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Hi All,
When Carolena explains posture in her DVDs (esp. Volume 1), she tells to shift your weigt into the heels.
Well, and that's exactly the problem I'm currently fighting with. While I'm able to do the weight shift while just standing there, adjusting my posture (and thinking "shift your weight!"), as soon as I so much as move a toe, I unconsciously shift my full weight back to the balls of my feet.
It's like my body resists the weight shift, and as soon as left alone by the conscious, takes the chance to ignore it.
Does any of you experience the same? And has some exercises, hints, tips... as to what I might do to keep my weight shifted to my heels?
When Carolena explains posture in her DVDs (esp. Volume 1), she tells to shift your weigt into the heels.
Well, and that's exactly the problem I'm currently fighting with. While I'm able to do the weight shift while just standing there, adjusting my posture (and thinking "shift your weight!"), as soon as I so much as move a toe, I unconsciously shift my full weight back to the balls of my feet.
It's like my body resists the weight shift, and as soon as left alone by the conscious, takes the chance to ignore it.
Does any of you experience the same? And has some exercises, hints, tips... as to what I might do to keep my weight shifted to my heels?
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Re: Weight shift in posture
Sat, November 13, 2010 - 10:35 AMDo you have other dance experience that has trained your weight to be in the balls of your feet? I have noticed my ballet and lyrical students have this trouble. If so you are going to have to re- train your feet. The more you do something the more it stays in your memory and your body will do it automatically after 200 times of doing it. Just constantly check your posture and make sure you are in check. =) Good luck! -
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Re: Weight shift in posture
Sat, November 13, 2010 - 10:37 AMSorry I meant to say on your toes :Do you have other dance experience that has trained your weight to be in the toes of your feet?
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Re: Weight shift in posture
Sat, November 13, 2010 - 12:03 PMAll of the posture parts are balanced. The soft knees, released hips and shoulders rolled back and down tend to rock your weight towards the back anyway. The lifted chest, elbows forward and head level counter-balance that. Balance is all in the head. Really! Check the position of your head to see if maybe you're pushing it out too far, one way or another.
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Re: Weight shift in posture
Mon, November 15, 2010 - 10:52 AMTo add.... if you imagine a vertical pole running through your body... look at your profile. Is that pole really vertical or is it at an angle? It needs to get vertical.
It also may help to lift your toes when you're practicing the taxeem. It may help to keep your weight back and centered. When students learn the reverse taxeem, and I usually have a couple of them who lift their heels to execute the movement, I tell them to lift their toes instead to get the heels out of the equation and focus on the real movement. That way, they can't reasonably lift their heels. It seems to drive the message home. -
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Re: Weight shift in posture
Sat, November 27, 2010 - 6:26 AMWoah, time flies... *feels like just going for a coffee and suddenly two weeks are gone*. The past two weeks have been madness at work.
@Hollie: Hm, you might have a point. I don't have any other dance training, but some years ago I've been doing tournament archery quite intensively and there we used to shift our weight slightly forward while shooting. This was quite some time ago, but since I never retrained my body in the other direction, maybe there's some residual habit left.
@Sandi: Thanks for the breakdown on how the different parts of posture affect the balance of the whole body. Definitely gotta check my head in the mirror while dancing.
@Carrie: Like I wrote above, it might be that my whole body is slightly leaning forward. Up to now, I didn't check my profile in the mirror very often, mostly the mirror was flat in front of me. Sadly lifting my toes does not seem to work, I found out yesterday evening, that I'm perfectly able to lift my toes with my weight shifted forward. Stupid body of mine... :o|
So overall it seems I need to make a lot more use of the mirror while dancing (a thing I have been trying to avoid all through my life). Yeehaw... ;o)
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