Technical Tuesday Petit Battement

 

Technical Tuesday Petit Battement

The term “petit battement” means “small beating” or “small battement”. Most dancers learn this early in their training. But the way it is performed varies, depending on the teacher and the school of training.

Basically, a petit battement is a beating of the foot in and out around the supporting leg. The foot can be fully pointed, or not (Cecchetti school). The beats usually go to cou de pied front and back, but sometimes from sur le cou de pied (see today’s Link of the Day). The foot must describe a straight pathway in the air – not a circular one. This is the most difficult part of any beating movement. The supporting leg may be round in shape, but the beating pattern is angular, whether the foot is fully pointed or not.

All beats are angular in pattern, and petit battements are the exercise that trains the dancer to do this effectively. Always think about petit battements this way: beats go in and out, not in and around.

Also, during a petit battement, the working thigh must remain as still as possible, and this is done by rotating the legs in the hip socket (maintaining the turn-out), and engaging the muscles that hold the legs in this position.

Tomorrow I’ll discuss another way of thinking about petit battements using a prop.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #15hh:  

“Petit battement means “small beating”.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72fLwQo6WgQ

Quote of the Day:

““Feel your emotions,
Live true your passions,
Keep still your mind.”
― Geoffrey M. Gluckman

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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

Marvelous Monday Simple

Marvelous Monday Simple

Ballet Secret #7e states:  Ballet technique involves a great deal of illusion.”  This is especially true for the arms. When someone imitates a ballet dancer, they often move their arms all over the place with lots of flourishes, and if they place their arms overhead it often looks more like the double arches in a McDonald’s commercial. This is because the actual pathways and shape of the arms are simple – very simple – it is all based on illusion.

Remember Ballet Secret #6a? It states:  The arms move on specific “highways”. This is important for maintaining the simplicity and illusion of the balletic port de bras. The arms actually move very little, and the arms themselves are almost straight (only slightly curved) the majority of the time. Also, the hands and the wrists do not twist and flex – they breathe a bit but always keep the correct shape.

All this is what makes ballet beautiful. It is the simplicity of the arm movements that create and maintain ballet’s lovely geometry. Watch videos of accomplished dancers and study the arm movements.  You may be surprised to see how simple the actual pathways of movement are.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #6bb:  

“The arms follow extremely simple pathways.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYrlS7xRzmQ

Quote of the Day:

“Like all magnificent things, it's very simple.”
― Natalie Babbitt, Tuck Everlasting

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

http://balletconnections.com/DebraWebbRogers

Super Sunday On and Off

Super Sunday On and Off

One of the major things that stands in the way of motivation and progress is fear. No surprise. But how do you overcome this obstacle so you can move forward?

The first thing to do is to ask yourself specifically what it is that you are afraid of? Criticism? Falling? Failing? Some people even have “fear of success”. Determine what you are afraid of first.

Sometimes, that is all it takes. Identifying the fear will often make it seem unimportant and easier to knock down to size. But if more is needed there are several strategies you can try. One is to focus on something else that is positive. If you fear falling, concentrate on centering your body over the supporting leg, etc. As I have blogged about before, focusing on positive things is one of the most powerful tools we have.

Imagine an on/off switch located on your temple. When you begin to feel fear, mentally or literally make a move to turn the switch off. It sounds silly, but taking such a tangible step works. Fear is all in the mind. So practice turning it off. Yes, like everything else, it takes practice. After turning the switch off, think of something positive instead. I will make my plié continuous…I will engage my abdominals…etc.

If this doesn’t work for you, there are many other methods for dealing with fear, simply search on Youtube or Google your particular fear. The things you can find are endless.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Motivational Secret #82:  

“Use the on/off switch for fear.”

                Link of the Day:

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

Quote of the Day:

““There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

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

http://balletconnections.com/DebraWebbRogers

Super Saturday Everything

Super Saturday Everything

Today’s Ballet Statute should be filed under “Glaringly Obvious Statutes”, yet the all-powerful attitude is still a problem for many people. (And I don’t mean the technical balletic position of attitude.) I’m talking about mental attitude – the key to everything.

Why is maintaining a good mental attitude such a problem? I’m not sure, but I think it is because in the dance world it is difficult to maintain one’s motivation (and attitude is closely tied to motivation) in a competitive environment where we constantly hear criticism and little praise.

So. That being the case, we must find a way to stoke the fires of our own personal motivation and not depend on external forces. There are always circumstances and even people ready to “shoot you down”. Don’t let them!

How? Today’s link is an article that spells out, in detail, different ways of staying motivated and maintaining a good attitude. There are many such articles on the internet. You probably won’t want to use all the suggestions, but find one thing that works for you.

I think the best thing is to focus on the positive. I know that sounds trite, but it works. I’ve blogged about this before, but finding fun and finding good things in each day, in each class, in each encounter, will help keep you motivated, and foster the All Powerful Good Attitude.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Motivational Secret #44:  

“Attitude is everything.”

                Link of the Day:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2013/07/19/how-to-stay-motivated-and-accomplish-anything/

Quote of the Day:

“It isn't what you have or who you are or where you are or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about it.”
― Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People

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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

Fun Friday Glass Cylinder

Fun Friday Glass Cylinder

A wobbly ankle is a common problem, especially for beginners in ballet. Finding the right feeling necessary for securing the ankle in tendus and relevés takes time and can be frustrating. There are so many wrong ways to point a foot!

To help students feel the solid positioning of the ankle, use a large glass or plastic vase or cylinder. It needs to be big enough for the student to put his pointed foot inside without much wiggle room.  But it shouldn’t be such a tight fit that there is any danger of becoming stuck. It can be difficult to find the perfectly-sized object, but when one is acquired it is very helpful! The student can now feel exactly how the ankle needs to be and needs to stay.

If the cylinder is large enough, the dancer can stand on demi-pointe inside it and feel how impossible it is now for the foot to sickle, or wobble.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Secret #20l:  

“Use a wide clear vase or cylinder to demonstrate the solid position of the ankle.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nMiw0uHuGA

Quote of the Day:

““You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”
― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

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

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Throwback Thursday and Roland Petit

Throwback Thursday and Roland Petit

Born on the outskirts of Paris on January 13, 1924, Roland Petit was the son of a restaurant owner. At his father’s establishment he met many talented artists of the day, such as Jean Cocteau and Henri Sauguet among others. This exposure probably helped influence his later choreography.

Roland Petit began his training at age nine at the Paris Opera Ballet School, where he first met his future wife, Renée "Zizi" Jeanmaire (they married in 1954). Also nine years old, she was a student there as well.

He joined the company in 1940, but at age twenty he resigned. He went on to form his own company, Les Ballets de Paris and during its first season he choreographed for Margot Fonteyn. They had a brief love affair, and remained friends until Fonteyn’s death in 1991.

Petit’s choreography often featured props and mime, and he used angular and acrobatic movements. In 1949, he choreographed his biggest success, Carmen, for Jeanmaire. It was considered ground-breaking and featured a heroine with cropped hair and a fierce, aggressive style.

But today Roland Petit may be best known for his work in film, since his choreography can be seen in Hans Christian Anderson, Daddy Long Legs, The Glass Slipper, Anything Goes, and others.

Jeanmaire announced his death in Switzerland on July 10, 2011.

From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:

Dance History Factoid #84:  

“Roland Petit was a famous choreographer who often created roles for his wife, Renée "Zizi" Jeanmaire.”

                Link of the Day:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBwAbrB8R0E

Quote of the Day:

““If you want something new, you have to stop doing something old.”
― Peter F. Drucker

                Help expand the knowledge base!

 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