I NEED HELP!

[FlexNPointe123]

Hey! I absolutely LOVE to dance, but thats probly something that you already know! I have a few problems though. One biggy is that on my pirhouetttes, my arms are to low or not even, one higher than the other. If anyone has some suggestions, that would be great because my arms are throwing off my turns!!

[Mel Johnson]

Hi, FlexNPointe, and welcome to the Young Dancers' forums here at Ballet Talk on Ballet Alert! Online!

 

I wonder if part of your problem is holding your arms too low, or whether you're leaning forward slightly in the turn. Instead of rotating about your vertical axis, you may be precessing around it, like a top that's running down. Or, another thing that happens commonly is that so much oomph is put into the arms into beginning the turn, that you actually knock yourself off balance. You ought to be able to turn with your arms low, middle, high or even down at your sides. It's just a balance that happens to turn.

[FlexNPointe123]

Thanx....I think that I have just been trying to turn out, and scooping up my stomach, that may be the problem. You are right though, I may be spiraling down at the end of my turns. I am also concentrating on pulling off a triple here and there! Thank you for the advice, you are my first reply ever!

[onmytoes123]

What really helps me is that pretend that your arms are higher than they are supposed to. Just giving sugestions!

[Victoria Leigh]

That suggestion does not quite make sense, onmytoes, which is why technical advice is given by the teacher/moderators here on Young Dancers

[FlexNPointe123]

Thank you onmytoes! I think that you are right! I will most definitely try that!! And to Victoria, what do YOU suggest? If you are going to say that onmytoes is wrong, what do you think is right?

[onmytoes123]

Sorry Ms. Leigh. I did not know.

[Victoria Leigh]

Okay, FlexNPointe and onmytoes, lets' slow down with the posting, and do a little reading here and see how this site works. First, ballet teachers are addressed by their proper names on this site, therefore I am Ms. Leigh. Mr. Johnson and Ms. Schneider should also be addressed in that manner.

 

Secondly, since you two are friends, and go to the same school, there is no need to talk between yourselves on this forum.

 

Thirdly, I did not say she was wrong, exactly, but simply that her "advice" did not quite make sense. Why would one "imagine" that they are higher than they are?

 

The arms do not have a mind of their own. They will go where you place them, therefore it is a matter of knowing what to do with them and then practicing it until you can do it. The back muscles are the force for the turn, not the arms themselves. The rotating force should be motivated from the back. The arms are important, as they help in maintaining the force and holding the balance. But, they are just a help, not a cause. As Mr. Johnson said, they really can be anywhere. Once you understand how to turn the arms can go to many different positions according to the choreography.

[FlexNPointe123]

I am very Sorry Ms. Leigh. I got carried away and forgot that you were the owner of this site. I agree with what you say, and thank you for the advice. I will most certainly try it. What I thought hwneI was replying was; if you are another student, how do you know if she is wrong or right? I deeply apologize, do you forgive me? I will stop posting so much, and only take suggestions from onmytoes when I need it. Thanks again!

[Victoria Leigh]

Not the owner of the site! That is the wonderful Alexandra Tomalonis, who provides this great place for all of us!

 

But your apology is accepted, and your question about other students giving advice is exactly why we ask that they don't do that! After the moderator/teachers have answered the questions, if you have some thoughts that are interesting, or things your teachers have said, you may certainly add them.

[FlexNPointe123]

Thank you for forgiving me Ms. Leigh....and I couldnt think of a job title for you, so I put owner! From now on I will only ask for stories from users and advice from the teachers! Thanks again!

[Victoria Leigh]

Well, I think that teacher is certainly a job title! And, so is moderator, and then there is my signature, which indicates Ballet Mistress, so, take your pick!

[FlexNPointe123]

ooh....I kinda like ballet mistress! Since we are talking, I will ask you a question! If you were casting a proffessional ballet, would you go by height and size? I feel like I am being a little bit discriminated because I am so small. Please help!

[onmytoes123]

I am sorry Ms. Leigh! I apologize! I got carried away because i am new and I am in love with this site. I will not give people advice anymore. I promise!

[Victoria Leigh]

It's okay, onmytoes, we know you are new, and as long as you are willing to learn, we are just fine!

 

As for casting, FlexNPointe, it would depend on the work being cast. For instance, if it's Nutcracker, then Clara (Marie) has to be small. There are some roles which require that the dancer be somewhat close to a particular size. With a corps de ballet, the dancers have to blend well, and while they don't have to be exactly the same size, they do have to look uniform, so drastic size differences can be a problem. I will also cast by suitability for the role and ability to dance the role, however size does have to enter into it sometimes. In some ballets it doesn't matter at all.