Beach Balls and Giant Bowls
When the arms are in fifth en avant (first) position, I use
the common image of holding a beach ball.
When I work with young children I have an actual inflatable beach ball they
can hold. For older students who are
still working on perfecting the curve of the arms, I use the visual image of a
giant bowl, one that has a lip around the top.
The arms hold the bowl at this lip and the little fingers curve beneath
it. The bowl image works well for
student who tend to have “karate” hands (held with the palms parallel to the
floor) and flattened.
There are two schools of thought on the level of the arms in
this position. I teach my students that
the hands are in front of the lower rib cage; but this position is also taught
by having the hands placed in front of the belly button.
From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:
Secret #6d:
“When the arms are in
fifth en avant (first) position, imagine holding a beach ball or a giant
bowl. The little fingers curve
underneath the rim of the bowl.”
Link of the Day:
Quote
of the Day:
“Magic lives in curves, not angles.”
-
Mason Cooley
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