The main lesson I have learned about my placement and alignment is that it is ever changing. This may seem like a strange idea considering their is obviously a proper placement and correct alignment, but part of being human means that each day we come to ballet class we will be finding new successes and failures in our bodies' alignment and placement. It is about adjustment and patience. Yes we are constantly reaching for the ideal, but we must realize that your rotation may not always be 180 degrees, you may not always feel like you're right on your leg. Our bodies are ever changing, and therefore, so is the process of finding true alignment and placement.
I have been taught, rehearsed, and scolded on proper alignment. I know that you must have a long neck, space in the torso without splaying the ribs, a neutral pelvis with no under tucking or sitting back, and rotation from the top of the leg ( not from the feet.) The challenge comes from translating this "ideal placement" into our own unique, individual bodies. Let's face it we don't all have perfect rotation, some of us have tilted pelvises or weak cores. We have to be able to adjust, be flexible with what it means to be in placement in our bodies. In my own personal exploration I found myself searching for the "ideal" rotation. While over rotating in my feet, I've ruined my long spine, neutral pelvis and began to sit back in order to over compensate. My body was not made to be perfectly rotated. It is a truth I must accept. I have the extreme challenge of forgetting the "ideal" and finding my own personal, healthy ideal. To make ME as my own unique, original dancer the very best, and aligned that I can be. If this means I have to use less rotation and find the engagement of the hamstrings in a smaller first, then so be it.
I can relate 100 percent to this blog post. I feel that my body alignment in ballet class varies significantly day to day. One day I will go into ballet class thinking of the latest issue I am experiencing and within the next five minutes a million new issues arise! Sometimes my pelvis is crooked in alignment and the next minute my pelvis will be displaced back in space.
ReplyDeleteI also feel that the placement of the body in ballet is everything. If I perform one combination at the bar at my full placement potential I feel completely different inside and out about my dancing. I can feel that I am doing the correct work needed to be strong as a dancer. It changes my focus and concentration entirely by simply concentrating on my placement.
I can also relate to the idea that I am not anatomically perfect in the ballet world. I do not have 180 degree rotation, I am not a tiny person, I do not have long legs, and my muscles are not built perfectly for ballet. I feel that this has been in my mind for years. It is just now that I am realizing nobody is perfect and the dance magazines we witness on a daily basis are even photo-shopped or incorrect in body placement. Not everyone is perfect and I have learned to work with the facility I have been given.
I am becoming more confident and comfortable in the classroom after coming to the conclusion that ballet is a fantasy in some ways. I think it is encouraging to me as a dancer that other dancers are dealing with similar issues and having similar realizations with body placement. It helps me keep my head up and strive for MY best ballet potential.
Aimee Heslop