| ** Check your postural plumb line when doing your first | | | | incline your head, look at something.Your attention to |
| demi plie of the class. Your postural plumb line is the | | | | the environment is necessary. A class or a stage can |
| line that goes straight down through your body, through | | | | be a busy place! You must be able to focus and see |
| the curve of your spine and your other natural shapes. | | | | what is around you even when you are concentrating |
| Also called "neutral spine", when you are not straining | | | | on your own movement. You also must seem, to an |
| to straighten the spine, nor are you slacking in your ab | | | | audience, that you are focusing outward, to them, even |
| muscles, and curving excessively at the at back of the | | | | in moments when you are not, and even when you |
| waist, | | | | cannot see them. |
| ** Check your turnout. Turn out as much as you can | | | | ** Check that you are holding the barre lightly. Place |
| from your rotator muscles in the back of your pelvis. | | | | your hand on the barre and use a slight pressure |
| Your feet should be turned out as much as your thighs | | | | down when you feel your balance shifting. Gripping |
| are, but not more to the degree that they pronate | | | | constantly tells you one thing - you cannot do what |
| (rolling the front of the ankles toward the floor), or | | | | you are trying to do! You need to cut back to an |
| tense excessively, under the arches and toes. Ballet is | | | | easier version of the exercise and practise. You may |
| not anatomically correct. The fact that you will | | | | need to increase your ab and back exercises. Ask |
| ultimately have to produce a "heel to toe" fifth position | | | | your teacher for help. Teachers don't see everything in |
| (as viewed from the audience, if you get my drift), | | | | class, no matter how hard they may try. |
| does not mean you should be doing that in early | | | | ** If you are altering ANYTHING at the depth of your |
| training. | | | | grande plie, or during the first inch coming up out of it, |
| ** Move your head easily from side to side. Check | | | | you need to find what is weak. As soon as your heels |
| that your neck is relaxed, and your shoulders move | | | | come off the floor, start watching and feeling. Have a |
| easily with your breathing. You should not press your | | | | friend help too. If it just a matter of strength at the |
| shoulders down to compensate for a non-neutral spine, | | | | bottom of the plie, do shallower grande plies for a few |
| feet not completely contacting the floor, or anything | | | | classes. Tell your teacher you are trying to improve |
| else indicating that you are off balance. You should not | | | | this way, and that you are deepening your plie little by |
| have to press your shoulders down to hide the fact | | | | little, so as not to lose posture or turnout, whichever it |
| that they are constantly pulling up from effort. If this | | | | is. |
| happens, you need to work on your abdominal and | | | | If you are a male dance student and you've noticed |
| back "core" muscles, and your turnout and thigh | | | | the girls talking excitedly about new pre-pointe |
| muscles, so your shoulders can stop working. You | | | | regimens, pay attention! All those exercises and |
| may need to be in a more basic class. | | | | assessments for pointe work are perfect for you too. |
| ** During your plie exercise, note that your arm can | | | | The strength and finesse of foot work is just as |
| move without the shoulders following. In other words, | | | | necessary for you. Your jumps, your landings, |
| the shoulder joint is free, and your shoulders and arms | | | | controlling your descent from multiple turns, will have |
| are not working to hold your balance in any way. | | | | that cat-like quality if you develop your feet as you |
| ** More important than many would think, is the focus | | | | would for pointe work. |
| of your eyes. When you look ahead, look at something | | | | Anyway, that's all for plies! Now, on to the rest of the |
| and be aware of what you are looking at. When you | | | | class..... |