Choosing A Good Ballet Teacher/Good Posture
By Dianne M. Buxton

In choosing a good ballet teacher pay careful attention to the
postures you see in the students you observe. While the teacher
is not responsible for posture acquired before a student begins
training with her or him, she/he is responsible for establishing
correct posture at the beginning of every exercise in the class.

The spine has a natural curve. The back should not be swayed
with relaxed abdominal muscles, nor should it pulled into a
straight line with the pelvis tucked under and the abdominal
muscles bunched. The correct support of a natural curve in the
spine will develop the whole body correctly.

Abdominal muscles should be pulled UP and flattened. The
diaphram should be firm but not pulled in and down. The sides of
the ribs should expand for breathing. This way the chest will
lift to breathe, but not noticeably. If the chest is held
properly, the shoulders can relax. Shoulders should never be
pressed downward, or a fluid use of the arms will not be
achieved.

The head floats. It is a feeling of one's vision reaching for
the horizon, not a chin lift. This allows for free and natural
head movement even though the body is working hard below.

The arms move easily from the shoulder joints, the fingers are
placed in an easy manner, not tense and spikey looking. The
thumbs relax parallel to the index finger, not clenched against
it, or sticking out away from the hand.

Each individual has imperfections, or say differences, of
physique and posture compared to the ballet ideal. A good
teacher will take care to correct what the student is doing, as
opposed to commenting on what the student innately has (or is
stuck with, as the less ideally formed usually think). Although
from an instructional viewpoint, a teacher could point out to a
student who has very wide shoulders, that a high 5th position of
the arms (5th en haut) could be elongated, to detract from the
wideness of the shoulders.

After all, this is about theater, and the arts of illusion. (In
the advanced classes when the body is strong.)

Starting every exercise in the correct posture of the spine is
essential to developing strength and grace, and preventing
sprain, strain, and unnatural mannerisms.

It is also wise to have your skeletal alignment checked with a
chiropractor periodically, especially if you experience joint
pain or severe muscle spasms. Muscle spasms can also be due to
dehydration and exhaustion of your electrolytes, or a
calcium/magnesium deficiency. Please don't reach for a popular
sports drink. You need full mineral salts as in from 'all 12'
cell salts, a homeopathic tablet, good sea salt on your food,
and cayenne pepper is great for replenishing minerals. But all
that really is another article.

It's always best to check out a beginning level and a more
advanced level class in any given studio, to watch and listen to
how a teacher instructs, and to see how persistent she or he is
in demanding good basic technique.

All the best.

About the Author: Dianne M. Buxton is a graduate of the
National Ballet School of Canada. She taught there for several
years, and also taught at York University and George Brown
College in Toronto, and at Harvard University.
http://manifestingsuccess.blogspot.com

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