Ballet has been one of my hobbies
and passions ever since I can remember. It's something I can't just quit and be
happy about. Without it I feel so empty and I feel like something is missing
from my life. I've just enrolled into one of my Middle school dance teacher’s
classes. I found out about this 2 years ago, but this year was finally the year
I decided to try it out. I've been loving every part about it. What I did
notice is that I have to step up my game and fix the small mistakes I've made.
What I really need to work on, are my pirouettes. Pirouettes, seem easy
but when you really get into depth with it. A pirouette is, "A whirl
or spin, a complete turn of the body on one foot, on pointe or
demi-pointe." (Grant Pg.84) A lot of technique and skill is needed. It
takes, strength, work, and confidence. I would like to say that I'm not a very
confident person. When it comes to things like this, I get really down and I
feel like giving up. But if I do give up, will I ever accomplish anything?
Many of my past teachers and current
teacher always have given me this advice. But I can't seem to get it right. The
advice is to spot. Spotting, "The head is the last to move away from the
spectator and the first to arrive as the body turns away from the spectator,
with the eyes focused at a definite point which must be at eye level."
(Grant Pg.84) It might sound super easy, but for me it's really difficult.
Spotting is used when you're doing turns. This is used to help with dizziness
and also helps improve your balance along with it. It is the act of
keeping your eyes on one spot the whole time. This builds control which is one
of the most important aspects to have. The tip is to always keep your head
facing that one point and have your eyes at eye level at all times. (Grant
Pg.84)
I've been practicing spotting for as
long as I could remember but still can't seem to get it right. After following
these directions of having my head move last and arrive first with eyes focused
at a definite point where it's at eye level. I started to see improvement. I
began to repeat this step several times before I got the hang of it. I'm not
sure if there are any other tips out there that would help. But this is
definitely one of the best tips in my opinion. Ballet is a big part of my life
and it'll always be a big part of my life. I don't know where I'd be without
it.
Question:
Was there a point in your life where
you gave up? If so, what did you do about it?
Citation:
Grant, Gail. Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical
Ballet. Third Revised Edition ed. New York: Dover Publications, 1982.
Print.
Hey Emilee!
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your blog I was very impressed with how much technique you have prior to this book. I think its a great idea to improve on something you are already good at, because there's always room for improvement in everything. I used to do dance, and this information would've been helpful when I was learning how to do a Pirouette! To go back to your question, one time I gave up on doing school work for a couple of days. To fix my mistake I was luckily able to look at my grades and realize that if I wanted to succeed in life I needed to try as hard as I could in school.
Your blogs look great keep up the amazing work, you will go far in dance!