I was thinking, about dancing with emotion. <BR>I mean, a dancer can have all the emotion inside of them, and be trying to express it to the audience, but what if the audience doesnt see what the dancer is trying to express? What if it doesnt come across the way it is supposed to? <BR>Anyway, i hope this doesnt sound too silly, because i have heard of some people thinking they are doing something, when people have been watching and they have actually said 'no, you didnt do that'. An example is when you are say....trying to hold in your stomach and thinking you are, but the teacher says you arent. Like you think you are doing it but you actually arent. I know that was a little off topic, but it was an example.

Elizabeth - it's not off topic at all - it's very much on topic!! Heaven knows how many times I really thought my knee was tight and the teacher was saying at that very same moment "get that knee tight!"<P>As for having the emotion "seen" - to some extent that takes experience. There are some tools - the mirror - the coach - watching how others dancers do it - and watching yourself on tape.<P>I found that many times, it takes a "pause" - just an extra moment - to linger - and allow the emotion to come across the footlights. All within the music of course. Prima Ballerina Assoluta Margot Fonteyn was exquisite at this. She never hurried - nothing was frenetic. <P>I think that we are trying to explain the magic that happens - and I am not sure we can completely explain it - otherwise it wouldn't be magic. How do we explain why one piece of music can make you cry and another will get no reaction?

Yes, i can understand that you cant explain the emotion in dance. I dont think anyone can. But maybe you could explain this. How do you get the balance between technique and expression?

Elizabeth- the hours - years - that you spend learning in both your mind and body the technique of the dance - is exactly what frees you to express the dance.<P>When you are a new student and you have so much to pay attention to - and everything seems so "held -in" you wonder - how am I EVER supposed to dance with all these rules? And yet it is those very rules that if you obey them, will free you to dance. Your body will have the strength and placement necessary to dance - and that's where your soul takes over and shines through all that discipline.

not wishing to dampen things by being TOO mundane here, elizabeth and basheva, but elizabeth: this is also one of the responsibilities of a teacher or coach - to BE that outside pair of eyes, which helps you find the right balance.....

I *love* your answer Basheva.

Oh my goodness..<BR>I know these posts are old, but I have been reading them and Basheva, I tried your breathing technique and for the first time did a triple pirouette - I had no idea breath can make such a wonderful difference!<P>*Amy*

Amy - it gives me a lot of pleasure to know that I have helped you......... Truly it does - thank you for telling me

Amy, there are many good "old posts." Don't be shy about going through them and adding your own posts. We enjoy them ourselves!<BR>p.s. Ain't Basheva grand?