Tuesday, November 29, 2016

The Triangle of the Foot



When reading through different online articles, I found this one that I thought relevant for our students.  'Rolling ankles' are always a challenge, and this explanation seems helpful.

The Triangle of the Foot

September 19, 2014 by Kim Hungerford Teaching Articles
 








“Don’t roll your feet! Keep your arches lifted!”
I’ve received the correction myself, but I’ve not been able to find a good way to explain it to my younger, beginner/intermediate students. Ruth Brinkerhoff’s “Pointe 1: An Introduction to Pointe Work” reveals a really good way to explain it.

Imagine that each of your feet have three points, as in a triangle.

Our feet have three weight bearing points called the Triangle of the Foot

When explaining this concept to my 11-year old student last night, it was like a light bulb went off! She grasped the concept right away and told me that she has been told by others in the past that she has low arches. I encouraged her to train her muscles to lift those arches by distributing even weight on both the inside and outside of the foot (the top two of the three points shown in the illustration).

Most of the students I’ve explained this to have been able to capture the idea. From my older, more experienced students, down to my 6 year olds, it’s something they can start to learn and apply. They especially love it if you sit down on the floor, take off your shoes and point to the three parts of the foot.

Brinkerhoff describes it like this in her Pointe 1 book:

Weight bearing for ballet is considered correct when divided evenly over three main weight bearing points on the plantar (sole) surface of each foot: one third is on the heel, two thirds are on the ball of the foot.*

It is best to correct this error while working at the barre since a student will notice it while working solely on footwork and technique. A student who has fallen into the bad habit of allowing his or her feet to roll forward will take some reminding before they get the hang of it, so keep [focused on it].

*Work Cited: “Pointe 1: An Introduction to Pointe Work for Teachers of Ballet”, by Ruth H. Brinkerhoff, © The Ballet Source, 2016.
 
 
 
 
 

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

A Dancer Dies Twice



We hope you enjoy this article from Vimy Dance teacher Laurie Alston.

I recently returned from a wonderful trip to Europe where I was able to stop in and visit the Palais Garnier or Paris Opera House which houses the Paris Opera Ballet.  I wandered through the halls and Salon du Glacier and opulent auditorium and behind the scenes to the Biblioteque or library of the opera.  There were beautiful costumes on display from past ballets and busts of dancers from the early 1800's. It was magical and made me reflect on the career I was able to have and memories of what backstage was like with costuming, sets, and scenes.

     As I left the Opera house through the gift shop, I stopped to watch a ballet on a tv and was drawn in by Aurelie Dupont and her final performance of her career in L’Histoire de Manon.  She dies at the end and while it is a stunning emotional performance I was more taken in by her bow.  I could tell by the emotions on her face during her bow that this was to be her last performance before retirement.  It was written on her face and in the tears she shed that this could only mean one thing for her.  

     This visual brought to mind the feelings all professional dancers have as they transition into a new career after a performing arts career and I was reminded of an article that I had read once that had resonated with me. I thought I should read it again and share it as a means to inspire others to enjoy, remember, and really aspire to reach the goals you set for yourself in your career so that you can transition smoothly into your next career off of the stage as it is only a matter of time for everyone.

http://bbc.in/25AzvD8 or this article as well


While it can be a frightening experience to transition from dancer to behind the scenes, or to a new job completely, and can take many years to relax into a new role, I believe the passion for the arts and for movement can stay with you and can be shared in different meaningful ways.  I have missed the rigors of everyday shows and feeling powerful and strong in my physical body, yet I have enjoyed working with students who can inspire and who you feel you can pass your wisdom onto.  It is not only a change in physicality but a change in your mindset and emotions, and I wish this gracefully for anyone going through that challenge.

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

5 Positive and Nurturing Benefits of Ballet for Children

ESB and Vimy teacher Miss Tanya Berry, found this article about the Positive and Nurturing Benefits of Ballet for Children by Ana Flores. Miss Tanya felt that many of you might also find it interesting to read.


It’s been almost three years since my now 5-year-old girl took her first ballet class. Every single Sunday morning we leave the house in a mad dash to make it on time to my girl’s ballet class. What’s incredible is that it’s hardly ever been a hassle or a battle to get her there. She loves it and can’t get enough  of it. She loves the dressing up, the twirling, the sea of pink, the “girly-ness” of it all. We love that it’s something she loves — and that it’s nurturing her in so many positive ways that the benefits could last her a lifetime.
Over the last three years, we’ve seen her mature a little bit every single Sunday and every single time she gets on stage. This is not a strict, classical ballet class, but a fun and creative environment where she can be free, yet respectful and mindful of the lessons.
If you’re considering ballet lessons for your girl, here are a few more reasons to be convinced of the positive and nurturing benefits your child can receive — all of which I’ve seen on my own daughter.

·  Ballet nurtures confidence

The extreme shyness stage hit my girl when she was turning three-years-old and right around the time she started ballet. At first she had a hard time letting go of my hand and joining the teacher and the rest of the girls, but slowly she started gaining the confidence and trust to start letting go and just enjoy. During the dress rehearsal for the first recital, I was panicking because I swore she would never get on stage or, if she did, she'd just stand there frozen. I was so wrong. As soon as she got on stage it's as if she had found her place in life. It was hard to get her off and she's always waiting for the next one.

 

·  Ballet enhances focus

My daughter is extremely energetic and very free-spirited. Yet, in ballet class she's attentive and very focused. Even though in preschool ballet children are more in the marching, prancing and twirling fun stage, they have to learn to pay attention and focus on the group and their body's movement. If they have to prepare for a recital and get on stage, that focus will have a purpose and the lesson will be reinforced.








·  Ballet does a body good

Ballet at any age is an ideal activity for kids to learn strength, flexibility, and movement. At a young age, any exercise or discipline should be fun and immersive. Ballet definitely keeps going well beyond the studio walls and spills over to our house, the park, friends' homes, parking lots...basically anywhere where there's enough room to move.









·  Ballet enriches cultural knowledge

I never thought that at age 5 my daughter would be grabbing my iPad from my hands so she could put on her favorite Tchaikovsky song. For the second year in a row, she was practicing her part in The Nutcracker, this time as a Sugar Plum Fairy. Not only did she perform it on stage, but she also joined us to watch the L.A. Ballet performance and sat through the whole suite on the edge of her seat. Ballet has definitely been a gateway for nurturing her love of music and our love of culture.





 ·  Ballet promotes bonding

Our ballet Sundays are the only part of our family life that could be considered ritualistic. We never miss a class, one of us is always there with her, and she knows we're watching her. Our family bond is definitely nurtured through her classes and the two times a year she performs.

She also is nurtured by the bonds she's established with her teacher and her assistants, as well as with the other girls in her class.

Tuesday, November 8, 2016

The Perfectionism Problem

ESB and Vimy teacher Erin Madsen thought that many of our dancers would benefit from reading this article.  Is this you?  How can you use your perfectionism to help you and not hinder your progress, growth and experience?

This article is borrowed from
http://www.dancespirit.com/your-body/mind/the-perfectionism-problem/




























(by Lealand Eve)

As a teenager, contemporary dancer Eveline Kleinjans felt like nothing she did was good enough. Auditioning for university dance programs paralyzed her: “I was so focused on every move I made and what people would think that I wasn’t able to be free, to be myself,” she says. And her intense perfectionism had real repercussions. “I’d get negative feedback saying, ‘We don’t see you.’ ”
Perfectionism is extremely common in the dance world, because dancers hold themselves to terrifically high standards. It’s easy to get a little discouraged when you aren’t improving as quickly as you want. But there’s a difference between healthy self-criticism and an unhealthy obsession with perfection. How can you tell when your drive to be better has crossed the line—and what can you do to get back on track?

Understand Your Tendencies
“Perfectionism is an inborn personality trait,” says performance psychologist Dr. Linda Hamilton, “and it has a lot of positive aspects! Perfectionists have high standards. They tend to be organized and meet their goals.” At what point does perfectionism go bad? “When you set unrealistically high goals and, when you can’t reach them, become plagued with self-doubt,” Hamilton says. If you’re constantly questioning whether you’re good enough, you could have a problem.

“Some people are perfectionists only in certain activities. For others, it permeates who they are,” adds Carly Goldstein, a postdoctoral fellow at Alpert Medical School at Brown University and The Miriam Hospital. “Training to be a performer can be such an all-consuming process that feelings of inadequacy in one area can bleed outward: Having a bad dance class can make you feel bad at everything.”

Watch for Symptoms
Not every perfectionist will experience the same issues. For Kleinjans, perfectionism was an emotional roller coaster. “Some days, I really wanted to work to be better. Other times I was like, Why even try? I’m never going to be good enough,” she says. Many perfectionists, rather than experiencing up-and-down emotions, get stuck on one end of that spectrum—either pushing themselves so hard they become exhausted and injured, or trying to avoid the dance studio at all costs.

Is your perfectionism driving you to rehearse the same choreography over and over until it’s exactly right? You might be at risk for burnout. Do you feel strong anxiety at the thought of making a mistake? You could develop stage fright, or avoid an important audition rather than risk failure. “I’ve known perfectionists who were so self-critical that they stopped dancing way before their prime,” Hamilton says. Pay attention to how perfectionism makes you feel—and what behaviors it inspires.

Fight Back
Understanding your specific perfectionism problem is only half the battle. You also have to take steps to change your mind-set. Here are a few techniques. Try the best-friend test. When you start berating yourself, think, “Would I say this to my best friend?” “If your friend had an off day, would you tell her she had no talent and should quit dance?” Hamilton asks. “Of course not!” Recognizing how harsh you’re being can help you stop harmful self-talk.

Distance yourself from your thoughts. Do you have a nasty inner voice that chimes in when things get hard? Goldstein suggests giving that voice a silly name. “Let’s say you keep falling out of your turns,” she says. “Your inner voice might tell you, ‘You’ll never get it right. You should just skip the rest of class.’ But if you think, ‘That’s not me talking—it’s the World’s Worst Motivational Speaker,’ you can see how those thoughts both aren’t true and aren’t helpful.”

Put your struggles in perspective. It might feel like you’ll never nail that triple pirouette—but is that really true? Instead of thinking in black-and-white terms, spend time in the gray. Remember how far you’ve progressed in your training to even be attempting such a difficult step. Consider that your favorite professional dancers once couldn’t do triples either—and that they have moves that frustrate them now.

Avoid comparisons. “Put blinders on and work on you,” recommends Nashville Ballet dancer Mollie Sansone, who struggled with perfectionism for years. In a ballet world seemingly filled with perfect bodies, she agonized over her less-than-perfect turnout and feet. But after getting so discouraged that she considered quitting, Sansone regained self-confidence by homing in on her strengths rather than her weaknesses. “Focus on what you have to give,” she says. “I’m a good turner. I’m good at petit allégro. I connect with the audience. I took those qualities and ran with them.”

In addition to reframing your negative thoughts, you can combat perfectionism by surrounding yourself with a strong support system. “When you’re starting down a path that’s destructive, it’s important to catch it early,” Hamilton says. Talking to a teacher, mentor, parent or therapist can ease your burden. “It’s impossible to be perfect,” says Ballet Spartanburg’s Nichola Montt. “There’s always something to work on! The most successful dancers are the ones who can accept their flaws and mistakes and learn from them. Then you can grow as an artist.”