Guest ducklingdance Posted March 21, 2003 Report Share Posted March 21, 2003 i start ballet only at the age of 17 which seems quite late if i want to have a ballerina standard. during class when we're doing centre work, i always can't maintain my balance. when doing combinations, those slower ones i can still cope. but for faster steps i can't catch up and my teacher always scream at me. i was so scared the i forgot what's the next step. in school, we only divide in to 3levels. level 1 which i was in consist of those who never done ballet before and those who had but don't have good techniques. she told me that working hard isn't enough, i need to work smart. what does she means by that? Link to comment
Mel Johnson Posted March 21, 2003 Report Share Posted March 21, 2003 Hi, ducklingdance, and welcome to the Young Dancers' forums at Ballet Talk here on Ballet Alert! Online! Working smart instead of working hard is great for the office, but it's not such useful advice for the ballet. You have to work both smart AND hard! But, I think I know what your teacher means - you may be working so hard on turnout, alignment, arms, and so forth, that you forget to dance. That's what your teacher is there to do - to help you put all the parts together, and just let go in order to dance! Maybe this is the way s/he has chosen to bring this idea to your attention. It is a very difficult thing to have a mind that can process all the information contained in ballet, and then have a body that won't cooperate by doing what you tell it to do. Link to comment
Guest ducklingdance Posted March 21, 2003 Report Share Posted March 21, 2003 oh. thanks... i just can't relax in class. i'm often too stress up in getting the steps that i forgotten what to do next. Link to comment
Mel Johnson Posted March 21, 2003 Report Share Posted March 21, 2003 Then that could be what your teacher is getting at! Learn to relax, not in the sense of slumping, but just not being stressed by learning combinations. It's a natural part of a ballet dancer's life, and frankly, if you can master classical Chinese dance, then you shouldn't have too much trouble in taking what you learned there about learning, and applying it to ballet! Link to comment
Guest ducklingdance Posted March 24, 2003 Report Share Posted March 24, 2003 oh.. last saturday i had a ballet showcase. it was an impromptu showcase. i was nervous and made alot of mistakes. when i was attempting develope a la seconde i got a cramp on my right uder thigh...what have i done wrong? and me balance isn't smooth enough. i always seems to be slower than others. hpw do i do i smooth one? Link to comment
Mel Johnson Posted March 24, 2003 Report Share Posted March 24, 2003 Seeing that the show was apparently organized in a hurry, then it sounds like you didn't have enough time to get properly warmed up, and you were probably understandably nervous, so you were working with a lot of adrenaline flushing around your bloodstream. This hormone is the "fight or flight" hormone, and encourages the muscles to tighten. With experience, you'll be able to perform at the drop of a hat (properly warmed up) and the system won't be reacting as if to threat or stress. Link to comment
Administrators Victoria Leigh Posted March 24, 2003 Administrators Report Share Posted March 24, 2003 duckling, I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "smooth one" in terms of balance, but if you mean just improving your balance, it's a matter of placement and alignment. Finding your center. It also involves strength in the abdominal and back muscles, as well as the legs. Work on being sure that your bones are aligned properly, that your weight is placed forward, out of the heels, and that all the muscles are engaged and working! Like everything else, it takes time and practice, and a lot of patience! Link to comment
Guest Kelsey Posted April 21, 2003 Report Share Posted April 21, 2003 Hey duckling, i've done ballet for years but I always still have problems with my balance. It's really bad. But i think pilates can help you alot. I don't know if you're already doing them, but I find that if i spend 15 minutes doing some pilates warmup before class on top of my normal warmup, my balance tends to be a bit better overall because i've got a warmed up middle...the powerhouse...in pliates-ese. Oh yah...and don't compare yourself with other people in the class too. That could take some stress off. Also whenever i'm supposed to do combinations with pirouettes, i mess up because i don't have strong pirouettes. (And of course i forget the combination halfway because of that!) One way i learnt to cope with that is to concentrate on getting the flow of movement before getting it right technically on the first try. Hope you feel better kels Link to comment
Snow Maiden Posted April 23, 2003 Report Share Posted April 23, 2003 You might also consider yoga. I took Pilates twice a week for a year, and while it made my center stronger I didn't really notice a change in my balance. But after I took yoga I was really centered and my balance and turns were "on." My teacher even commented on it. Link to comment
Guest ducklingdance Posted April 26, 2003 Report Share Posted April 26, 2003 i haven't really had time for yoga. it' so expensive too and i just got retrenched. i had done half a year of yoga before. we did more on breathing. Link to comment
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