Wrists, Palms and Finger tips

‘‘Wrists, Palms, finger tips and open’’ are words that I’m pretty sure will stay with me forever. These are the words of my very first ballet teacher as she carefully trained, using what I think must have been a pre-primary exercise at the time, the correct line and feel of balletic hands. I use this exercise with my own pre-primaries now. Although it isn’t set as part of the syllabus, my 5 and 6 year olds love doing it as it looks as if you are creating a growing flower with your hands.

The hands do take different shapes in ballet but to achieve a curved line such as bras bas or 5th the middle finger should be slightly bent inwards towards the thumb allowing it to continue the smooth line of the arm. To practice this, try picking up a pencil using your middle finger and thumb to help you to understand which fingers are coming in slightly towards each other. Once you have mastered the correct shaping, close your eyes and imagine that the hands are floating. This will help the hands to appear as a delicate extension from the rest of your body.

New York City Principal dancer Sara Mearns once said that “most people, when you’re in an audience, you watch from waist up.” She is right. Our upper bodies tend to tell a story and the hands are included in this. One of the things that I am always trying to improve in my own practice is my hands. As I get nervous my fingers tighten and tend to look sharp. I have to think very carefully about my hands to achieve a smooth and dainty line rather than fingers that resemble a scared spider!