A Little Thought Can Change You

So, in class today, I had the ladies finish the center adagio on relevé, with the arms in a "drawing the bow" position, one arm extended, the fingers of the other hand resting lightly on the shoulder. When they finished the first side, some of them felt a little self-conscious with the somewhat emotional position. I suggested thinking about something, giving emotional and psychological content to the movement.

I mentioned "Swan Lake" and how when Siegfried first meets Odette, she tells him, "There is a lake of my Mother's tears." I said to my ladies, "Think of that for a moment. That lake is filled with tears. How much would someone have to cry to fill an entire lake?" I looked around the room. "You all changed, just now." Expressions changed, body language changed. They all felt some of the profound sadness that comes from knowing that lake was filled by a Mother weeping for a lost child.

When they did the adagio to the second side, they were all different, and no one was self-conscious about the final position.

See you in class.