jumps

[Guest Medora]

I have a jumping problem. My teacher says that when I jump, like sautechat or grand jete, I arch back. I have been having trouble fixing it because I am so flexible I don't feel it at all. How can I fix it if I don't feel it?

[Mel Johnson]

What you have to feel is alignment. You have to feel the shoulders over the hips over the knees over the toes whenever that's possible. Now I know you can't do that in a grand jeté or something like that, but at least the shoulders over the hips part should be easy enough to feel. You can't let your body fly apart just because you're jumping.

[ConstanzaElisabeth]

i have the opposite problem-i lean forward. my teacher told me to move my hips forward, travel with my sacroiliac(spelling?) in teh preparation so that i would be aligned to begin teh jump and have teh elevation so i wouldnt be working so hard to get up. it makes me more aware of my back being straight (ish), maybe that would help you.

[Guest dancergal]

When I do grande jetes my teachers tell me different things. One teacher will tell me that I'm arching back too much and that prevents me from traveling and getting as nice a line. Then another teacher says that I lean forward and that I should grande battement my front leg and push myself over it instead of "pushing myself straight forward like an arrow." It took me a while to figure out where I should put my upper body in order to get a nice line and jump at the same time.