Doing Less and Being ‘Enough’
Happy New Year! It’s been awhile since I’ve posted so I’ve been agonizing about what to write about – trying to determine what would be good enough to start the New Year out on the right foot. (heh)
It occurred to me that one of the hardest issues we face as dancers (and other performers) is just that — not feeling good enough. We try so hard because we have internalized the message that we need to do more, be more, try harder, and in ballet — turn out more, lift our legs higher, pull up more, turn more, spot more, and on and on and on. Ballet — and life — are demanding things, and we are so hard on ourselves. For the rest of this month I challenge you to just take stock of where you are and see where you can do less.
Turn Out Less
As good ballet students, when the teacher says tendu to the side, you dutifully follow directions and slide your foot out directly to the side of your body. The problem with this is, without 180 degree turn out (which very few people have!) you won’t actually be turned out when you tendu that far to the side, and you won’t be able to engage the right muscles to actually turn out. What the teacher really means when she says “tendu side” is tendu to YOUR side not THE side, which is a crucial distinction.
To find your first position, bring the inner edges of your feet together, keep your heels together, and lift your toes, separate them by rotating your legs in the hip socket and then put your toes down and look at the V shape. However much your legs turn out from your hips is your first position, and wherever that is is perfect! Remember, turnout comes from way up in your hips, not from wrenching your feet and ruining your knees!)
When you slide your foot out along the V of your personal first position, wherever that may be, the resulting position will be in front of true side. That is exactly correct. Now you can work to get your working leg heel forward while stabilizing your standing hip. I still want you to turn out to the best of your ability, which is absolutely good enough.
Lower Your Leg
Now that you are doing your tendus front-of-side, I want you to do your grand battements front-of-side as well. Don’t worry, as you begin to use the beautiful turn out you already possess, your turn out will increase, but you must be patient with yourself. For now, lower your leg and focus on keeping your hips steady. For the next two weeks, brush your leg only as high as you can and still keep your hips level and your bottom leg straight. This will give your body a chance to really feel the release in your hips from your turn out. Once your turnout muscles start working correctly, then you can add height. A low, beautifully turned out leg is perfectly good enough.
Less Effort
I know you want to pull up, engage, be stronger, but you also can’t move if you are so tense your body is stock stiff. Dancers need to be strong in our core, but supple and pliable and relaxed too. While I am dancing I often remind myself to relax my shoulders, release my jaw. Try this: pull in your lower abs. Lengthen the sides of your waist. Lengthen the back of your waist to release your tailbone towards the floor. Lift your back ribs and relax your ribcage in front to make more space in your back. Widen your shoulders to the sides of the room, opening your chest. Lengthen your neck, dropping your shoulders down, Lift your head to the ceiling, pulling your spine up as long as you can. Are you lifting and reaching? Good. Now keep the position you are in and let go of the effort. Release and soften everything. You still have everything you need. You just don’t have that tension. Sometimes less is more, and it is enough.
~ Sarah
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