Some corrections I am getting

[jane s]

After I posted on the Buddy Board, Redbookish suggested I put this here.

 

I am now in a new class with a teacher who corrects me properly, and it is only now that I truly realise that there is no way I was ever going to make much progress in my old class. I was getting hardly any personal (as opposed to general) feedback or corrections whatsover, probably because they had already written me off as useless.

 

My upper body posture is all wrong - even though I had thought I understood how to "pull up", in reality I was only "pulling in".

 

I now understand how to tendu through the feet (after years & years, no-one had ever told me I was doing it wrong!)

 

She has shown us the proper arm positions (OK, so I have to get used to new names for them in the new syllabus, but no matter) and I have learned how to hold my turnout - & I can already see a massive improvement in this.

 

The reason I lose my balance in pirouettes is because I "tilt" my head instead of just turning it when I try to spot.

 

The one correction I don't really understand though (& I have had this in Modern as well) is that I do not "finish off" my movements. Intellectually I understand what this means, but practically I don't know what I have to do to address it. How can I tell if I am doing it or not? There must be something fundamental I am not doing, but is it physical or emotional?

[vrsfanatic]

It is very nice to hear you have found a teacher you are feeling is actually doing the teaching part of ballet, enjoying yourself and making progress. As for the finished off aspect of movement, every step in ballet has criteria for execution/mechanics and goals as well as musical and artistic guidelines. When you are learning new movements in simple form, it is sometimes easier to see how a movement is actually composed of various components of positions and poses of the arms, legs, head and eyes/focus. Being musically correct has wonderful results mechanically. Pay attention to the musicality your teacher is setting and ask questions about it. Lack of musicality can make a dancer look sluggish and uncoordinated. It may also help you to have a snapshot in your mind of what the movement looks like when caught in a photograph, at the height of the movement and push yourself to be there. What is the highest point of upward and outward thrust/energy versus returning to the beginning. As in literature, speak words clearly (steps) before composing sentences (combinations). This can lead to paragraphs (variations) and eventually books (choreography/ballets).

 

Be patient. It is a long road with many twists and turns that can take you in many directions.

[jane s]

every step in ballet has criteria for execution/mechanics and goals as well as musical and artistic guidelines.

 

Yes, I think I am getting stuck on the mechanical & musical, & it is the "artistic" part that is missing....