Opposites Attract - using the power of opposing forces

Left/right.  Up/down.  Good/evil.

"For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction." Newton's Third Law of Motion

In dance, we apply Newton's Third Law all the time.  For instance, when we push our feet against the floor in fifth position, we are able to use that force to jump up for a changement.  The more we push, the higher we go. We apply it when we use our arms to help keep us lifted and straight during a turn.  And certainly  we apply it when we spring our toes off the floor and into a retire position to start the momentum for a pirouette.

But there are all sorts of ways to approach opposition and to use it to our advantage.  Here are a few to think about:

1.  From the very first exercise at the barre (typically a first position demi-plie), consider the opposition of contraction and release.  You must release your gluteus muscles as you lower into bent knees and then contract the inner thigh muscles as you recover to standing. If you have pain in your lower back, you might want to examine whether you are gripping as you try to bend - this could mean you are in a constant state of contraction which actually works against your attempts to get a deeper plie.

2. Also at the barre, every time you move your leg from a closed position to an open one (for instance, a tendu from the fifth position to a la seconde), you need to think about the opposition of standing leg and working leg. It helps me to think of the hip bone of my standing leg pushing back in opposition to the knee of the working leg.  You should also be thinking about turning out the top of the standing leg as well as the working leg.  This is especially important as you lift the leg off the floor or circle it, as in rond de jambe.  Whenever the working leg is moving, you need to think about the standing leg stabilizing you.

3. During grands battements, there is the opposition of inhale and exhale. This works hand-in-hand with contraction and release.  In order to maximize the lift of the battement, you want to exhale and think of the leg moving down and away from you, rather than inhaling and gripping the top of the thigh to get it off the floor.  The exhalation of breath is calming and reduces anxiety in pirouettes. Next time you turn, try to inhale on the plie and exhale on the releve.

Happy dancing~

What's new? Why, it's Elementary (ballet)!

Coming in February...

A four week course in Just the Basics - for adults only - on 4 Saturdays at Le Studio.

--Got a friend who'd love to take class with you but she's a little anxious about stepping on her toes? Or other people's toes?
--Have you been frustrated with a drop-in class that can't slow down to address the Super Basics, like "What's first position?"
--Need a crash course before you tackle a full class?

Try Elementary Ballet!  It's designed to give you the very basics you need to feel more confident in a drop-in class.  I will help you with terminology, classroom etiquette, basic barre and floor exercises, and class progression. You absolutely do not need to know anything about ballet in order to take this short course.  But you will finish with an understanding of a ballet class before you try a drop-in class.

What: Elementary Ballet
When: February 16 & 23, March 2 & 9 (4 Saturdays)
Time: 1:30-2:30PM
Cost: $75
Where: Le Studio Dance, 57 Palmetto Dr, Pasadena 91105

Happy dancing!

Put these technique tips on a t-shirt!

1. Anxiety is the enemy of pirouette!

A calm, relaxed state of mind will result in successful turns.  Exhale as you press up into a releve. Gently but firmly push the back foot off the floor to start your momentum. Feel the opposition of the rise into releve and the pressing down of the shoulders. Keep your neck muscles relaxed so you can spot sharply.

2. Gripping is the enemy of extension!

Muscles that tighten the tendons surrounding your hip joints prevent the legs from fully extending.  Drop the leg in the hip socket and find your full rotation, then extend the knee from there without sinking your weight into the standing leg or the knees/heels. And always exhale on the developpe.

Dance blog contest!

Nichelle at Dance Advantage is hosting a blog contest and I'm entering for the very first time! 

Among the categories is Teacher Talk, which I think is the category my blog best fits.  It's for blogs that address topics from teacher to student or teacher to teacher.  As my readers, you know I like to talk about pirouette technique or classroom etiquette or my pet peeves as a teacher.

So if you agree that my blog is a pretty cool one and you get some use out of it, I hope you'll jot down a comment below.  The blogs with the most comments will be finalists in Nichelle's contest. The winner will be named Editor's Choice! I'd love to be a finalist - there are some amazing dance blogs out there.

Reminder: please don't comment on Nichelle's blog - instead, please post your comment here!  Thank you for your support.

New Year - New Classes and Changes!

Hello beautiful dancers in the LA and Pasadena area!  I'm sending an email to everyone who takes my classes but in case I don't have your address, please see the important information below about changes to my class schedule:

At Dance Arts Academy:
--NEW! Adult Pointe, from 8-8:30PM on Tuesday evenings, directly following my Beg/Pre-Intermediate Ballet class, 6:30-8PM. Each 1/2 hr pointe class will be $10. (Please note the title change of the earlier class - this is to indicate it is more than a Beginning class but not quite a Beg/Int class).

At Le Studio:
--CHANGE! Beg/Int Ballet at 6:30PM on Monday and Wednesday evenings will now be 75 minutes long, rather than 60. More ballet for the same price, 6:30-7:45PM. The Basic Ballet class will still be 60 minutes in length and will go from 7:45-8:45 PM.
--DEAL! Stretch/Strengthen at 5:30PM on Fridays - 5 classes for $50! Special price applies to the stretch class only, not my ballet, but this is a savings of $6/class.

Happy dancing!