ABSTRACT
Images of bodies bending and elongating, expanding and condensing, descending and ascending also race into the memory after a performance. Dancers pass into and out of still shapes, their bodies pouring from one place to the next like water flowing into different containers. Providing the dancers with opportunities to make their own Shaping choices is also important. This teaches them about their individual preferences and develops their understanding of ballet technique. Dancers inhabit clear forms in space, and as viewers, we capture those images in our memories. When ballet dancers emphasize only the static shape of the balletic positions, they miss out on a vital part of the balletic style: the actual process of moving-changes in breathing patterns, subtle changes in the limbs and torso, and the three-dimensional process of moving through space. Many upper level ballet students fall into physical patterns of "making shapes". While their balletic positions are clear and consistent, their transitions between the shapes are elusive.
