In the same way you service your car by getting an engine
tune up, every so often it’s necessary for dancers to fine-tune our
technique. No matter what level
you’re at, from newbie to professional take a little time every few months to
make sure you’re not getting too complacent with your dancing. Going over the basic tenets of
posture, weight placement and different types of technique will not only help
you to become reacquainted with what you are doing, it will give you power that will make you a better
dancer.
Posture And Center Of Gravity
No matter what kind of dancing you practice, there are
certain guidelines for posture. The spine is elongated, the ribcage lifted, the
shoulders are held back and down making a beautiful, long neckline. The pelvis
is in neutral position achieved by pulling the tailbone slightly down towards
the floor.
For belly dancing, we stand
with equal weight placement from the balls to the heels. Our knees are soft and pliable, with
our feet and legs aligned just under our hips, without using ballet turnout,
because this will inhibit the movements of the hips. For other types of
dancing, a turnout may or may not be employed- this depends on your training
and what sort of effect you’d like to achieve.
But no matter what genre of
dance you’re performing, make sure you know where your center of gravity is. In ballet or jazz, the
center of gravity is much higher than in belly dance, African dance, Hula or
even burlesque dancing.
Be hyper-aware of your
center of gravity, as it will dramatically change the quality of your
movements.
Define Your Weight
Placement
Make sure you plant each foot firmly every time you set it down, even if it’s just for a few
seconds. Any hesitation with your
weight placement could potentially throw your movement off…or just make it look
not quite as awesome. Defined weight placement is absolutely necessary in quick
footwork, especially for turns. Check your weight placement frequently, and
you’ll start noticing a difference in the quality of your dancing really
quickly.
Once you’re conscious of your
weight placement, use the floor as a “launching pad” every time you take a
step. For belly dance
especially, this is important because there are so many one-sided hip accents
and flourishes happening all the time. These movements initiate from the knees
or the feet; you can get much more power and definition from twists, circles,
and upwards/downwards motions by grounding, or quickly pushing off the floor with your foot.
Check For Overcompensation
We all have a dominant or
stronger side, and usually we need to drill more on that side to make things
“even”- this is natural; it’s like being right or left handed. However, many of
us favor our dominant sides…and let the stronger side do all the work! This leads to
our bodies falling out of balance.
Once in a while, give your
body the once-over and make sure that you are using both sides of your body
fully. If you aren’t, sometimes
this might be due to careless technique, but it's more likely that its a sign of weakness in a specific area. Especially if you have an old injury, you’ll notice that certain
parts of your body- such as your spine, hips or leg muscles- are overcompensating in
order to protect the injured
area.
This is what usually leads to your body falling out of
balance: some areas are really strong, while others remain much weaker.
If you notice that you have spots that are fragile or
not as strong as others, bite the bullet and get some professional training for
strengthening and joint stabilization.
Pilates has worked wonders for many dancers - including me!
This form of exercise was designed for injury rehab as well as strengthening.
But any sort of cross training can help you regain balance, just by using muscles that you don’t use quite as
often in your dancing. Try swimming, walking, running or Yoga-whatever-just
take some time to cross train, you’ll be happy you did!
Finish Each Movement Fully
Unfinished movements are common in baby dancers, who aren’t
fully aware of their bodies in motion…but those of us with more experience are
guilty of slightly sloppy too.
Sometimes we can tend to become too comfortable with ourselves and
neglect to monitor our movements.
Check yourself for movement completion during drills in class
or while you’re practicing at home.
Make sure you know exactly where each movement initiates and where it
ends- even in fluid motions.
Check that your hip circles
are actually circles, and not
ovals, kidney bean shapes or open-ended- unless you are making it that way on
purpose.
Employ Muscular Resistance
Give your movements more definition and power by using muscular
resistance. This requires strength and concentration at first, but will become
second nature with practice.
Play with your muscular
resistance when making full-body or limb-only movements, such as a languid
sideways body wave or a utilizing a slow motion “dragging” effect with your arm
pathways.
For the legs, experiment with suspensions. A suspension is a
long, slow lift, often made while rising up on the ball of the weighted foot.
This looks great as a short pause at the beginning of a turn. Your weighted leg
needs to be very strong and hyper-stable to achieve this effect.
You can also “punctuate” your
hip technique by quickly tightening the muscles of your quads and glutes, or
using the abdominal muscles for contractions and locks.
Open Your Chest For
Beautiful Arm Work
Standing with an uplifted, open chest with the shoulders
held slightly back and down is an integral part of posture for almost any genre
of dance. It elongates the spine
and makes the torso look long and lean, but it also really affects what your
arms are doing.
Keeping your ribcage elevated, imagine that all of your arm
movements initiate from the sternum as opposed to your shoulders. This
technique will make your arm paths gorgeous and defined. It adds an elegant
quality to every movement your arms make, from floaty to angular.
Use Your Head
The angle of your head can really change the appearance of
your movements. Inclining your
head towards or away from the audience will magnify the emotional intent of
your dancing; using your head to spot while turning drastically changes your
technique for the better, and following the paths of your arms with your entire
head gives these movements a beautiful, finished quality. Though it sounds crazy, don’t “forget”
about your head while your body is in motion…and this goes double for your
facial expressions!
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