Retire Balance Help

[Thursday4]

Hello,

 

I have trouble staying on balance in retire both on flat foot and in releve, to the point where I would fall over if I didn't clutch the barre. In the center I find myself twisting and lifting my working hip in order to maintain any sort of balance. I consistently receive correction at the barre to pull my weight over my supporting leg, pull my weight forward over my supporting leg, pull my rib cage under, and to pull up out of my supporting leg while lifting higher on releve. From reading these boards and other books, my best guess would be that certain muscle groups are weak and/or not being used; but I don't know which muscles these would be or how to strengthen them.

 

Please, any help or advice on what it is I am doing wrong and what I need to understand to fix my alignment and balance would be greatly appreciated!

 

Thank you in advance!

[Victoria Leigh]

Welcome to Ballet Talk for Dancers, Thursday4. I see that you have been here quite a while, but this is your first post. You might want to post in the Welcome forum and tell us a bit more about you and your study of ballet.

 

It sounds to me like you do not have a complete understanding of alignment and placement, and perhaps a lack of core strength? What worries me is that without those things, nothing really works right, and they are the first things you should have learned! If you have been studying a long time and have not been taught these things, then it might be time to explore different schools. How much training have you had? How many classes a week? How long are the classes?

 

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[Thursday4]

Thank you for your answer! And I am so sorry about my email, I unblocked you immediately.

 

I have studied ballet for four years in a variety of less than perfect situations, including people's kitchens and gymnasiums. I started out at one 45min class a week and now am dancing ballet about 4 hrs/week; 2.5 hrs a week technique in a local church, and 1.5 hrs in an Adult ballet class held at a pre-professional ballet school. I also do cheerleading. To the best of my knowledge my core strength is adequate for the amount of ballet I am doing. I used to do sit ups & V sits regularly before it became too much exercise to let my body rest properly between cheer and ballet.

 

A lack of understanding of proper alignment and placement is more probable than possible. My first ballet teacher (whom I spent two years under) was gifted in teaching, but could not teach what she did not know. As a result I spent the following two years fighting sickling of the feet, jutting my head forward, and a couple other annoying things. My current teacher is much better at explaining about most things, but this is one area I continue to really struggle in.

 

Thank you again for your time and your answer!

 

-Thursday4

[Victoria Leigh]

Thursday, it still sounds like no one has taught you correct alignment and placement. You can read this, and I hope it will help, but there is still an issue with teachers not getting this across to you. http://dancers.invisionzone.com/index.php?showtopic=35504 It could be simply that you have not understood it, or the previous training was not teaching it, but this is something that needs to be taught in class, not by reading about it. If the teachers are not doing it, find new teachers.

[Thursday4]

Thank you for the link. I will study this and see if I understand better!

 

Unfortunately, where I live there aren't a lot of choices for a student like me (non-preprofessional) so finding a new teacher isn't really an option right now. I keep hoping that if I just keep taking class it will finally click and make sense.

 

Thanks,

 

-Thursday4