Challenge of the week: Feb 23rd, 2015

Location: Barre, or with a partner, or if you're really awesome, just in the center.  En pointe is an additional challenge. 

Combination: Frappés and petits battements, originally

Step: This is actually at the end, where you face diagonally into the barre, on full relevé, and start your petits battements with the inside leg.  Find your balance (== let go of the barre) while still beating.  Hold balance.  End petits battements with leg in coup de pied back.  On your balance, lift your leg to full attitude back, and your arms en haut (en couronne, fifth position, etc.). 

If you're really cool, developpé attitude leg back, close fifth (still on relevé and on your balance) and turn back away from the diagonal, and open your other leg a la seconde, along with your arms. 

Challenge:  Not falling on your face!  lol

- You really find out if you're doing petit battements with your hip or your knee.
- You really find out where on your hip you're placed when changing poses.

Success?: Doing all balance pose switches on my balance is actually a challenge I set to myself, not one that is required in the class.  In class we are not required to do the entire sequence on your balance (you only find your balance when already in attitude). I'm pretty good at this one, though not entirely consistent.  I am nearing 100% consistency when the right leg is the supporting leg.  Meanwhile, the left hip is still not as strong at pulling UP.  Of course.

When I started engaging my core more, my "hit" percentage went up drastically.  I finally understood how, rather counter-intuitively, it's your core and abs that actually help you lift your leg up to the attitude.  And I can feel the engagement every time I do it properly. And then, because this is a fairly taxing balance to maintain even in technique shoes, I admire the dancers in the Rose Adagio and Don Q pas de deux even more (Paloma Herrera and Angel Corella, ABT, PDD from DQ.  Attitude at 1:38.)

Tip: As with everything ballet, the engagement is not a clench or a forced position. Engage your core, engage your hip. 

I like doing very slow elevés up and down in first, second, and fifth and maintaining the lift in the hip and the engagement in the core.  Doing these en pointe (in the center!), especially in first and second position, amplifies any weaknesses you may have in these areas.  Most (non-professional, beginner, etc.) dancers fall backwards doing very slow elevés due to the core not being fully knit together (and sometimes ankles doing things they're not supposed to do).