Pretty Penches
Hey everyone. Today's post is about one of the prettiest dance moves. Penches (pronounced pan-shay). When done correctly, penches can look effortless. Doing proper penches has a lot to do with different body parts working in opposition, a concept some dancers find challenging to understand. But never fear; this blog post will help you master this move!
Losing Control
First, it is very easy to fall out of a penche, especially if you're doing it on pointe. To maintain your balance, you need stability, which comes from good placement. Karen Gabay, artistic associate and ballet mistress of Ballet San Jose, says, "you need to have your weight right over the balls of your toes. As you lift your working leg, spread the toes of your standing foot inside your shoe and engage your core, which will help fight the feeling of losing balance." Gabay also suggests that you focus your gaze "past your fingertips" rather than looking at the floor. Looking at the floor can be disorienting.
Dropping Your Back
If you pitch forward and drop your upper back as you penche, you'll ruin the steps' elegant line. "If you think of your leg pushing you forward while you resist your upper body, you'll never get into a funky "plank" position," says Jessica Collado, a first soloist with the Huston Ballet. On the way back, reverse the order; lead back with your shoulder blades and resist against them with your working leg.
Forgetting About Your Arms
Many dancers sometimes focus on only one aspect of a particular move and ignore the other parts involved. Having a good port de bras is essential in mastering a penche. I suggest picturing a partner supporting your back wrist as you move into the penche to keep the arm from dropping too low or getting too far behind you.
Focusing on stretching both arms outward will create a feeling of opposition, which will help you keep your balance. I like to think about ice coming out of my fingertips (like Elsa from Frozen). It puts me right in the center of my balance.
Sitting In Your Standing Leg
Shifting your weight back into your standing leg and hip might give you an inch or two of height in your penche, but it can also be a recipe for disaster. "The second you rock back on your heel and stick your bum out, you'll start to lose control," Collado warns. Instead, think about lifting up on your supporting side and keeping your weight over your toes as you lean forward.
Opening Up Your Hip
This next one is a penche no-no when, in theory, it gives you more height and stretch. Opening up your hip distorts your line and, in turn, makes your penche look less impressive. "Don't sacrifice your position to get the leg up. The key to creating the illusion of a deep penche is to maintain a high-quality line, which will let the audience see every millimeter of your true extension." Gabay says.
One of my dance teachers, Ms. Terese, suggests imagining a line between your back toe and the opposite shoulder to keep your hips square (it'll also keep your leg directly behind you).
Ballet Barre Assist: To keep your hips square and your back lifted you can try doing penches by facing the ballet barre and then going into the penche position.
Penche Polishers
Having your left, right, and center splits down helps a lot. Over-splits can't hurt, either. These three moves will help improve your penche.
The Sphinx:
Lie on your stomach with your legs stretched behind you.
Prop yourself up on your elbows, with palms flat on the floor, engaging your back and abs.
Keeping your palms and hips on the floor, do a series (10 to start; increase by 5 after a week or two) of slow "push-ups."
When you're at the top, look at the ceiling, take a deep breath, and imagine your hips dropping down."
Gabay says. "That lengthening will give you a more supple back."
Back-Ups:
Lie on your stomach and lock your hands behind your head.
Lift your upper body off the floor.
Rock forward, lifting your legs; then rock backward, returning your legs to the floor and lifting your chest again.
"Continue to rock in that position, feeling the connection between your back and pelvis," says Miami City Ballet principal Tricia Albertson. You'll build strength in your back and hamstrings.
Wall Assist: Albertson likes to do penches against a wall, positioning her supporting foot a few inches away from the baseboard. "I put my hands on the floor and lift my leg slightly off the wall, ten times. It activates the muscles I'll need to hold the position and keeps me from sitting back in my standing leg."
And that concludes my post on how to get better at penches. I think this is one of my favourite moves in ballet. As always, if you enjoyed this post, make sure you like, comment, and share this post. Follow me on social media (listed below). Sending you all the light and love in this world. See you next time!
