Saturday, January 31, 2015

Music & Markings

I happened to glance down at the record player (yes, my instructor uses an old-timey record player with vinyl records!) as I was walking out of class last week. Really, all I noticed was the word "Cecchetti", which possibly gives me something to go by when I'm practicing certain movements that differ between styles, such as arabesques.

Then I was watching some ballet videos and heard one of the songs that we use in class, the title below the video: Robert Long's "Battements Glisses". I just decided to check out the iTunes store and see if I could could find the album- and sure enough, there it was, along with a number of other songs we use in class. Of course, I shelled out the $10 so I can practice along to the right music :)

I also took some masking tape and marked where my feet should be in first/fifth near the barre (I tend to stand too close to the barre, and this is a proper distance away). Then I tendu'ed to second and put an X in masking tape where my a la seconde should be (since we don't have perfect turnout, my instructor has us do a la seconde wherever our feet point in first position instead of straight out to the side). I repeated for the other side, using the same mark for first/fifth (which I put near the halfway mark near the center of my barre). I've noticed (and it's been pointed out to me several times) that my foot should always arrive at the same place in many occasions when in a la seconde, so I'm hoping this helps me develop the muscle memory I need for this.

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