2 3 Fun Friday Partners | Ballet Webb

Friday, February 6, 2015

Fun Friday Partners

Fun Friday Partners

When ballet students begin learning the basics of pas de deux work (partnering), one of the first lessons involves the correct way to hold a partner’s hand. This is not as simple as it might seem. Too much pressure and the hand is painfully squashed, too little and there is no security.

This is the same lesson that will later apply to other steps. When the male dancer supports the female, she needs to be (and feel) secure, but there should never be so much pressure applied that she feels pain. So learning how to hold each other’s hand is a good first step.

The image I like to use with my students is this: imagine the pressure you need to hold a carton of eggs. You don’t want to drop the whole thing, but you certainly don’t want to crush them. That’s the amount of force that is needed when working with a partner.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #21d  
When holding a partner’s hand, use a gentle, but firm pressure – like holding a carton of eggs.

                Link of the Day:

Quote of the Day:

“There are so many fragile things, after all. People break so easily, and so do dreams and hearts.”
Neil Gaiman, Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders

                Help expand the knowledge base!
 Leave a comment about any instructions, ideas, or images that worked best for you!


No comments:

Post a Comment