Sunday Two Choices

Sunday Two Choices

Each day is filled with opportunities. That’s right. Chock full of them. Opportunities to add to the happiness in the world, or take it away. It’s simple. There are really only two choices.

Adding to the happiness in the world is simple, too. It doesn’t mean doing something big like inventing a cure for cancer (although that would be nice). It means choosing  to say a kind word to someone, choosing to help an elderly person open a heavy door, or just choosing to smile at a child. Bingo! Just like that you have added to the happiness in the world.

How awesome is that?

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Motivational Secret #79:  

“Every day you have two choices. You can add to the happiness level in the world—or not.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eu9UtVaWYaI

Quote of the Day:

“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.”
― Dalai Lama XIV

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http://balletconnections.com/DebraWebbRogers

Saturday Leaning Statute

Saturday Leaning Statute

A ballet barre is a tempting thing. It looks like one should be able to swing, hang, pull, slump or use it like a piece of gymnastic equipment. But no. It is not designed for that, and although most attached-to-the-wall-barres are secure, they may not stand up to such use.

Which brings me to today’s Ballet Statute: “Leaning on the barre is not allowed.”  Yes, that’s right. Never.  Well, almost never. The exception would be in certain stretching movements, but that’s it. 

The temptation to lean on the barre is strongest between combinations and /or when the dancer is tired. But leaning is simply not allowed. Some teachers have been known to ask students to leave class if they are caught slumping against the barre.

So never lean. It causes the body to droop (and we all know there is no drooping in ballet). Plus, once a body leans, collapses, reclines or sags against the barre, then extra effort is required to come back to proper posture.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Ballet Statute #34:  

“Leaning on the barre is not allowed.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r78eZUETiPI

Quote of the Day:

“Too much rest is rust.”

-          Sir Walter Scott,

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Fun Friday Happy Landing

Fun Friday Happy Landing

Happy Friday! Today let’s discuss piqués - those useful steps that allow a dancer to transfer weight efficiently onto one leg, on pointe or demi-pointe.  The word “pique” means to prick or stab and I have discussed this in previous blogs.

The usual problem in a piqué (for example, a piqué to arabesque) is a failure to lift the body high enough. It is as though the dancer is climbing up to the piqué from a long flight of basement stairs.  This is particularly problematic if the dancer is on pointe. That’s when the basement stairs get even longer and steeper.

Instead, imagine descending onto a rooftop at the moment of the piqué, as though lowered from a helicopter. The preparation for the piqué is an under-circle (see previous blogs), but the actual piqué moment comes from a high place – like an airplane.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #13l:  

“Imagine landing from the top, not climbing from the basement in a piqué.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3f0yGHFOpA

Quote of the Day:

“The higher we are placed, the more humbly we should walk.”

-          Marcus Tullius Cicero

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Want to know more about me? Read my interview at Ballet Connections:

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Throwback Thursday and Janine Charrat

Throwback Thursday and Janine Charrat

Born in France in 1924, Janine Charrat was a child star in the 1937 movie Ballerina. She began choreographing at age fourteen, and later in life gave concerts with Roland Petit in Paris from 1940-1944. In 1946 she was a ballerina with Nouveau Ballet de Monte Carlo, where she danced in ballets by Serge Lifar and others.

In 1951 she formed her own company that toured in the U.S., Europe and Japan. In 1959 she worked with  Maurice Béjart, assisting in the reorganization of the Brussels Theatre de la Monnaie.

In December 1961, her career was interrupted due to an accident in a television studio in Paris. She was rehearsing  Les Algues when her costume caught fire. Although burned over much of her body, she recovered and returned to work 540 days later, starring in a ballet in Switzerland.

She went on to direct the Geneva Ballet in Switzerland and then opened her own studio in Paris.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Dance History Factoid #71:  

“Janine Charrat was child star and multi-talented French ballerina.

                Link of the Day:

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

Quote of the Day:

“A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds.”
― Francis Bacon, The Essays

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Wacky Wednesday Airplanes

Wacky Wednesday Airplanes

As everyone remembers, there is no crashing in ballet. This is especially true in grand battements, where the force of the kick often isn’t controlled on the way down, causing  the working foot to crash into fifth position. Scary.

The foot never crashes. Never. It is always placed.

So try this. Imagine that the feet are small airplanes filled with tiny passengers. All landings must be gentle enough to protect these occupants and even ensure that they are unaware of anything other than a soft “landing” in fifth position.

Of course, the wings of these small airliners are invisible, and able to pass through obstacles.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #12e:  

“Imagine the feet as airplanes and always have gentle landings.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pe2_ixh1H90

Quote of the Day:

“Why don't they make the whole plane out of that black box stuff?”
― Steven Wright

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Want to know more about me?  Here is my interview on Ballet Connections:

http://balletconnections.com/DebraWebbRogers

Technical Tuesday Glass Elevator

Technical Tuesday Glass Elevator

One problem dancers face is keeping the knees straight without pushing them backwards. As I tell my students, unless there are flamingos in the class, I shouldn’t see dancers standing with their knees pushed backwards.

Instead, the legs (and knees) straighten by lifting up and lengthening – and this is true for dancers with hyperextended legs, too. Our knees are not designed to be forcibly pushed backwards. Ouch.

To assist in achieving this, imagine a glass elevator running up the back (or the seam) in the tights. This elevator goes straight up, since any elevator that doesn’t would put fear in the hearts of its occupants. It also wouldn’t operate efficiently.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #1nn:  

“ Imagine a glass elevator running up the back of the tights.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCkQCMu4yPI

Quote of the Day:

“There is nothing more beautiful than someone who goes out of their way to make life beautiful for others.”
― Mandy Hale

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Mad Monday Vultures

Mad Monday Vultures

When moving the arms through a first port de bras (from fifth en avant to à la seconde), it is important to lead with the fingers and not the elbows. Usually this is relatively easy to accomplish.

The problem occurs when the port de bras accompanies the leg moving from passé to arabesque or attitude. Here, the body moves forward slightly to compensate for the placement and weight of the leg in the back. Since the body has to move forward, so must the arms. Now, not only should the fingertips lead the port de bras, they must travel forward before opening to à la seconde.

If this doesn’t happen, it creates a peculiar, vulture-like movement of the arms, since the body moving forward will cause the elbows to lead, usually moving sideways and up.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #6z:  

“Avoid vulture-like arms in first port de bras.”

                Link of the Day:

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

Quote of the Day:

“It doesn't matter where you've been, only where you are going.”
― L.M. Fields

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Want to know more about me?  Here is my interview on Ballet Connections:

http://balletconnections.com/DebraWebbRogers