2 3 Wondrous Wednesday Lateral Shift | Ballet Webb

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Wondrous Wednesday Lateral Shift


Wondrous Wednesday Lateral Shift

The word “lateral” means:  of, at, toward, or from the side or sides.

This lateral movement is particularly important when there is a transfer of body weight from two feet (in fifth position for example), to one foot (to retiré, for example). The body must shift over the supporting foot laterally, without lifting one hip or the other - or tilting the shoulder line. Otherwise the dancer’s balance will be compromised.

Therefore, it is important to recognize how to do this lateral shift without “sitting” in the supporting hip (by lifting away from gravity at all times). I have posted several blogs about this lift-and-resistance to gravity.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #22n:  
For most transitions from two feet to one, the torso does a lateral shift.

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“It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.”
 ― Leonardo da Vinci

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