevator car itself. This car is nice and level and square and the occupants don’t get thrown around during the ride up or down. That’s exactly how the pelvis should work during plies, with no tipping or tucking or rocking around. Just a simple, straight up and down ride with no turbulence.

So imagine the pelvis as an elevator car filled with people who wish to remain standing upright.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #2t:  
Imagine your pelvis as an elevator car going evenly up and down in a shaft during pliés.”

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Quote of the Day:
“Life's under no obligation to give us what we expect.”
Margaret Mitchell

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