This is exercise was all about using the back, which is one of my big weaknesses I think. I know that I have a bad back so I get scared of over using it in case it starts to ache or hurt etc. After doing this exercise for a few times i felt that I had improved just in that short space of time, really knowing how my back work in connection to my arms as well. I need to try and almost think of the back and arms as one rather than two separate limbs almost. For example in ballet or in fact contemporary when we hold our arms in second we need to feel like we are holding are arms from the centre of the back, not from the upper part of the back as then we will be pinching our shoulder blades. The back needs to feel open but in turn can feel the muscles engaging to hold our arms.
In a book by Linda Ashley called "Dance theory in practice for teachers: physical and performance skills" ( 2005) she mentions that for an example we should imagine a current of electricity running from one fingertip to the other this can help the arms look 'alive' and 'energised'. I think also that this makes you also connected to your centre making you feel more sturdy and in control of your balance this will help in a rise etc as well.
The back gives many weaknesses away you can tell that someone is not using the back as this restricts their movement if they are using the back then the movement almost ripples through the body e.g. Graham technique has a strong connection to the back in contractions, the contraction is the initiation but you can see this straight away in the spine and the back and also on the release the back is the initiation and you can See it starting from the base of the spine and the ripple up through the back to the tip of your head.
At the end of this video sequence I could make the movement ripple through my spine more thinking about the release at the base of the back all the way up, this could make this move a lot more fluid and striking to watch as well to see the spine really move. I also think I could take more of a risk in the turn, and really let the weight of the body take me round and the use of my back, technique classes are about taking risks and not being perfect. Its a chance to test things especially In release technique let gravity take us, Use the initiation of the back to take me round in my turn lea out of it more and trust that if hold my centre that I will balance but then again so what if I fall over its about testing the grounds, how much I can give, do I need less momentum or more?
Some other feed back that I got in class was to lengthen my movement out more especially when I finish my moves so that I don't just get to a position and settle in one set position constantly keep moving. It gives the movement more fluidity but in a way more of a sense of grounding and always one movement to flow into the next for example in a slap turn when I land and finish the turn don't just 'slump' out of it let the length flow out of my arms and out of my waist and legs.
This could also work on grande battements if you use the length of your legs to reach and brush against the floor and reach past the length of your own leg then it makes the movement more 'juicy' and gives it more ' umph'. This is something I need to improve on and through time I think it will come, this has only just been brought to my attention so I haven't been able to work on it as of yet but I will and upload videos and pictures to show an example of this.
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