Sunday Double P’s

Sunday Double P’s

Artists are perfectionists, and that’s great. But so often the drive for perfection gets in the way and brings us to a screeching (or a silent) halt. For dancers this perfectionism backlash manifests as a lack of confidence in class or (gasp!) performance; for other artists, like writers, it rears its ugly head by causing inactivity and/or a lack of will to produce anything, because “it won’t be good enough”.  Sound familiar?

Put perfectionism in the background. It will always be there, never fear. Instead, focus on persistence. That’s what counts. As my students often quote me as saying: “Keep on keeping on.”  Do something every day, with a goal in mind, but without worrying about perfection. It doesn’t really exist, anyway

.

Take joy in the journey. Love your art. Love your process. The side effect of persistence is perfection.  As much perfection as any of us can expect.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Motivational Secret #69:  

“The side effect of persistence is perfection.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTH9VwACh7o

Quote of the Day:

““Character consists of what you do on the third and fourth tries.”
― James A. Michener

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http://balletconnections.com/DebraWebbRogers

Saturday Statute #35

Saturday Statute

Happy Saturday! Today’s Statute is an important one:  “There is no complaining in ballet”. Actually, this is a good statute for life: There is no complaining. Period. Complaining makes everyone miserable, especially the person doing the complaining, yet we are all guilty at one time or another.

This statute is closely related to Statute #4: “There is no groaning in ballet” (http://balletwebb.blogspot.com/2013/12/fun-friday-and-groaning.html), but complaining is different because it verbalizes specifically what the complainer is unhappy about – it is essentially detailed groaning. Not good.

So stamp out complaining, and groaning, too. See today’s quote.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Ballet Statute #35:  

“There is no complaining in ballet.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6KyyrIxxMY

Quote of the Day:

““What you're supposed to do when you don't like a thing is change it. If you can't change it, change the way you think about it. Don't complain.”
― Maya Angelou, Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now

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

http://balletconnections.com/DebraWebbRogers

Fun Friday Wrinkles

Fun Friday Wrinkles

It’s Fun Friday and time once again to address that favorite issue: posture. Today’s idea involves the shoulder area.

When a dancer becomes tense or worried, there is tendency for the shoulders to go up, and for the neck muscles to clench. Scary. The shoulders should always be relaxed so the arms and head are free to move. Gripping the shoulders also hinders the ability to spot turns effectively.

To prevent lifted shoulders, imagine wearing a rumbled jacket or shirt that you just pulled out of your dance bag. Now imagine that all the wrinkles in this garment are falling out. This is also a great image for general relaxation.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #1nn:  

“Imagine wrinkles falling out of the shoulders of a jacket.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVEO0BtJGJM

Quote of the Day:

““Wrinkles are engraved smiles.”
― Jules Renard

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http://balletconnections.com/DebraWebbRogers

Throwback Thursday and Yul Brynner

Throwback Thursday and Yul Brynner

Born in Russia around 1920, Yul Brynner began his career strumming guitar and singing gypsy songs for Russian immigrants in Parisian nightclubs. Later, he worked as a trapeze artist before beginning his acting career in the 1940s.

He came to the United States in 1941 and in 1946 made his Broadway debut in Lute Song opposite Mary Martin. It was she who recommended him for his most famous role of the King of Siam in The King and I. He was a complete unknown at the time, and Gertrude Lawrence’s name appeared above his in all publicity (only after she died did he receive top billing). The musical debuted in 1951, and after 1,246 performances, in 1956 Yul Brynner starred in the movie version for which he won an Oscar for Best Actor. He also won a Tony Award for the same role, and thus became one of only a few actors to win both awards.

He returned to the stage for 3,379 more performances. He also appeared in many different movies up until the early 1980s, including The Journey, The Sound and the Fury, Escape from Sahrain, Solomon and Sheba and Magnificent Seven.

Yul Brynner died on October 10, 1985 of lung cancer, on the same day as Orson Welles. After his death he left a public service announcement stating that smoking was the cause of his cancer.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Dance History Factoid #72:  

“Yul Brenner is best known for his role as the King of Siam in The King and I.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgVPnWmUqd4

Quote of the Day:

“Now that I'm gone, I tell you, don't smoke.”

-          Yul Brynner

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http://balletconnections.com/DebraWebbRogers

Wacky Wednesday Tips and Edges

Wacky Wednesday Tips and Edges

Yesterday I talked about the correct position of the tendu foot in derrière. Today’s subject, not surprisingly, is the foot in devant.

The foot in devant isn’t usually as much of a problem as the foot in derrière, largely because the rotation (turn-out) is easier to achieve (and see) in the front. The problem here is that sometimes the ankle area relaxes and/or collapses, creating a sickled foot.

When this happens, the little toe touches the floor, instead of the tip of the big toe. It is the tip of the big toe that should touch the floor in a tendu devant, just like the edge of the big toe should touch the floor in a tendu derrière.

For good tendues front and back, remember: Tips and Edges.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #4m:  

“In a tendu devant, the tip of the big toe is on the floor.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkPL9xqfRqc

Quote of the Day:

“Follow the three R's:
- Respect for self.
- Respect for others.
- Responsibility for all your actions.”

― H. Jackson Brown Jr., Life's Little Instruction Book

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Technical Tuesday Edge

Technical Tuesday Edge

Since a tendu is the second most important step in ballet, it is important to know exactly how the foot should be placed in each tendu. I’ve talked before about where the knee faces for each of the Big Three directions: front, side, and  back; and today I’m going to talk about how the foot is aligned.

The most difficult of the Big Three is the derrière position. So often the leg doesn’t rotate (turn-out) enough and the top of the toes end up on the floor when the foot is extended in tendu. Scary. This also tends to squash the poor toes.

Instead, remember that in tendu derrière, the edge of the big toe is the only part of the foot in contact with the floor when the foot and leg are fully extended. That’s correct. Just that little sliver.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #4lp:  

“In a tendu derrière, the edge of the big toe is on the floor.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkbryr8FG78

Quote of the Day:

““Complacency is a sword of two edges. One edge kills hard earned successes while the other end stops future glories. Complacency is a murderer and a barrier!”
― Israelmore Ayivor, The Great Hand Book of Quotes

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Mad Monday Milkshakes

 Mad Monday Milkshakes

Dance teachers try a variety of images to get students to understand the strong feeling of lifting away from gravity. A common one is to imagine drinking a thick milkshake through a straw, and use that amount of energy to pull up. 

I’m going to take it up a notch. Imagine that the milkshake is made with chocolate chip ice cream. If you have ever had the experience of getting a chip “stuck” in the straw, you will remember how difficult it is to dislodge it so the milkshake can flow again. This is the amount of energy required to lift the hips away from the legs, and the body away from the floor. 

This image can also be used to imagine the energy the dancer must send downwards – through and beyond the floor.

So don’t just pull up. Pull up like drinking a thick milkshake made with chocolate chip ice cream through a straw.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #1oo:  

“ Imagine pulling up as strongly as trying to get a chocolate chip milkshake through a straw.”

                Link of the Day: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2l1e_QPOes

Quote of the Day:

“Without ice cream, there would be darkness and chaos.”
― Don Kardong

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

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

http://balletconnections.com/DebraWebbRogers