 the male dancer
written by Sami at on 22.10. at 16:48:07 - as answer to: Lifting and holding by Jeff at In order to perform a fish dive or any lifts, there must be co-ordination between partners, the girl cannot just let her partner do all the work. In fish dives, the girl is lowered into the fish dive from a supported first arabesque with the boy taking her weight on his thigh and with her right leg hooked aroung his back. It is more difficult if the girl is wearing a tutu because her thigh is hidden by the dress. In a presage lift, in order to get high off the groung, it is vital for the girl to help her partner by pushing off with her lower leg just as the boy starts to lift her; what looks like a straightforward lift for the boy is actually a supported jump from the girl's point of view, with the girl starting with a plie or fondu.This lift is actually not too hard because the boy's hands are further apart, and if something goes wrong, the girl can always put her foot down. A common exercise in class is to lift the girl staight up from an arabesque without the girl doing a plie to help him. But in performance, to make the best use of her plie, the boy bends his knees, straightens and locks his arms under her while she jumps. Then he can lift her the rest of the way by unbending his legs, bcause it is far easler to lift a heavy weight with the legs than with the arms. Weightlifters use the same technique once they have "snached" the weights up to shoulder level. But in ballet, the boy trying to increase their lifting ability by weight training alone is missing the point. Co-ordination and technique are fat more important than brute strength, and a smaller dancer can easily lift someone his own weight or heavier if he has that technique. I think the swallow lift is the most difficult one and can be terrifing for the girl, because she naturally feels that if she tips forward, she will land on her head! So more important than strensteh is the co-ordination between the partners. The girl must hold herself absolutely still and balanced in her swallow-like pose. while the boy turns slowly around. To do this he must have posotioned his hands in just the right place in her hip bones, which are fairly visible on a slim dancer than a well endowed female. In my Pas de deux class, when we first begin to learn lifts, the ballet master usually teaches one pair at a time. He will be positioning himself to the partners very closely and show where to hold the female partner, and instruct the girl in how to do her part of the job and of course prevent falls. By teaching one pair at a time, others can watch closely and gain an idea on what is supposed to be done when their turn comes. I hope this help. Sami Answers to this message:
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