Well today I did not begin the day very well. I am not sure how it happened but my neck is in a very uncomfortable pain. Despite this I began the class thinking positively (well quite positively). I attempted the beginning of class but I was in awkward pain and I couldn’t execute the material properly. Rebekah gave me permission to sit out. Sitting out is a great opportunity to see the class from a different angle however I would much rather be up there dancing. 
Observation is learning and I felt as if I learnt a lot from watching today. There are several aspects of Rebekah’s floor work which are reinforced weekly:
- When sat in second position; really sit back to central position (this is further back then you feel comfortable)
- Make sure when sat in neutral second; really be on your sits bones.
- Concentrate on engaging the whole body.
- Turn out to your maximum
- Always keep this turn out
- When executing curves; do not cut corners
- Do not stick ribs out
I really can take the aspects on board. I know I have the tendency to stick my ribs out because of my hyper extended back. On the other hand I am really starting to feel where neutral second position is and starting to properly engage my body. I also try to work to my maximum turn out, not just in Rebekah’s class but in every class.
In the centre work (standing up) there were several aspects which were also reinforced. The areas which I picked up for improvement were:
- Pushing your second position to the maximum
- Clear positions
- Clear feet
I also noticed about the quality of the movement, for example when moving through a contraction, really melting into it and nearly falling out of it as so engaged. Rebekah made some really clear points about the ron de jambe exercise which I will put into practice:
· Try not to wobble, which means engaging supporting leg and turning out
· Extend to maximum
· Clear arms
· Square hips!
This are definitely aspects I need to focus on throughout technique classes. Furthermore I spotted a few of the other dancers where ‘crunching’ their necks when in a high release. I feel this is an aspect I need to work on too.
Today they learnt new material in the centre. I really need to catch up on this so I will ask one of them to go through it with me before the next class. Saying that, I feel I learnt some of the material by observation. By watching I can take on broad people’s strengths and incorporate their strengths into my learning. By watching today I feel as if I have found new areas I particularly want to make progress in. I enjoyed watching however I wish my neck was not as uncomfortable and I could have danced. However I can now put my observations into practice next week. I am going to stretch my neck out over the weekend and hope that it will improve.
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