Progress of the Semester 2

   The beginning of the semester started out great. I was very excited to apply my newly learned skills from the previous semester to this second term and for a while, I was very impressed with myself. I was very attentive in class, and felt focused and was eager to start dance ensemble and get back into the choreographies and performance work. I improved on execution of movement and how to correctly do things. I was not always efficient in those concepts because of habit, but I had become aware of when I was doing movement incorrectly and was able to adjust to what was needed. And with that practice, I was able to create new, healthy habits for my body and my quality of dance. As we furthered into the semester however, I got in a  longboarding accident and was out of dance at least a month. At that point in time, all that I had been working for seemed to have been a waste and I was terrified that I was going to be out of dance for the rest of the semester and that I would not be able to attend summer classes. I did fall into a depression that set me off the deep end and from there, my semester didn't seem to improve any better. My grandfather ended up passing away not too long after my injury, which added to the sadness I was experiencing. My social life did contribute to the lack of responsibility on my part. I take full credit and wish that I could go back to just get a redo, but unfortunately, that is not how this life works. So I continued to press on, and not in the healthiest of ways. I didn't want to go to class because all I wanted to do was dance, but not being able to and seeing everyone else around me dance, was so incredibly hard for me. especially when I am going through hard times trying to figure out who I am as a person and what I stand for and dealing with death, I get so overwhelmed and my way out of the world of those stressors, I would dance. With that taken away from me, I felt like I was nothing. I was fortunate enough to be able to dance just in time for student choreography, so I got to perform and my burst of emotions got to be laid out on the stage. I felt like I was beginning to get kind of back on my feet but it was pretty far into the semester, I felt like I wouldn't be able to make a come back but I at least had some hope since I was actually able to dance. Not even a month after, I get into a car wreck, and that's when I hit rock bottom. It's still hard for me to make sense of why so much happened to me in so little time and all these things were my fault. But again, I can't change it and I continue to press forward. I also was really proud of myself because I stepped in the four days of dance rehearsals that I had missed and was able to pull through with the dances. I struggle a lot with compensating for my worst symptom of my ADD and that's memory loss. I have such a hard time learning combinations and dances quickly because for some reason, there is a short in my brain that doesn't make that connection efficiently if at all. I was proud of myself for being able to step in and learn Ms. Acosta's piece and help keep her work in the show. I felt good emotionally because I was able to help out a choreographer at very last minute, and I was also able to learn so quickly, even though I did blank here and there, it was a huge self accomplishment. I am thankful for the faith Acosta had in my ability to perform her piece.

  It's safe to say that I started out well with confidence and ended bitter sweetly, but I have not given up. I am just ready for the semester to be over with so that I can take one thing at a time, and come back in the fall semester more cautious and take all of the experiences I've gone through this semester and apply the lessons I've learned to my actions. As hard as it is, I am going to keep my head up because I know that there is something good in store for me. I just have to keep an open mind and find the good in all the evil. I am very blessed to have such understanding teachers, and a group of dancers who I proudly call my family. Things will be different in the days to come. I just know it.

"Have faith, expect miracles."

 

above: My Hillsborough Community College Dance Family. <3

Guest Artist Series: George Stabe

It is so interesting to learn dance and the choreographic styles of the different guest artists that come to HCC. Each person is so different. It is so inspiring to hear about the places they've gone and the way they've grown in their stylistic habits of choreography. My favorite guest artist that I was privileged enough to take class with was George Staib. George was so inspiring in the way he taught because he was stern, yet had a fantastic sense of humor. He is very verbal so he always adds sound to his moment when teaching his choreographies and also while watching us execute his work. He also added story to the combinations. That aspect really helped us as a group perform his movement with liveliness. I remember him telling us that we were animals in the jungle and when we started running with low and grounded runs, that we were like a lion going after it's prey. The use of imagery and humor made his workshop very enjoyable. Based on those concepts of imagery, voice and humor I felt as if I was able to find the whole body movement we have been talking about since day one. It helped wake my body up, and my attention was focused because I really enjoyed the choreographers personality and work. I hope to be able to work with George again, and I am now very interested in going overseas to study dance and get out of the realm of the American styles. Mr. Staib lived overseas as well as other guest artists who have come to teach and each has such a unique out take and genuine personality, that I would be interested to see what ways I could grow from studying abroad.

Below is a picture of the inspiring choreographer, Mr. George Staib.

Connectedness as a Dancer

Being connected as a dancer meaning that not just one part of the body is operating, but the whole entire body and all the energy of the body is fully awake, and in tune with what is going on externally and internally. Our bodies have a unique way of turning on and off. I believe one of the most challenging obstacles I faced this semester was really being able to engage that inner connectedness. When you internally find that flowing energy, the movement and performance of motion and presence draws the audience in. Not only does this idea and feel draw the audience in, it helps you as a dancer prevent yourself from injury. When you are aware of what is going on in your body, and know the limitations you have, you can prevent injury and keep your body healthy and not worn. When the body is kept healthy and you know your boundaries, and continue to work and strengthen the things need be to improve, your dance career will most likely last you longer than the age of 21. That's at least what I keep trying to tell myself. I had injuries this semester and the last that were very difficult to deal with but I grew throughout the semester learning different muscles to use and to know when my body says that something is not okay and to take at easy. For example, I have always had pretty bad hips. The way my hips are formed don't seem to work in my benefit and a lot of why I am not able to lift my leg high when I battement or balance in arabesque is because I was trained improperly and I formed this habit of lifting my leg from the hip flexor and not from the inner thigh muscles, and also was not engaging under my poepoe. Though it has taken some time this semester, I have been retraining my body the proper way to lift my leg, and I feel that connection when I use my breath. The bad habit I had formed hasn't fully gone away, but with practice each day and knowing that feeling, I am able to be aware of what I need to do in order to protect my body. That is one reason why it is so important to get your body warm at least a half hour before class time so that you can talk to your body and know what it needs in order to start dance class, rather than going into class cold turkey and end up pulling muscles, or creating long term injury. This is something I need to work on in the fall semester because until I got injured, I never realized the importance of this idea and feeling of being connected and knowing your body.

Below is a link to a really fantastic example of a man who is doing yoga, and is completely in sync with himself. You can see the energy radiating right off the get go. He knows his placing and he knows his body. This is something I hope to achieve someday soon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sT86Yh4pM9Y

Arabesque

In ballet, arabesque is a position of the body in profile, supported on one leg. The supporting leg can be straight or in demi-plié with the other leg extended behind and at right angels to it, the longest line made possible from the fingertips to the toes.

 

Cecchetti Method has 5 basic arabesques displayed in the picture above.

The Cecchetti method is a ballet technique and training system devised by Italian ballet master Enrico Cecchetti. The method has a definite program of strict routine and includes a table principle set daily exercises for each day of the week. The Cecchetti arabesque method uses five principle arabesques. In first arabesque, the body is held upright from the waste and is supported on a straight leg with the other leg extended and at right angles to the supporting leg. The shoulders are held square to the line of direction with the arms extended. In second arabesque, the arms are reversed so that the forward arm is the opposite to the supporting leg. In third arabesque, both arms are extended forward to the side of the supporting leg and the fingertips of the arm farther away from the audience are in a line with the center of the space between the eyes while the arm nearer the audience is in a line with the shoulder. In fourth arabesque, the supporting leg is nearer the audience and is in demi-plié. The arms and head are held as in the first arabesque with the arm on the side of the raised leg being forward. In fifth arabesque, the arms and head are held as in the third arabesque with the arm farther from the audience being the higher. The supporting leg is the leg nearer the audience and is in demi-plié.


The Russian (Vaganova) ballet method was developed by Russian dancer Agrippina Vaganova. It specifies four different arabesque positions in classical ballet, each one subtly different than the one preceding it. In Vaganova’s first arabesque position, the dancer stands facing the front left corner of the stage, with the left foot in front (efface position). The dancer raises her right leg in arabesque behind her and extends her right arm towards the audience, extending the left arm towards the front left corner. In second arabesque, the dancer arranges her legs as in the first arabesque position – the right leg is extended behind her in arabesque, and the left leg is the standing leg. She extends her right arm directly in front of her and extends her left arm slightly behind her left shoulder. In third arabesque, the dancer raises her left leg behind her in arabesque. The right leg is the standing leg. She extends her right arm to the side, pulling it slightly behind her shoulder, and extends her left arm to the front. In fourth arabesque, the dancer arranges her legs in the same formation as the third arabesque. She extends her right arm out to the front, and extends her left arm as far back as possible so that the right and left arms create a continuous line front-to-back.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmRrfm1ihGg 

This video is an example of the Cecchetti methods with a few extra bonus moves.
-BMD

Entrechat what?

Entrechat- interweaving or braiding; A jump with beating of the legs; counted from 2-10 beats depending on the number of crossings; each crossing counts as two movement, on by each leg.

Even numbers land on two feet:  deux (2), quatre (4), six (6), huit (8), dix (10)

Odd numbers land on one foot: trios (3), cinq (5), sep (7), neuf (9)

Terms to Know

Changement de pieds- changing of the feet

Royale- royal. Beat before change of the feet

Battu- beaten

En face- forward

Devant- to the front

En avant- forward

Derrière- to the back

En arrière- backward

Entournant- turning

De côté- sideways

De vole- in flight

Deux-dis

Entrechat deux- 2 crossings, AKA changement

Entrechat trios- 3 crossings. Lands 1 foot sur le cou-de-pied

·        Devant: 5^th position R foot back, Demi-P and jump, R beats back, landing on  L foot with R ft sur le cou-de-pied front

·        Derrière: 5^th R front, DP jump. Beat R front, land L with R sur le cou-de-pied back

Entrechat quatre- 4 crossings.

·        5th R front, DP jump,  R beats back, land 5^th R front

Entrechat cinq- 5 crossings, like entrechat quatre but landing sur le cou-de-pied devant or derrière

·        Devant: 5^th R front, DP jump, beat R back, land on L foot, R sur le cou-de-pied front

·        Derrière: 5^th R back, DP jump, beat R front, lnad L w/ sur le cou-de-pied R back

Entrechat de vole- Flying entrechat, Any direction, Proceeded by demi- contretemps or glissade, lands 5^th position

o   Entrechat cinq de vole: 5^th R back, glissade back aka L foot beats back, L ft beats front, R ft should be in back when landing in 5^th position.

·        Ferme: French School, entrechat quatre from 2^nd position, landing in 5^th, also known as royale ferme

o   Royle ferme- Closed royale. start in 2^nd position, DP jump, beat R back then L beats back, and land 5^th then changement landing 5^th

·        Ouvert: entrechat quatre completed in air. From 5^th position landing in 2^nd position. French School. Also known as royale ouvert.

o   Royale ouvert- open royale. DP in 5^th, R foot back, jump, beat L front, switch beat R front, and land in 2^nd.

·        Ramasse- “sissonne fermee battue” done en avant, en arriere or de cote

o   Sissonne fermee battu- sissone closed and beaten. Beat of an entrechat quatre de cote w/ royale

Entrechat Six- 6 crossings

·        R 5^th front, DP jump, R beat back, R beat front, R beat back landing demi 5^th position

Entrechat sept- 7 crossings

·        Devant: 5^th R back, DP jump, R beat front, R beat back, R sur le cou-de-pied w/ landing on L

·        Derriere: 5^th R front, DP jump, R beat back, R beat front, R sur le cou-de-pied back landing on L

Entrechat huit- 8 crossings

·        R starts front 5^th, and will end that way beating in the air, R: back, front, back, front, land

Entrechat neuf- 9 crossings

·        Same as entrechat huit but landing made on one foot w/other sur le cou-de-pied devant or derierre.

Entrechat dix- 10 crossings

·        Lands 5^th

MODERN: Body in Check

I chose to execute a plié. I know, sounds silly to do something as “simple” as a plié, but this movement is said in modern to help you move through space and in ballet, it should make you sweat.

 

When executing this movement, I decided to close my eyes to really get s feel for where my placement is at and talk to my body without any distractions. I became suddenly aware that I wasn’t balanced correctly, so to fix that, I made sure that I was constantly feeling energy through the back of the neck going out through the head. The idea of that really helped me feel more stable, but I didn’t feel completely satisfied with the outcome. When I stood there trying to figure out what I could do next, on top of the energy out my head, I realized that my back was feeling a lot of pressure in the lower portion. So I engaged my abs. Trying to remember to engage my abs is the one thing I tend to forget, but it makes a HUGE difference is the stabilization and look of the movement. My body wants to constantly do what’s comfortable, and what is comfortable for me is only hurting me. This is a habit that I have to learn to maintain and improve. This will constantly be a struggle, but the more I work on it, the more it will form into a new habit that will benefit my body. The other issues I have with plié is my rotation. Growing up in the ballet world, I was always told that my turn out had to be perfectly side. Well guess what I found out this year? Going to the side in dance, mainly in positions, is not what it sounds like. It means staying true to your own personal turn out. Now the problem I face with turnout is I have one foot that can turn out a lot farther than the other and for so long, I have been damaging my hips because I was trying to make the leg that falls behind, turn out as far as my good leg. That creates many problems. So now I have to do the opposite, which for me is a challenge. I will always keep this in mind, and strengthening my core, and energy from all the part of my body inside and out. That is a lot of aspects to remember! So how am I going to do this “simple” movement? I simply have to get in tuned with my body, go over in my head the things I know I need to focus on and apply it to my movement. Sometimes I forget one correction and remember another, but when I feel like something is wrong with the movement, I figure out what I need to do to fix that, applying the correction I had given myself previously as well. This is a complicated process and has to be thought of constantly. Eventually it will become habit, but for now, I will keep pressing on and do my best to apply the corrections to make me a successful dancer.

MODERN: Parts to Whole

I have learned many aspects in modern that I never realized would be the key to unlocking difficulties I struggle with in ballet, and also in other styles of dance.

The execution of a body half requires stabilization in the lower portion of the body and also being aware of what your own personal boundaries are. One has to know what good alignment feels and looks like. This is something that has really created awareness for me. I know now what it feels like to make sure the abs is engaged and not gripping. I have discovered that the phrase “dropping your tail bone” does not mean to tuck it under like you’re a dog with its tail in between its legs. The abs once engaged are what makes the tail bone drop. Also when doing a body half, you have to know how to lengthen in the upper portion of your torso and through your head. The energy can’t be coming just from the bottom, it has to radiate all throughout the body. The weight needs to be established as well as the rest of your body. In my personal opinion I feel like if the alignment is correct, then the rest falls in place. One of the other keys to becoming a dancer that is interesting to watch, you have to know how to move the pelvis “through space” as Ms. Acosta says. I for so long have been confused about this phrase, but when I finally start letting myself truly feel the movement, and think of leading my movements with my pelvis, I had quite the epiphany. For so long, I didn’t realize how much I had held myself back from adding that extra WOW factor! Dancers who have big movement, who can travel even when the steps are small, or even in place, but require the pelvis to detach itself from the rest of the body, are the dancers who are the most interesting to watch. I really have a hard time describing this movement and feeling. You literally just do it! When I am in the center, I have many things to think about. I have really been concentrating on my center, because that is the key to stabilization. Specifically when in flat back, I am working on letting my upper half create energy through the fingers, through the back of the neck with energy coming out of the head. I have been focusing on folding in half, meaning when I reach out to the flat back, I have everything aligned, keeping my weight forward, and my abs engaged, and reach through every direction of my body: down into the floor, out the arms, tops of the head, into the floor, through the back of my legs and back. These aspects are the things I try and focus on. They have helped me in the way I execute my moment, the picking up of combinations and doing them full out, and becoming the beautiful dancer that I have always wanted to be.