Auror's Wedding Variation.
Why, in the name of all that's holy, is it so hard to be on the music???
I have many pet peeves about many variations, but I think this one pisses me off more than any other. The music!!! It's so beautiful, and not complicated, so why are SOOOOOO many dancers off the music, and why does it seem SOOOOO many teachers just ignore musicality????
Let's take three places in the variation.
First, the sissones. OMG, this infuriates me. Try this: Plié 1, sissone 2-3-4, soussus on "and", repeat. IT'S SO SIMPLE!!! I'll pat myself on the back here, and say that one of the painfully few times I've seen it done consistently, is when I coached it. I'm talking students and pros. It's insane that I seem to be the only one that can figure this out. Yes, you can do, sissone 1-2-3, soussus 4. In fact, there are a few ways to do it, but DO IT ON THE *^%'+",€< MUSIC!!!
Next, the steps going back to the corner with the little pas de cheval (which comes right after the sissones). 1-2-3-4-5, sountenou, 1-2-3-4-5 pas de bourrée (or a few steps en pointe) 2 6's. SIMPLE! Accent out, both times, otherwise it looks wrong.
When you do something twice in a variation, it must either be the exact same way, or right and left, or the second time is bigger/better/more. You can't do it two different ways because it looks like you blew it. If you do something three times, you can do each one slightly differently, making the move progressively harder/bigger/more/faster.
Third pet peeve section, the pas de cheval plié-piqué. The plié is on the odd notes, the piqué on the evens, and DO NOT IGNORE THE CHANGE IN THE MUSIC! On the second 8, there are high notes that tell you to do something different, like piqués with a half turn and different arms, and a pas de bourrée to finish the phrase. Then you repeat with THE SAME MUSICALITY!!
Dammit, this makes me mad.
See you in class.
Digital Degas
Students from the Santa Clarita Ballet
Sunday, September 17, 2017
Saturday, August 26, 2017
This really annoys me
There are different ways to do things in ballet.
Duh.
I have very few problems with differences in the various syllabi. Very few, but I do have them. Mostly, as long as the steps get done, I don't really care, for example, if you have a rounded third position or extended one for your pirouette prep. If your pirouettes are good, cool.
However...
When I can explain why something I teach works, and another teacher/dancer can't explain theirs (and it doesn't), I get furious.
If you come into my class, and you're dancing well, I'm not going to mess with you. I will not try to change the way a dancer does something just so they do it my way. If they are doing something that will injure them, I'll do my best to fix it. If we're doing a piece with a specific style, they must adapt. If you're doing something that doesn't work, and I can explain why it doesn't and why my way does, don't tell me another teacher told you to do it that way. They're either wrong (yup, that does exist), you're doing it wrong, or you didn't understand them.
I do my best to avoid saying, "they're wrong", but sometimes they just are.
See you in class.
Duh.
I have very few problems with differences in the various syllabi. Very few, but I do have them. Mostly, as long as the steps get done, I don't really care, for example, if you have a rounded third position or extended one for your pirouette prep. If your pirouettes are good, cool.
However...
When I can explain why something I teach works, and another teacher/dancer can't explain theirs (and it doesn't), I get furious.
If you come into my class, and you're dancing well, I'm not going to mess with you. I will not try to change the way a dancer does something just so they do it my way. If they are doing something that will injure them, I'll do my best to fix it. If we're doing a piece with a specific style, they must adapt. If you're doing something that doesn't work, and I can explain why it doesn't and why my way does, don't tell me another teacher told you to do it that way. They're either wrong (yup, that does exist), you're doing it wrong, or you didn't understand them.
I do my best to avoid saying, "they're wrong", but sometimes they just are.
See you in class.
Friday, July 7, 2017
Pointe Shoes Are Not A Crutch
I know I've written about this subject before, but a little reminder can't hurt.
Pointe shoes are not a crutch.
As most of you know, I'm kind of a maverick in ballet. There are things that just don't make sense to me, I have my own definite ideas, and I can support and prove my ideas with fact, much to the annoyance of others in ballet.
I don't care.
So, on to crutches.
If you need super strong shoes for pointe work, you are not strong enough for pointe work. (Professionals are a slightly different story, but they are strong enough, usually, that they don't need strong shoes, they just like them, but there's still a problem. Read on). I have two major pet peeves regarding super strong shoes (Russian Pointes, I'm looking at you!). The first is, the shoe is doing most of the work. Wrong. You should be doing most of the work. Like, 90% of it. Second, super strong shoes are usually super hard, which makes them super loud, which I DETEST! The magic of ballet is destroyed by loud pointe shoes.
Now, there are strong shoes that aren't loud, but I'm not turning this into a commercial for any specific brand.
Suffice it to say, if you need super strong shoes, the problem isn't your shoes, it's you; you're not strong enough.
Get into class, and get stronger.
Pointe shoes are not a crutch.
As most of you know, I'm kind of a maverick in ballet. There are things that just don't make sense to me, I have my own definite ideas, and I can support and prove my ideas with fact, much to the annoyance of others in ballet.
I don't care.
So, on to crutches.
If you need super strong shoes for pointe work, you are not strong enough for pointe work. (Professionals are a slightly different story, but they are strong enough, usually, that they don't need strong shoes, they just like them, but there's still a problem. Read on). I have two major pet peeves regarding super strong shoes (Russian Pointes, I'm looking at you!). The first is, the shoe is doing most of the work. Wrong. You should be doing most of the work. Like, 90% of it. Second, super strong shoes are usually super hard, which makes them super loud, which I DETEST! The magic of ballet is destroyed by loud pointe shoes.
Now, there are strong shoes that aren't loud, but I'm not turning this into a commercial for any specific brand.
Suffice it to say, if you need super strong shoes, the problem isn't your shoes, it's you; you're not strong enough.
Get into class, and get stronger.
Friday, June 30, 2017
Going En Pointe
What's the difference between dancing en pointe and dancing in soft shoes?
Is your placement different?
Not really.
Is your turnout different?
I hope not.
Is your technique different?
No.
Yeah, I can hear you all, now. Jerry, you never danced en pointe (I've been en pointe. No, there are no videos), you have no idea what it's like, how different it is.
To quote Master Yoda, "No! No different! Only different in your mind!"
If it's so different, then all those years preparing for it were a waste of time.
Your technique, your turnout, your placement should all be so solid, and your body must be so strong, that the only difference is the shoes.
But, Jerry- No. If you keep protesting that it's different, it will be difficult. Do you want that? Yes, the skin of your feet has to get tough. Yes, you have to try five, ten, a hundred pairs of pointe shoes before you find the right ones, but this is the only thing that matters.
Ready?
If you look at it my way, the transition to pointe work will be relatively easy. If you continue to look at it your way, it will be hard.
Do you want to be right, so much, that you will ignore an obviously better way?
One of my students asked if they could have a pre-pointe class one day. My response?
"Every class is a pre-pointe class."
See you in (pre-pointe) class.
Is your placement different?
Not really.
Is your turnout different?
I hope not.
Is your technique different?
No.
Yeah, I can hear you all, now. Jerry, you never danced en pointe (I've been en pointe. No, there are no videos), you have no idea what it's like, how different it is.
To quote Master Yoda, "No! No different! Only different in your mind!"
If it's so different, then all those years preparing for it were a waste of time.
Your technique, your turnout, your placement should all be so solid, and your body must be so strong, that the only difference is the shoes.
But, Jerry- No. If you keep protesting that it's different, it will be difficult. Do you want that? Yes, the skin of your feet has to get tough. Yes, you have to try five, ten, a hundred pairs of pointe shoes before you find the right ones, but this is the only thing that matters.
Ready?
If you look at it my way, the transition to pointe work will be relatively easy. If you continue to look at it your way, it will be hard.
Do you want to be right, so much, that you will ignore an obviously better way?
One of my students asked if they could have a pre-pointe class one day. My response?
"Every class is a pre-pointe class."
See you in (pre-pointe) class.
Sunday, June 25, 2017
Most contemporary choreography is lousy
I hate most contemporary choreography. It's pretentious claptrap. Is there good contemporary stuff?
Sure, but very little.
It's like modern art, where a museum will pay thousands of dollars for a rock. Not a sculpted rock. A rock.
I could choreograph a piece where one dancer (wouldn't even have to be a dancer), stands in the middle of the stage and doesn't move, while dancers dance around them, and say, "It's about the futility of most human existence." People would say, "Wow, that's deep!"
No, it's not, it's a con job. It's bull.
And there are choreographers who are paid gobs of money and travel the world, who do this garbage.
Now, I'm not a great choreographer by any stretch of the imagination, but if I didn't have any integrity, I could create pieces like the one I described, and probably make a fortune. However, I like to be able to look at myself in the mirror, and know I'm honest.
See you in class.
Sure, but very little.
It's like modern art, where a museum will pay thousands of dollars for a rock. Not a sculpted rock. A rock.
I could choreograph a piece where one dancer (wouldn't even have to be a dancer), stands in the middle of the stage and doesn't move, while dancers dance around them, and say, "It's about the futility of most human existence." People would say, "Wow, that's deep!"
No, it's not, it's a con job. It's bull.
And there are choreographers who are paid gobs of money and travel the world, who do this garbage.
Now, I'm not a great choreographer by any stretch of the imagination, but if I didn't have any integrity, I could create pieces like the one I described, and probably make a fortune. However, I like to be able to look at myself in the mirror, and know I'm honest.
See you in class.
Wednesday, June 21, 2017
More myths dispelled, or, Jerry pisses off more teachers
I asked my students, How many of you have been told to lift your arms using your back (or something like that)?
Every hand went up.
I said, You can't.
Blank faces.
I then used one of them to describe what your back muscles do. I showed where the latissinus dorsi originate and insert. I showed and explained what the trapezius does. I then asked, can you use those muscles to lift your arms?
No.
I then showed and explained the deltoids.
I asked, What lifts your arms?
The deltoids. (More specifically, the anterior and medial; the posterior pulls the arm back from in front of the body, but only when the elbow is above the shoulder, otherwise, your back is doing it).
I explained that when you hold your arms in a proper second position, you are activating your back muscles, and you should always use your back muscles to help stabilize your body, but it is anatomically impossible to lift your arms with your back, the way most teachers say to.
See you in class.
Every hand went up.
I said, You can't.
Blank faces.
I then used one of them to describe what your back muscles do. I showed where the latissinus dorsi originate and insert. I showed and explained what the trapezius does. I then asked, can you use those muscles to lift your arms?
No.
I then showed and explained the deltoids.
I asked, What lifts your arms?
The deltoids. (More specifically, the anterior and medial; the posterior pulls the arm back from in front of the body, but only when the elbow is above the shoulder, otherwise, your back is doing it).
I explained that when you hold your arms in a proper second position, you are activating your back muscles, and you should always use your back muscles to help stabilize your body, but it is anatomically impossible to lift your arms with your back, the way most teachers say to.
See you in class.
Tuesday, June 20, 2017
Plié. I don't think that word means what you think it means.
No, not the literal translation, you probably know that. No, I mean do you know, really know how to plié?
Probably not.
Most dancers, even some professionals, simply relax their leg muscles, bend their knees, and catch themselves at the bottom of their demi plié. This is a waste of time. Not only does it not develop any leg strength, it makes your landings from jumps lousy.
Here's how to really do plié.
Stand in first position, heels together, legs straight (never stand on hyperextended legs). Pull up on your quads, lifting the kneecaps, actively straightening your legs. If you don't see your leg muscles- especially the vastus lateralis, the outside quad- (in the mirror, don't look down), they're not working. Now, keeping the feeling of actively straightening your legs, start your plié. You must keep pulling up as you flex your legs, not just bend them. Resist bending your legs. Pressing your heels into the floor, continue to your demi, then to your grande, keeping the heels close to the floor. On the way back up, you must push as if there is a ton of weight pressing you down. Of course, this is done slowly, feeling the muscles working all the time.
Once you have returned to a straight leg position, if you have done it right, you will say what one of my young men said, when I taught them how to do it correctly in men's class.
"That's exhausting!"
Yup. It's also the best way to build strength.
See you in class.
Probably not.
Most dancers, even some professionals, simply relax their leg muscles, bend their knees, and catch themselves at the bottom of their demi plié. This is a waste of time. Not only does it not develop any leg strength, it makes your landings from jumps lousy.
Here's how to really do plié.
Stand in first position, heels together, legs straight (never stand on hyperextended legs). Pull up on your quads, lifting the kneecaps, actively straightening your legs. If you don't see your leg muscles- especially the vastus lateralis, the outside quad- (in the mirror, don't look down), they're not working. Now, keeping the feeling of actively straightening your legs, start your plié. You must keep pulling up as you flex your legs, not just bend them. Resist bending your legs. Pressing your heels into the floor, continue to your demi, then to your grande, keeping the heels close to the floor. On the way back up, you must push as if there is a ton of weight pressing you down. Of course, this is done slowly, feeling the muscles working all the time.
Once you have returned to a straight leg position, if you have done it right, you will say what one of my young men said, when I taught them how to do it correctly in men's class.
"That's exhausting!"
Yup. It's also the best way to build strength.
See you in class.
Saturday, May 13, 2017
Testing vs Competitions
I'll choose competitions over testing, every time.
Yes, I know about RAD and I think Cecchetti also does testing, but I think, no, I know competitions (not the sequin crap), are more beneficial for many reasons, but this one, in particular:
Testing does not prepare you for what you'll do as a professional.
But, Jerry, what if I don't want to be a professional?
If you're in my class, I'm training you as if you want to be a professional.
As a pro, you're not going to dance in front of judges/adjudicators, in a studio, who will say, "Do such and such combination", and give you a certificate. You're going to be dancing in front of an audience. Testing does not prepare you for that. Oh, the highest level of testing might, but all the tests before that don't.
Competitions, on the other hand, do prepare you for what you'll be doing as a pro, dancing on stage in front of an audience.
But, testing gives you short term goals, and a codified, structured way to learn to dance.
I'll say this, again, testing doesn't prepare you for what you'll do as a professional.
It prepares you to take tests.
If you like that, great, go for it, but you'll still have to dance on stage, in front of an audience. There isn't a company worth the name that will hire you if you have only taken tests and never performed.
Why are you dancing? To take tests, or to perform?
Like I said, I'll take competitions over testing, every time.
See you in class.
Yes, I know about RAD and I think Cecchetti also does testing, but I think, no, I know competitions (not the sequin crap), are more beneficial for many reasons, but this one, in particular:
Testing does not prepare you for what you'll do as a professional.
But, Jerry, what if I don't want to be a professional?
If you're in my class, I'm training you as if you want to be a professional.
As a pro, you're not going to dance in front of judges/adjudicators, in a studio, who will say, "Do such and such combination", and give you a certificate. You're going to be dancing in front of an audience. Testing does not prepare you for that. Oh, the highest level of testing might, but all the tests before that don't.
Competitions, on the other hand, do prepare you for what you'll be doing as a pro, dancing on stage in front of an audience.
But, testing gives you short term goals, and a codified, structured way to learn to dance.
I'll say this, again, testing doesn't prepare you for what you'll do as a professional.
It prepares you to take tests.
If you like that, great, go for it, but you'll still have to dance on stage, in front of an audience. There isn't a company worth the name that will hire you if you have only taken tests and never performed.
Why are you dancing? To take tests, or to perform?
Like I said, I'll take competitions over testing, every time.
See you in class.
Monday, April 17, 2017
Ballet and your butt
I go around in class poking glute muscles. If they are not being used, I'll say something like, "No mushy buns!" When I see a dancer with a big butt, (mostly female), who is not using their glute muscles, their butt, I know exactly what's going on in their head. They're thinking, "I don't want my butt to get any bigger, so I'd better not use those muscles, because that'll make them grow like a bodybuilder."
Wrong.
If you use them, properly, they will not get bigger, because you are not using weights like a bodybuilder. Okay, don't believe me. Then your butt will stay big, and mushy, and you won't have the requisite strength in your hips to properly hold your turnout.
Dancers who don't use their butts properly can't hold their turnout, can't lift their leg in arabesque, can't keep their weight forward, and can't even maintain a neutral pelvis.
Turnout from the inside of the thigh? Nope, that's not what those muscles do.
Lift your leg in arabesque from underneath? Nope, the muscle on top does the work.
Etc., etc., etc.
Your butt muscles are extremely powerful. Your grand allegro jumps are powered more by extension of the leg than by your plié. Don't believe me? Watch the big jumpers. They don't use as much plié as you think. (Petit allegro is different).
If you still don't get it, look at professional dancers. No mushy buns there.
Use your butt, or you simply won't dance well.
See you in class.
Wrong.
If you use them, properly, they will not get bigger, because you are not using weights like a bodybuilder. Okay, don't believe me. Then your butt will stay big, and mushy, and you won't have the requisite strength in your hips to properly hold your turnout.
Dancers who don't use their butts properly can't hold their turnout, can't lift their leg in arabesque, can't keep their weight forward, and can't even maintain a neutral pelvis.
Turnout from the inside of the thigh? Nope, that's not what those muscles do.
Lift your leg in arabesque from underneath? Nope, the muscle on top does the work.
Etc., etc., etc.
Your butt muscles are extremely powerful. Your grand allegro jumps are powered more by extension of the leg than by your plié. Don't believe me? Watch the big jumpers. They don't use as much plié as you think. (Petit allegro is different).
If you still don't get it, look at professional dancers. No mushy buns there.
Use your butt, or you simply won't dance well.
See you in class.
Thursday, January 26, 2017
Online Coaching
I have started a new Facebook page offering online/Skype/FaceTime coaching. Using any mobile device, I can now coach dancers' classical variations around the world via Skype, FaceTime or video analysis. Go to Facebook and search "Professional Ballet Coaching, By Skype/FaceTime/Video Analysis". Fees are negotiable, but are usually $50-60/hr for Skype/FaceTime, and $20/variation for video analysis.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)