the.thinking.dancer

The Thinking Dancer Topic 6 ~ Reflecting on Learning

2010-12-03T02:00:00.002+08:00

Foreword: After teaching for some years now, I have been reflecting a lot on learning -- in terms of both speed, as well as our attitudes towards it.

Children seem to have this determination to want to do their best. the younger they are, the more they want it. It could be for praise, for ego-boosting, for happiness, for the love of the teacher, for the love of the activity, for personal satisfaction, for self-worth. Whatever the reason...it does them good.

Why do we slowly lose it as we get older? Do we get more used to failure? Do we accept that we cant do some things? Why cant we know that we have our limits, and yet still strive for the best?

There was once when i was teaching a primary 1 class. We were doing stretching. Some girls were struggling.
One big mouth said "I cant do it!"....and I could see the rest of them slowly starting to give up and telling me that they also couldnt do it.
I had to do some crowd control: "There's no such thing called 'I cant do it'....there's only a thing called I'll try my best"...."I'm not expecting you to get a perfect split today...all I want to see is that you try your best....so...dont say can't....say try".
They perked up a little.
I asked them, "so...what should you say??"
The cute little things replied, "try"

Sometimes as I teach adult classes, I do see the look of determination in some. And yet...there are others who give in too readily. We think that we're too old to learn new things. We sometimes sign up for courses with the mindset that we are trying things out...and will accept fate if we turn out not being able to do well in it....get discouraged, and stop trying.

Why do kids keep going for classes every week, trying so hard to please the teacher and their parents (and themselves)? They (and their parents) know it's gona take a long time to be a good dancer or musician or karate-master....and they may not even become one at the end of it. I'm not saying that all grown ups don't have determination....its just that I feel that a lot of us get defeated just by the thought of "age". Cant we also just keep trying for more than 10yrs? Or are we seeking instant results...and when it doesnt happen, we give up?

Ahhh...and the last ting this reflection leads to: is the process or the end the most important?

Are You Too Old to Start Ballet?

2010-04-14T21:25:00.001+08:00

Are You Too Old to Start Ballet?

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Dance Magazine

2010-04-06T08:50:00.001+08:00

Dance Magazine

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Dance Magazine

2010-04-06T08:47:00.001+08:00

Dance Magazine

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Dance Magazine

2010-03-16T23:54:00.001+08:00

Dance Magazine

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Dance Spirit Magazine -- Pirouettes

2010-02-26T23:49:00.002+08:00

Dance Spirit Magazine

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The Thinking Dancer Topic 5 ~ Full-soles VS. Split-soles

2010-02-16T23:20:00.000+08:00

Article taken from AllAboutDance.com Facebook

"Marie Ann Cupis de Camargo, of the Royal Ballet, is credited with helping create the first ballet slipper. In the 1700s, she began dancing in slippers instead of shoes with heels to allow for more graceful jumping and leaping. Ballet shoes...have come a long way since that time and now dancers have many varieties to choose from, like full-sole or split-sole slippers.

As the name suggests, a full-sole shoe has a “full” sole that runs the length of a dancer’s foot from the heel to the toe. A split-sole shoe has two smaller soles at the toe and heel of the shoe. There is no sole at the arch of the foot.

Many beginners wear full-sole slippers because the shoe has extra arch support for students who are just learning to work through their foot and pointe. Intermediate and advanced dancers often wear split-sole slippers because these shoes offer more flexibility and cleaner lines. They also allow dancers to better feel the floor.

Whether you wear full sole, split sole, leather or canvas – visit AllAboutDance.com to find your perfect shoe!"

The Thinking Dancer Topic 3 (Part 2) ~ A 2nd Look at Glissades

2009-02-13T01:31:00.006+08:00

All the controversy about glissades! I guess times are changing...some schools want to preserve their classical technique while others scream for us to keep up with the times.

ok..so after i posted the first glissades article, i thought maybe i shd do some research instead of plain talking from experience with my masterclass teachers. and here's wat i've come up with...

Traditionally, glissades are a "transfer of weight" step...which makes sense to ensure it is executed terre a terre. (But now i'm thinking...if walking is a transfer of weight step...why is it not enforced that the first foot doesn't leave the ground? ok...a little off topic here haha!) How much is terre a terre? According to RAD, toes should NOT leave the floor. some other technique books also emphasize that toes should be either in contact with the floor, or allowed to leave the floor by a teeny weeny bit. However, in the very same technique books that emphasize that, they feature photographs of dancers during a glissade...and boy the glissade is WAY OFF the ground. or maybe we have different interpretations of "just off the floor"....maybe if u told those dancers they can do glissades higher off the floor they'd be doing it at grand jete height? it makes me wonder whether using that stiff-necked definition of glissade nowadays is passe.

I guess glissades take on another form when they get inserted into allegro enchainements. don't quote me on this, but I think RAD and other schools did cover this aspect by using another name for the step. They came up with "free glissade" that travels forwards and "glissade pique" that allows the toes to come off the floor. Both are mostly used in allegro contexts, though free glissades can also be used in non-allegro instances. So the fundamental name has been preserved in RAD syllabus while allowing for glissade pique technique in instances where it is needed.

BUT. even as RAD seems to so strictly insist on glissades not leaving the floor, their grade5 videos of glissades show that the feet do leave the floor. ok it only left by about 2cm, but to me the quality of step changes the moment the feet leave the ground. in the grade 6 video of pirouette en dehors, their feets are clearly off the floor. its time to revamp. or at least add the word "pique" behind glissade in their exercises.

a general rule most ballet teachers agree with is that we teach terre a terre glissades to beginners, and as students get more advanced, we ask them to leave the floor slightly. so beginner students only get to do them terre a terre. the advanced dancers get to enjoy both worlds, using terre a terre glissades in adages, and light bouyant glissades in allegros.

** to indemnify myself, this article isn't written to say anything about RAD syllabus. I just happen to be familiar with this particular syllabus at the moment. I've read about Vaganova technique as well and they do teach glissades terre a terre. I'm just not in a position to talk about Vaganova or any other syllabus right now as those are unfamiliar ground (pun not intended) =P

The Thinking Dancer Topic 4 ~ Articles on Hyperextension

2008-11-14T10:14:00.005+08:00

I've always been thinking about hyperextension but never got round to researching on it. My teacher always encouraged keeping heels together in first position..and I thought she was being fussy in the past until I became a teacher...and it all makes sense now! I've been controlling my own minimal hyperextension quite successfully, and corrected students with more pronounced hyperextensions.

I read an article by Lisa Howell recently and that was only when I got more concerned about my student's hyperextensions. Since there're so many articles online already..I think I can sit back and let you guys do the clicking =P

Dance Teacher Magazine

Wandering Apricot's Blog

Deborah Vogel's Dancing Smart Newsletter

Dance.net -- Little Moomoo's post (has useful tips on feet exercises as well)

The Thinking Dancer Topic 3 (Part 1) ~ My Thoughts on Glissades

2008-10-20T01:20:00.005+08:00

Here u go Si Hui! this is the centre stage vid i asked u you to watch =P

hehe..this article is for those who have been taking RAD technique that prefers that feet should stay in contact with the floor when you do glissades. tt's technically right, and good for whatever RAD's syllabus has intended. but different schools have different schools of thought right?

From my point of view, basic glissades for beginners should be in contact with or at least only slightly off the floor. after the beginner's stage of correct placement and technique, we move on to inserting glissades into quick allegro steps. and that's where we emphasize on keeping in time with the fast music, and artistically speaking, having BOTH FEET OFF THE FLOOR for a "hangtime" effect. if you're still faithful to what's been drilled into you billions of times since you were young, by all means stick to it...thats IF you can keep up with Joni's allegro =P

The Thinking Dancer Topic 2 ~ Turn Out Exercises

2008-04-16T01:37:00.005+08:00

Hi! The other day Aster was asking me what exercises she can do to strengthen so that she can keep her supporting leg turned out while the working leg's moving. So here's some links to exercises we can do to strengthen inner thigh and butt muscles....remember we only wana activate the inner thighs and outer butt okie? =P

Inner Thigh Exercise
- Lie on your back with your feet up in the air and legs stretched, creating a 90-degree angle with your body.
- Turn out your legs, preferably with feet flexed so that you can see how turned out you are easily.
- Slowly bring down your legs into a split maintaining your turnout (you don't have to go into a full split if you can't). Make sure you bring it down slowly taking up 8 slow counts.
- Bring your legs back up in 2 counts.
- Repeat this about 8 times and rest. Do up to 4 sets of this to really feel your inner thighs working. (though I doubt some may last through the 1st set haha!)

Butt Exercise
Yoga Cat Stretch Variation
Do the "Cat Stretch Variation"...but do it with turn out...we don't wana work the top of the butt yeah.

Side Leg Lifts

Standing Side Leg Lifts
This one can be done with a theraband for extra resistance:
Standing Side Leg Lifts with theraband

There are many other exercises...just tt I hafnt found all in the internet yet hehe...anyone with more good exercises please send the links to me!

The Thinking Dancer Topic 1 ~ How to Make Full Use of Ballet Lessons

2008-03-10T23:19:00.003+08:00

Hello dear dancers! I've been wanting to write this article since a long time ago but never found the time to do so till this CNY hols haha!

This article is for anyone who would like to dancer better faster and make full use of your ballet lesson time to improve on your technique even if your teacher doesn't correct you that day! Efficient use of time in class would mean that you can improve within that 1hr or 1.5hr lesson without having to struggle at home practising (most likely unproductively) and banging into all your furniture =P

Rule #1: Be Alert
- Listen out to key words your teacher likes to use to correct a particular mistake. For example, if your teacher shouts out "elbows!", he/she means that your arms are not rounded and you have to keep your elbows in to create that nice, sought-after aesthetic line. (I'll be writing another article on my commonly used keywords and what I mean =P)
- Observe. Using the mirror, observe how you dance in comparison to how your teacher dances. Make the necessary adjustments to get your body parts in the right place. There are always two teachers in the dance studio...one of which is the mirror. Don't ignore it!
- Feel. After your teacher(s) has/have corrected you (either hands on, verbally or visually), try to remember how your muscles feel when you are in that position. This would help you get into the right position faster the next time you try to correct it. Soon, your body would get so used to that particular feeling you remembered that you wouldn't need to 'think twice' when you dance.

Rule #2: Learn from other students' mistakes
When the teacher corrects someone else, it doesn't mean you're not doing it wrong either. Sometimes a teacher may pick out the most obvious person to correct, leaving out the rest who do it "less wrongly". There's not enough time for a teacher to go to every person in class to correct individually, so students are expected to listen (and correct themselves) while he/she corrects one person.

Rule #3: Practise while the teacher is correcting your friend
After you have listened to the correction directed at other students, practise whatever you have learnt from there. Even if you already know that "we must not sickle our feet when we point", practise pointing and check in the mirror. You may have made that same mistake without knowing!

Rule #4: Practise while you're being corrected
This is quite a common sight in class: The teacher corrects a student, and the student nods.
Practise!!! If the teacher specifically chose to correct you, it may either mean that he/she expects you to be able to improve it within the next few minutes in front of her, or you had better practise more coz it's an eyesore.
For example, when you hear "Please keep your arms in 1st when you're doing the turn", do not just nod your head. Quickly get into position to prepare for the turn and practise what your teacher told you. This extra practise helps in many ways. Firstly, you make full use of your time in class to dance. Secondly, its like a mini private coaching session where your teacher would get to see you attempt to correct a step. If that attempt wasn't successful, your teacher would most likely continue that private session and give you more tips. Lastly, you'll be able to achieve an improvement within just a few minutes! Saves you the trouble of going home to try and recall what the teacher taught you that day.

Apply what you've learnt here in class...it'll help you! Hehe...i'm still in a holiday mood now though...i'll update this article if i've left anything out. Till then...happy CNY!!