Different Positions of the Arms

The arms have 5 main positions. 1^ST, 2^ND, 3^RD, 4^TH, and 5^th. The two styles that I am going to talk about are the Cecchetti and Vaganova style. In the Cecchetti style, 1^st position is where both arms are slightly rounded with the fingers besides the dancers thighs. In the second position, the arms are out to the sides with an angle down and forward and the palms facing forward. The elbow is slightly lower than the shoulder, and the wrist is slightly lower than the elbow. In third position, one arm is in the first position and the other is in demi-seconde. The fourth position has two different ones. The first is en avant. In that position, one arm is in second position while the other is in en avant fifth. The second fourth position is en haut. One arm is in high fifth and the other is in en haut fifth. The last position for the Cecchetti style is fifth position. That is whenever the arms are rounded to form an oval. Moving on to the Vaganova style. In first position, the arms are in line with the navel, maintaining a curve shape. The only difference in second position between the two styles is that the wrists are in line with the elbows in the Vaganova style. In third position, arms are curved and raised above your head, slightly forward. In fifth position, the arms are the same as they are in third position. So as you can see, there is a clear difference between the two styles.

Ballet Video - Mid Semester

About mid semester we all watched the video from our class being recorded. There were some things as a class that we all need to work on. First thing first are our plies. I feel like instead of dancing through the plié and using all the music, we just place our bodies there will we wait for the next thing to do. Another thing at the barre is our arm positions. Everybody is doing different arms so it doesn’t look like as are dancing as an ensemble. Anytime we passe’ our leg up, it has to get there. A lot of us are slowly bringing the leg up and wondering why we can’t balance it. In the fondu exercise, our leg shouldn’t drop after it’s up. I know it’s not an easy thing to do but we all need to push ourselves to keep it up. Everybody needs to make sure they are looking up and projecting out. We need to pretend that class is a performance. When we pique’ onto our leg, we have to remember to go to the leg, rather than bring it under us. The main thing is that we need to learn to dance together, project outwards, and just turn our performance level on.

A Health Odyssey!

I attended a seminar titled “Be Well in a Toxic World”. Joel Chudnow is a wholistic health educator, wellness coach, and a natural lifestyle coach. He talked about the importance of healthy eating. He stated that we all need to eat organic food and fresh fruits and vegetables. He expressed that fast food is terrible for the body and if you know you are going to be out all day the next day, pack a lunch the night before. Some people in the audience expressed that whole foods are too expensive and they can’t afford it. His answer to them was to eat less! Ever since I went to his lecture, I have stopped eating fast am on the road to healthy food as often as I did. I do my best to cook the night before and make sandwiches so I have food to last me through the next day. I know this lifestyle change doesn’t happen overnight though. It is a working progress but I eating!

Glissade! Glissade! Glissade!

I never knew before this semester that there were 6 different types of glissades. The most I knew of were two. The six types are glissade devant, glissade derriere, glissade dessous, glissade dessus, glissade en avant, and glissade en arriere. The differences between them all are the starting positions, ending positions, and the direction. Glissade devant means glissade in front. Glissade devant travels to the side and is commenced with the front foot and finishes with the same foot in front. Glissade derriere means the opposite, glissade in back. Just like glissade devant, it travels to the side but this time it is commenced with the back foot and finishes with that same foot back. Glissade dessous means glissade under. This glissade travels to the side and is commenced with the front foot, which finishes back. Glissade dessus means over. It also travels to the side and it commenced with the back leg, which finishes in the front. Glissade en avant means to glissade forward. This glissade commences with the front leg and finishes with it in the front, traveling en avant, croise en avant, or effaces en avant. The last glissade is en arriere. This is a glissade backwards. This glissade commences with the back foot and finishes with it in the back. Glissade en arriere can travel en arriere, croise en arriere, or efface en arriere. I’m happy I was assigned this blog because now I have a better understanding of what each glissade does.

Ballet Fleming

It’s always a great opportunity to take classes with a professional dance company. Ballet Flemings master classes were a challenge. You had to really pay attention when he gave a combination because there was a lot of mumbling. Barre’ wasn’t that hard, it was the center combinations that got me. As the week went on, it was easier. I understood him better, and I got a hang of his teaching style. His company members were all very good. It surprised me that some of them smoke cigarettes since they were professional dancers, but some people’s lungs are better than others. I loved the fact that they all had different backgrounds and they told us how they got to be where they are today. Their performance was very good. My favorite dance was the duet between the couple that is engaged. The connection was so powerful and everything about it was great. I would definitely enjoy seeing them perform again.

Dancing Beyond the Walls

It's amazing to me how people can dance so long! When I look at a dancer lengthening and dancing so full out it's breath taking. I don't want to watch anybody else. They have a sense of their body placement and the space around them. They don't stop the movement, but let it continue straight into the next movement. Longer movement looks more complete because it's dancing full out. They are using more energy and actually dancing. I'm not saying it's an easy thing to do but once you know how to dance beyond the walls, it's a beautiful thing. When we did the floor exercise with our partners, I never knew Zoe could reach so much further. I discovered just how hard it really was that day. It's a working progress and I work hard on it everyday to improve that important skill.

Awareness

Awareness is a big thing to have as a dancer. It's important to feel the presence of the people around you while you are dancing. It's how you don't hit people and it's also how you dance together as a group. A dancer who doesn't have a sense of awareness turns without spotting, hits the people that are around them, and just have no sense of direction. Nobody wants to dance with a dancer like that, and it will be hard for them to get jobs. Knowing this skill has allowed me to stay with the group even though I can't see any of them. It has also helped me dance better with the group. There's like a vibe that we all have together.

Transitions

The in between movements are more important than the shapes at the end. When I think of this statement, I think about dancing full out. I think about finishing each movement before moving on to the next. I also think about dancing out through my finger tips all the way down through my toes. Knowing how to do the in between movements are the difference from being a beginner dancer and an advance dancer. I have been focusing a lot this semester on if my feet are in parallel or if they are turned out. Knowing where my arms at all times. I also need to work harder on shifting my pelvis. The more I shift, the better prepared I am to do the next movement. A lot of us get stuck in the combinations because we aren't dancing with our whole body. When you shift and stay on top of your legs, it's so much easier to do turns, jumps, and just plain runs.

Body Check In

It's the end of the semester and I feel great. I still have a knee problem, but I am not going to let that get me down. I learned that staying hydrated will help with my cramps and that I cannnot forget to ice my knee every night. Mentally, I am exhausted. This next month will be just what I need, a vacation! I have a month to rest before I go to New York. My plans are to take part in the summer intensive at Alvin Ailey, the fall independent study, and hopefully either go to the University of the Arts or Florida State University in January. If the schools don't work out for me at that time, then I'll take a break from school and continue to train my body in New York. My short term goal is to become a professional dancer. My long term goal is to earn my BFA in dance and teach at a performing arts high school. Studying at HCC was the best thing I could have done at this time in my life. The teachers at school help me improve my technique and mind set before I step into the streets of New York. It also was a good stepping stone of moving out of my house. I know what it feels like to be on my own, but not being too far away. It also introduced me to the city life even though I know New York will be 10 times more busy. I am greatful and appreciative that I got the opprotunity to move to Tampa. Now I'm just excited on what my future has in store for me. :)