Partnering for Nutcrakcer...HELP

[underthesea]

I'm 14 and for one of the less important performances for my Nutcracker I'm doing the Cavalier with a girl at my studio. I had my first rehearsal today and everything was going fine until the "big music". My teacher tried many different "big lifts" with me and her, but I couldn't seem to get my arms locked and I was finding it hard to keep her up. I don't know if I'm not strong enough to keep her up or if I'm not doing the lifts right...we tried a couple presses. Any help.....exercises to bulk up or technique to lift her in presses??

[Mel Johnson]

Well, the traditional "Big Music" sequence is written out in Anton Dolin's book Pas de Deux: the Art of Partnering. It doesn't require any straight arm lifting at all. She is starting up left, you are down right. She runs across the stage and does a very large assemblé in an ecarté line with her back to the audience, you take her trailing (right) hand in your right hand and gently help her into turning a quarter-turn until she is facing you. She does a very quick developpé quatrieme devant, still supported by you by right hands clasped. She releases the hand, and you immediately put your right arm around her waist, and grab her extended leg under your left arm. She closes her supporting leg to the extended right leg as you lift her off the floor, then shift your weight to your left leg. Lean her far back in a sort of "cradle" carry, and sweep her right, then left, then right again, then, roll her up onto your chest as you do a cambré back with your weight still on the left foot and the right foot pointe tendue. You are in an epaule derriere alignment, she is in an effacé, more or less, in the "swallow" position, resting on your chest. Markova and Dolin used to cut the music, so that they only had to do this once. Their performance-cut version was available on the old Art of the Prima Ballerina album by Richard Bonynge.

[boybluetights]

I'm 14 and for one of the less important performances for my Nutcracker I'm doing the Cavalier with a girl at my studio. I had my first rehearsal today and everything was going fine until the "big music". My teacher tried many different "big lifts" with me and her, but I couldn't seem to get my arms locked and I was finding it hard to keep her up. I don't know if I'm not strong enough to keep her up or if I'm not doing the lifts right...we tried a couple presses. Any help.....exercises to bulk up or technique to lift her in presses??

 

I'll kick off with some help.

 

Timing is important for both girl and boy and it will make a difference to a successful lift off. If your teacher haven't told you this basics - here goes ...

 

both girl and boy together and doing a plie...

- by the time the girl is about to plie upwards, the depth of your plie should be at the lowest and you must be "well ready" to plie up before the girl does hers. That "depth" will give you the momentum to help her blast off from the ground. The girl must also help you by being light as she jumps up and not dragging her weight down as she goes up. Make sure your back is straight and strong (tummy in)as you plie upwards and don't take too long to lift her as you will loose the momentum and the lift off will get heavy.

 

once you got this basics and she's up in the air and dpending on the kind of lift (NOTE) you are doing, I would think of lifting a barbell in a gym. To sustain the lift of the barbell, the weight should not be right above, behind your head or too forward, but "just" slightly forward (only slightly) and find your balance and keep find that balance while your arms are locked.

 

If pas de deux is something you will be doing more regularly, it's advisable to do regular back exercises to build and maintain your strength and to avoid back injuries.

 

(NOTE) depending on the kind of lift, that is one way of doing it, someone else more experience will be better at describing it.

[Guest TheBalletGuy]

by the time the girl is about to plie upwards, the depth of your plie should be at the lowest and you must be "well ready" to plie up before the girl does hers. That "depth" will give you the momentum to help her blast off from the ground. The girl must also help you by being light as she jumps up and not dragging her weight down as she goes up. Make sure your back is straight and strong (tummy in)as you plie upwards and don't take too long to lift her as you will loose the momentum and the lift off will get heavy.

 

 

Good way of putting it. Actually its really good. You just need to keep your stomach/abs strong