No matter what dance styles you are into, certain principles of movement yet be applied at all times. These principles relate to weight placement, the pointing of the feet , jumps, and turns. We must continually work on embodying these principles until their execution becomes automatic.
Shifting the weight
When the body shifts support from both feet to one foot, or from one foot to the other,a shift of weight must also occur. If balance is to be mad rained, the shift of weight must occur without a change of the pelvis, which should remain horizontal throughout the movement . Contracting the abdominal muscles will help keep the pelvis in alignment t and the weight lifted out if the legs, this enabling a smooth shift of weight.
Pointing the Foot
Always in ballet, and most often in jazz dance, the foot must point. If it is not pointed it is flexed, but it is never dangling. When pointing (which is also called extension of the ankle), certain guidelines are helpful:
- Think of a straight line from the top of the knee to the ankle and finally to the big toe.
- Keep the toes long and extended. Do not let them curl under.
- Create the greatest arch of the foot by using the instep and muscles of the longitudinal arch.
- The foot is said to be sickled if it leans toward the big toe or the little toe. Do not sickle the foot inward or outward. Maintain the straight line that extends from the knee to the ankle and through the big toe.
- Practice pointing the foot and also performing the opposite movement, flexion. When flexing the foot, pull the whole foot back toward the knee and- as with pointing- keep the toes, ankle, and knee in one straight line.
Jumps
The ability to jump high and land softly and smoothly demands the application of important ballet principles. These principles not only help to archieve a beautiful and exciting jump, but are also necessary to prevent injury to the dancer’s knees, ankles, and feet.
Four principles must be applied when performing jumps of any kind:
- The dancer must begin all jumps from the demi-plie position.
- To attain the height of the jump, the dancer must press off the floor by fully extending (pointing) the feet.
- The dancer must land from the jump on the balls of the feet, rolling through to the heels.
- Al jumps must end with a return to the demi-plie position.
Turns
Spectators are always entranced with the dancer’s ability to turn, and beginning dancers are always amazed at how dizzy they become when first attempting to turn. The secret to alleviating the dizziness and acquiring the ability to do multiple turns is spotting. Spotting is the dancer’s ability to keep the eyes focused on one spot as long as possible while turning the body. When eye contact ont he focus spot can no longer be maintained, the dancer quickly turns the head, immediately regaining focus on the chosen spot, which should be at, or slightly above, eye level. It is best to start the practice of spotting by executing a walking turn slowly in place, gradually increasing the speed until the whip of the head is quick and smooth and the eyes focus quickly. When spotting, keep the eye focus level and attempt to keep your chin parallel to the floor.
It is also important when spotting that you fix your gaze on an immovable point. Besides, the walking turn, another good preparatory exercise to help the dancer with spotting is to turn in place. The dancer should start in first position and place the hands on the shouldesr. From this position, the dancer will take small steps revolving in place while focusing on a fixed point. When the body rotates to the point where the chin is in line with the shoulder, the dancer must whip the head around quickly and return the focus immediately to the fixed point or ‘spot’. The head must stary erect, and the focus point should be level with the eyes.
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