Dear Poppy,
My teacher keeps telling me that my shoulders are “up.” To me, it feels like they are down just where they should be. Then I look in the mirror and, sure enough, my shoulders are loitering in the vicinity of my ears! How can I become aware of my body when I’m dancing?
Loitering Shoulders
Dear Loitering Shoulders,
Listen to your teacher, honey. The mirror can be a useful tool, if used effectively and not narcissistically. Try to put yourself into what you think is a good dance position (without looking in the mirror). When you think you’re where you should be, look in the mirror. Are your shoulders rolled back and down? Is your head lifted? Are your arms parallel to the floor? Does what you feel in your mind’s eye match what you see in the mirror?
If not, make the proper adjustments, using the mirror to help, then stand there and feel your body in the revised position. Give your body a chance to sense and relearn the new position. It will take practice. Just keep checking yourself in the mirror until you can move into the correct position all of the time. Don’t give up, Sweetie, it will happen!
Ms. Poppy Chiffon — the doyenne of dance, the baroness of ballroom etiquette, the sultana of Southern hospitality — is pleased to answer your dance-related questions. Here are a few queries that Poppy deigned to extract from her mailbag this week. If you have a question that you would like Poppy Chiffon to address, please e-mail her at askpoppy@dancestationusa.com. Ms. Chiffon regrets that she cannot respond individually to questions.
