Guest dancinqueen15 Posted January 2, 2005 Report Share Posted January 2, 2005 my teacher always tells me i need to square my hips a tad more, but i have no idea what she means. sorry if its a dumb question, lol Quote Link to comment
Administrators Victoria Leigh Posted January 2, 2005 Administrators Report Share Posted January 2, 2005 No, not a dumb question There is no such thing, if there is something you don't understand. The only way to learn is to ask! The hips should be square most of the time, except in arabesque. Square means straight ahead and even, sort of like headlights on a car. They need to both be facing in the same direction, and one should not be higher than the other. In arabesque, the hip of the working leg must open a bit, as little as possible, but still it has to open in order to rotate the back leg in an extension. It should not lift, just open. Quote Link to comment
vrsfanatic Posted January 2, 2005 Report Share Posted January 2, 2005 It may also help to consider the relationship of your hips to your shoulders, like a picture frame. Overall, square hips is a concept that is very important in ballet, but please remember you are a living, breathing thing. Try not to maintain your body like cement. Approach the concept of squareness like a piece of clay. Square does not mean square with a rigid quality! Quote Link to comment
Administrators Victoria Leigh Posted January 2, 2005 Administrators Report Share Posted January 2, 2005 Absolutely!!! Thank you for adding that, vrs! I would certainly not want anyone to become rigid. Yikes! Quote Link to comment
kellyisthebestintheworld Posted January 2, 2005 Report Share Posted January 2, 2005 My teacher tells us to check our dancing rectangle, which is what vrsfanatic was talking about. It's like everything is straight and you have to make a perfect rectangle. Quote Link to comment
Mel Johnson Posted January 2, 2005 Report Share Posted January 2, 2005 But remember not to make it a rigid picture frame; sometimes a corner comes forward as the corresponding diagonal opposite goes back, as with arabesque, and such like. The rectangle inhabits three dimensions. Quote Link to comment
tutucrazy Posted January 2, 2005 Report Share Posted January 2, 2005 I agree with Mrs. Leigh- imagine your hips being headlights, and they must be kept facing straight ahead. Good luck! Quote Link to comment
Mel Johnson Posted January 2, 2005 Report Share Posted January 2, 2005 Hi, tutucrazy and welcome to the Young Dancers forum here at Ballet Talk for Dancers. Yes, in most academic circumstances, the hips must be straight forward, but there are times, as named above, when you can't do that. Leaving the hips perfectly flat and square in extensions to the rear will cause turn-in and limit extension because of the built-in seat cushions we all have back there. They have to be moved out of the way so that the leg can work correctly. That means that the hip opens slightly. Quote Link to comment
Guest GetThePointe32 Posted January 2, 2005 Report Share Posted January 2, 2005 This topic kind of brings me to another question. For anyone that uses them, do you think that the hip allignment belts help a lot. I used to wear them a lot but they don't really seem to help me. Just wondering. Quote Link to comment
Mel Johnson Posted January 2, 2005 Report Share Posted January 2, 2005 In my opinion, they don't do a dang thing. They just make your legs look shorter and your body longer. Now a belt at the waist isn't a bad idea, and I can stand that. Quote Link to comment
Guest GetThePointe32 Posted January 2, 2005 Report Share Posted January 2, 2005 When I see people wearing them some people wear them at the waist and some people wear them at the hip but I agree that the waist would help a lot more. Quote Link to comment
Administrators Victoria Leigh Posted January 2, 2005 Administrators Report Share Posted January 2, 2005 Those stupid belts do absolutely NOTHING for aligning the hips, and they just do what Mr. Johnson said....make torso longer and legs shorter. I have said it here many, many times, but will say it again....they are ugly, stupid, useless, and I do not want to see them on anyone standing in front of me in a classroom. Quote Link to comment
KayP Posted January 3, 2005 Report Share Posted January 3, 2005 And they give you extra fat rolls, which I really do not need! Quote Link to comment
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