Shoulder Sits

[Guest waterwerty]

Hey,

I have just been introduced to shoulder sits in our pas de doux rehearsel. We are doing the ballet Copellia, and I am in the wheat pas. I am fairly new to the pas de doux, being only almost 14, and I am having trouble not letting her slide off my shoulder. Also, when I do manage to get her to stay there, we have a problem getting her down to the susu on pointe. If anyone has any suggestions to help us, please comment!

[Mel Johnson]

Hey, again, wert.

 

Shoulder sits are actually kind of easy, once you both get the hang of them. I'm assuming that this one goes right from the floor to your shoulder and isn't a scoop out of a saut de basque or anything. You have to lift your partner almost straight up, but just off to the side of the shoulder that she'll end up on. On her part, she has to keep straight in the lift until it comes time to sit, and then she has to bend her knees and sit straight down >without leaning forward<! The legs can go many, many different ways, but the usual plain-vanilla version has her left leg bent and against your chest, while the right leg does a front attitude croisé. This position sort of locks her into place. You have to lift her so that her tusch is just a bit higher than your shoulder so you can just plunk her there. Trying to get there by sliding up your front just won't work.

 

This lift is found in many pas de deux (or pas de douze if there are six couples or a pas de doux if you've both got lollipops)

 

Coming down is really pretty easy. She pushes off your chest with the left leg, again not leaning forward, and you simultaneously lift her off your shoulder and let her slide down your front. She assumes the sous-sus position on the way down. So you see, as with all partnering, it's a two-way street. The girl can't just say to the boy, "Lift me, I dare ya!" She's got to put in a lot of work, too!

[Guest waterwerty]

Thank you for your advice again. There is a height difference between us and I am wondering if that helps or hurts. On pointe, she is about 3 inches taller thatn me. That makes the finger turns A LOT of fun! She is also new at partnering, but eventually I am sure we will get the hang of it.

 

 

 

~myles

[Mel Johnson]

Ah, that will at least make the lift a little easier! Not so far to travel! I'm 5' 7", so I know all about dancing with "too-tall" girls! Ask your teacher, or the choreographer if that's a different person, if you can start the finger turns by holding her arms at the wrists, say, on the preparation, and then switch your hands to her waist when she actually turns. You have more control that way, and she doesn't feel compressed from the top!

[BarreTalk]

Shoulder sits are the one time in ballet that you are supposed to stick your rear out.

 

You have to do your part to make sure she gets up far enough, but then the girl has to grasp the basic concept of SITTING upright on your shoulder. We practice these every week in pas de deux, and it seems to be an elusive concept for the newbies. You get 'em all the way up, and then they slowly drizzle down your chest because they don't have their little tushes back far enough. Getting the timing right is critical, because if they bend too early in the lift, they bump your collar bone, which forces their upper body forward, and then you're really in trouble.

 

As with all lifts, have someone spot you to prevent problems. Ballerinas don't bounce when you drop one, they complain!

[Danny]

I've had these questions too. I was once told to step under the girl, almost in fourth but that never worked for me. What has worked was really shooting her up there. I guess in my mind I want to be sure she clears my shoulder. At the same time, I think the girl's jump makes a big difference.

 

Timing is also very important. Please correct me if I'm wrong mel, but it feels like if I start to lift too late I'm actually impeding her jump and if I lift her too soon she hasn't had time to fully push off, both situations feel heavy and off. But towards the end of rehearsal, when we seem to mesh, all the lifts feel smoother and effortless. Sadly, at the beginning of the next rehearsal we seem to be out of sink again.

[Mel Johnson]

That's right, Danny, lifting too late is just as bad as lifting too early. You have to build synchronicity (how's that for a word?) Try standing next to your partner during warmup. Get an idea of how she times things.

[Henrik]

really short this time, im in a hurry:

watch your back in sits, it should have a little curve (sway) booth in the upper and lower back. sits with a straight back is very hard on your back

[Mel Johnson]

But just to add: It's just as bad with too much of a curve to the back, too! You have to find a happy medium.

[Guest waterwerty]

ahha! Today we had the rehearsel, and we got it the first time we tried! Very happy moment. I think i just put myself under her as much as i could and threw her on my shoulder and VIOLA! She stayed there. But the second time we did it she started to slip, so i guess if she sticks out her tuckus more and i get under her, that wont be a problem. Thank you all for your advice(it really helped)!

 

~myles

[Mel Johnson]

Good for you, Myles, keep up the good work!