The Pure Joy of Muscle Memory
At home one afternoon, after returning from my studio, I became riveted to an exhibition ice skating special on the television. For the past several weeks, in anticipation of the upcoming winter Olympics, there have been various winter related sports venues scheduled on the weekend. From a publicity aspect, these can wet the appetites of the public and elevate a high level of interest to these events. However, this show was different. The performing ice skaters had a very special place in my...
Read MoreShall We Dance?
Probably no other form of dance can better exemplify the elegance of spinal alignment than ballroom dancing. In your “dancers’ hold,” the term “mirror image” is uniquely expressed as if the two dancers move simultaneously but opposite of each other with precision, form and fluidity. I have seen top professionals perform and it appears as if they actually breathe together as “one.” Ballroom dancing is wildly popular with TV shows like “Dancing With...
Read MoreAre all barre classes the same?
Are all barre classes the same? I think not. The ballet barre is a staple of the classical dancer. It is their primary piece of equipment for methodically and structurally slowly warming up all the muscles of the body. Professional dancers warm up even prior to the class with various modes of their favorite stretches such as sitting in center splits with legs outstretched in two opposite directions or leaning up against a sturdy wall with one leg on the floor and the other propped up onto the...
Read MoreAlignment and performance
Any activity, whether it is for competitive goals to be mastered, or simply, for pure recreational outlets, have one certain component in common…. And that is alignment of the spine. Why is that? Movement of our limbs in concert with the muscles can be simply walking briskly or shuffling along and kicking up leaves with our feet. The more concentration a person can bring to the memory within the muscles, the more accurate and efficient our movements can become. Having a daughter who...
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