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Need some help with flow, grace & lines…
Hi there!
When I watch myself on video I often find that my arms, legs, hands and feet are doing awkward looking things and I really want to something to improve. I was thinking about signing up for some classes in ballet or another dance form. What do you think?
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11 Replies
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Sounds great, ballet is about precision and control from beginning to end. I’ve taken classes now for over two years.
You’ll also train yor toe points, to straighten legs, posture etc so you can only get better from this!
Coordination is also a major thing, both legs, arms and head need to know what they’re doing. Not easy ;).
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You could look up flow movement by Marlo Fiskon YouTube. She has rest tutorials to increase range of motions and putting it together into a flow. Great stuff!
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^^Marlo is awesome! Also, check out Finding Your Freestyle. They have some great challenges that help with fluid movement.
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Although there is no exact science to creating more flow within one’s dancing, I do believe Aerial Amy summed up the art of fluidity and flow perfectly in this piece she wrote for her blog:
http://aerialamy.com/blog/2011/05/18/fluidity-and-flow/
This is something I often tell my students and strongly cater towards as a unique offering and ability to incorporate these skills at my studio.
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I’ve seen a few of Marlo’s and they look very cool! If you’re looking for connecting pole work and transition check out the Routines/combos section here. https://www.studioveena.com/lessons/view_category/routines-pole-lessons
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Thanks for all of these wonderful tipps!
Well maybe I’ll have to explain my “problem” more precise. I don’t really have a problem with flow. I can dance to an entire song without running out of ideas, BUT: do you know the pictures that say “this is what I think I look like and this is how I actually look”? Sort of that. It just doesn’t look how it feels.
My legs and feet turn inwards when they shouldn’t, my arms and hands extend in a way that doesn’t look nice.
I’ll make a video so you can see it. I haven’t done the September challenge yet because of my leg (which is better now) so I’ll take that as a reason to record myself. -
I know what you mean about things not looking how they feel. I practise a LOT video taping myself and not using a mirror when I see something that comes out physically different from my mental image – happens way too much. I do it over and over again on video and keep re-adjusting myself (example: focus harder on extending the leg or really exaggerate the hip at this point etc) until I train my mind to know how doing the move actually feels as opposed to thinking I’m doing it when I’m not.
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Ah I see! Doing the pole leg lifts would help https://www.studioveena.com/lessons/view/4db34cf5-c2bc-4c39-9487-24560ac37250 also the best thing is to keep practicing and focus on the hands, legs and feet. Take a ballet class if you can.
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The pivotal point for me in my dancing really was when I started to teach in the studio. Having access to more space and mirrors that let me see my body moving in more angles really let me explore the movement within my limitations. I have no ballet back ground or any other dance back ground for that matter and when I tell my students this, they’re often surprised because I have good form and clean lines. Those with dance back ground that come to my classes tell me they would never have known had I not told them. I emphasize right from an intro class for my students to watch themselves-I tell them, “Everyone’s body/movement is different. You are the expert of your own body. Watching yourself only helps you learn more about how your body moves.”
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Cherished, yeah that’s a good idea! In fact I just had a 2 hour freestyle-only-practice and videoed it. I’m just a little scared of looking at it 😀
I mostly practice tricks, cause I’m simply addicted to nailing the next move, plus tricks come much easier to me. So sometimes I forget how much I actually enjoy dancing.Veena, yes, I’ll definitely take some ballet classes. I sometimes do the leg lifts as a warm up, maybe I should do them more often.
Kobajo, that’s exactly the reason why I want my own studio 😀 It would be so awesome to have a nice space with big mirrors!
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I have also been asked on various occasions if I have a dance background, I have to laugh because I was the least physically inclined teen ever growing up. I didn’t even play sports. However, I do credit a lot of my body awareness and even clean lines to a yoga background. A great yoga teacher I had in college really drilled her students to use proper form and I think this really helped me in the long run in areas I never imagined: Pole and aerial dance!
Proper yoga form, I think, that translates into dance/pole includes:
*Stacking joints: i.e. keeping elbows in line with wrists and knees in line with ankles. Keeping this in mind in extensions pretty much guarantees straight lines.
*Energy in hands and feet: While yoga doesn’t push pointed toes like we do in pole, it does encourage us to keep energy in our entire body, from the tip top of your head to your toes. This is true for dancing, too. Often you can see pretty straight legs or arms with limp hands and feet. Visualize energy flowing straight through your arms and legs and shooting out of your hands and feet. This helps avoid the hands/feet “turning inward” like you described. On a side note: Remember “pointing your toes” is actually more than your toes working, you have to really push through your entire foot and ankle to create a flat line down your shin through the top of your foot and toes.
*Squared hips and posture: Being aware of your hips is helpful in your lines and posture. Keeping them straight and squared allows you to focus on your core and not “dump” into your lower back. Also, chin up and shoulders back, and remember that energy coming from the top of your head! Like there is a string running through your spine and pulling up at the top of your head.Seems like a lot to focus on at once, but body awareness in these areas really helps with lines, posture, and even keeps your joints/bones safe while dancing!
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