The most challenging thing about this level three class is the speed at which we are supposed to do things. There isn't any time to think about what you are doing! I can do that annoying glissade/assemblé combination forward and in reverse, but only if I have enough time to get my brain around each step. Last night we started doing this crazy frappé thing at the barre, doubles. I can do it, sure. Physically, I can do it. But without the time required for my brain to catch up to my feet it's going to look like a hot mess.
On a different note: trying to do barre work with my left hand and wrist all bundled up in bandages kind of sucks. Nuff said.
I have one teacher who keeps talking about the importance of talking to yourself while you dance, saying in your head not what you're doing at the moment, but what you're ABOUT to do during the combination. Took some practice but it works!
ReplyDeletesounds like a good idea! As it is I feel like I am tripping over my own brain.
DeleteI'm still crap at frappés with beats. It throws me for a loop if we keep the foot wrapped in sur le coup-de-pied with beats. My Teacher is okay with me taking out the beats so I can at least get down the basic movement first and then move into beats. What also helps is keeping your foot flexed or wrapped in your spare time and just touching front and back, slowly, and making sure you're turned out and every time you touch the same spot mentally acknowledge that. Then you'll remember when doing beats where the foot goes without more thought about if you're in the right position or not.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to be stuck taking a bit of a ballet break while I'm out of town in a few weeks. I am going to try to school myself into doing useful exercises while I am away and have copious spare/boring time to kill. Preparations for pirouette (I'll get a quarter turn down COLD, man), posture and balance work, that sort of thing. Pliés, because if I don't work on them while I'm away I will DIE when I get back to class.
DeleteSo! I'm adding this frappé exercise to the to-do list in my head!