Wacky Wednesday Tight Curl

Wacky Wednesday Tight Curl

One of the difficulties that can occur in a pirouette is that of a loose turning action. It’s like the difference between a tight curl in your hair or a relaxed curl.

The upward spiral of the pirouette must be small in circumference, not wide and wonky. Therefore, always imagine a tight curl when turning. This also helps create the speed needed, which tends to be slower if the turning circumference is wide – giving the pirouette a rather warped look. Scary.

And, as always, remember that the nice tight spiral contains both upward and downward energy.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets

Secret #14bbb:

“Imagine a tight curl, not a loose curl for pirouettes.”

Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SKLSOGtayE

Quote of the Day:

“Everything turns in circles and spirals with the cosmic heart until infinity. Everything has a vibration that spirals inward or outward …”

― Suzy Kassem, Rise Up and Salute the Sun: The Writings of Suzy Kassem

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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:

http://www.balletconnections.com/?s=debrawebbrogers

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Monday Point

Monday Point

Sometimes it’s all in the way things are said. It’s easy to say (or think) point your toes. But this often causes only the toes to curl and leaves the rest of the foot dangling limply from the ankle. Or worse, it causes the muscles in and around the ankle to clench and pull upward as the toes curl downward. Scary and ineffective.

Instead, think of pointing the foot – not the toes. Better yet, abandon the word “point” altogether and use the word “stretch”. Stretch the foot.

This small change in wordage often makes a world of difference!

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets

Secret #4y:

“Think of pointing your foot, not your toes.”

Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73R-fSJiwN4

Quote of the Day:

“Words are pale shadows of forgotten names. As names have power, words have power. Words can light fires in the minds of men. Words can wring tears from the hardest hearts.”
― Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind

Help expand the knowledge base!

Leave a comment about any instructions, ideas, or images that worked best for you!

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:

http://www.balletconnections.com/?s=debrawebbrogers

Or "Like" me on my Facebook Author Page:

https://www.facebook.com/Violet-Rightmire-256648280108/timeline/

Or visit my Pinterest page:

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For interesting articles involving mental health:

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Hand in Glove

Hand in Glove

When teaching students how to correctly shape their hands and fingers, a number of images come to mind.  Depending on the school of training, the middle finger, or two middle fingers are held slightly lower than the index and little finger.  The thumb falls parallel to the fingers, pretty much as it does when the hands are held normally at the side of the body (as if walking down the street).

Some dancers have a tendency to either  splay the fingers, or curl them.  To prevent this, I have my students think about putting on a pair of gloves.  In order to don gloves, the fingers cannot splay or curl, instead the fingers must gently extend – just like they do in a correct balletic hand position. 

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

  Secret #6d:

“To correctly shape the hand and fingers, imagine putting on a pair of gloves.”

 

Link of the Day:

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=beautiful+ballet+hands&qpvt=beautiful+ballet+hands&FORM=VDRE&adlt=strict#view=detail&mid=3C6899B59DBBEB2BCAF63C6899B59DBBEB2BCAF6

 

Quote of the Day:

“Playing a concerto with Zubin is like being surrounded by a well-loved, cashmere-lined silk glove.”

-Isaac Stern

Relaxed Toes

 

I’ve been blogging a lot lately about posture and alignment.  One common problem students have is clenching their toes.  This can happen when the dancer is simply standing, but it also happens when the foot is in tendu, or when one leg is extended in the air.  When the toes curl in an attempt to grip the floor, it is almost always a sign of improper alignment:   the toes are grabbing or holding onto the floor in an attempt to maintain balance.  When standing on the whole foot, the toes should be relaxed.

If the toes are curling or “crunching” in the air, it is usually an improper use of energy.  The dancer is “pointing” the foot too hard, instead of “stretching "or lengthening the foot. “Pointing” implies an inward, or shortened energy, while “stretching” refers to a long, extended feeling of energy that extends beyond the curve of a beautifully “pointed” foot.

Today from the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets comes

Secret #1e:  When standing with the foot (or feet) flat on the floor, the toes should be relaxed.

 

The Link of the Day:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bpnv3UxschU&sns=fb

 

 

Quote of the Day:

 “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails.  Explore, Dream, Discover.

-          Mark Twain

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Marvelous Monday Ringlets

Marvelous Monday Ringlets

I have likened the sensation of turn-out to various things, like Ballet Secret 3b, involving barbershop poles.  There can never be enough images for turn-out, in my opinion, because it is so important!

Today the image involves hair.  Specifically hair with long, spiraling ringlet curls.  Think of Shirley Temple, or any movie stars from the silent film era.  These ringlets represent turn-out:  they are like the constant rotation that is initiated in the hip socket and continues through the entire length of both legs.  The ringlets, of course, curl in opposite directions, and the sensation is one of upward energy.

So the next time you are concentrating on your turn-out, imagine long, luxurious, ringlet curls.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #3h:  

“Turn-out is like long ringlets in hair – a constant spiral.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zpqt3zgdYUw

Quote of the Day:

“The spiral in a snail's shell is the same mathematically as the spiral in the Milky Way galaxy, and it's also the same mathematically as the spirals in our DNA. It's the same ratio that you'll find in very basic music that transcends cultures all over the world.”

-          Joseph Gordon-Levitt

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Mad Monday Tense Toes

Mad Monday Tense Toes

An all-too-common problem for many dancers is too much tension in the toes. This causes the toes to curl like a bird balanced on a wire. I’ve talked about this before.

It is important for the toes to be relaxed – whether the dancer is standing on the whole foot or on demi-pointe or pointe. Gripping the toes radiates tension up the foot and into the ankle and lower leg and can produce overuse injuries in all these areas.

Also, tensing the toes makes the balance point of the foot smaller – making it much for difficult for a dancer to balance. It is often easy to see this tension by looking at the feet. If the “knuckles” of the toes are popping upward, it means the toes are not relaxed.

Avoid tense toes!

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Ballet Secret:

“Avoid tense toes.” 

Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL0hYXBgcHE

Quote of the Day:

It's a good idea always to do something relaxing prior to making an important decision in your life.”
― Paulo Coelho

            Help expand the knowledge base!

 Leave a comment about any instructions, ideas, or images that worked best for you!

My latest books are two 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:

http://balletconnections.com/DebraWebbRogers

Or "Like" me on my Facebook Author Page:

https://www.facebook.com/Violet-Rightmire-256648280108/timeline/

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Mad Monday Curling

Mad Monday Curling

There is no curling in ballet – unless it’s in one’s hair. And I’m not talking about the sport of curling.

Curling is sometimes seen in the fingers (see this previous post: https://balletwebb.blogspot.com/search?q=curl), or in the toes. Curled toes are common, especially when students try to point their feet too hard. And curled toes in pointe shoes isn’t even something I want to think about (ouch!).

Except for hair, there’s no curling in ballet. Period.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets

Secret #22m:

“There is no curling in ballet.”

Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNgXowd1fBI

Quote of the Day:

“Ladies with curly hair. Have time to spare.”

- Phyllis McGinley

                Help expand the knowledge base!

 Leave a comment about any instructions, ideas, or images that worked best for you!

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:

http://www.balletconnections.com/?s=debrawebbrogers

Or "Like" me on my Facebook Author Page:

https://www.facebook.com/Violet-Rightmire-256648280108/timeline/

Or visit my Pinterest page:

https://www.pinterest.com/debtutu/

For interesting articles involving mental health:

https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/

Wonderful Wednesday No Leftovers

Wonderful Wednesday No Leftovers

Music is the heart and soul of dance. Yet dancers are often so absorbed in working out all the technical details of the art form, the music takes a back seat. Scary.

The only thing worse than an unmusical dancer is an unmusical musician, so start listening – really listening – to the music played in the classroom. I also advise my students to listen to all genres of music on their own, because this helps develop musicality plus an appreciation of all varieties of music. The more dancers listen, the more details they hear and this is enormously helpful in their development as artists .

During class, a dancer should create the illusion that their body is creating the music (see previous blog: http://balletwebb.blogspot.com/2014/01/fun-friday-and-music-creation.html.

It is as though the dancer and the music become a single entity, and there is no separation. When this fails to happen, there is “leftover” music. This refers to unused, ignored, or unfulfilled musical sections and it often happens at the very beginning of a dance combination, or at the end. 

Fill out every moment of the music with movement and passion.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #7ss:  

“Use all the music – no leftovers.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kolfFs5hqLg

Quote of the Day:

“Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness.”
― Maya Angelou

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