Ballet Teacher Reacts to Misty Copeland's Masterclass: Part 1 | TwinTalksBallet

[@cirquebeat]

This masterclass uses the approach to technique of eric conrad of the "ballet conrad" youtubr channel. I understand he taught her that. He has some videos of the coaching sessions available on his website but I havent seen them.

[@celester.812]

Yesss I would love to see her review them

[@LadyBlack22]

I was going to say the same thing. I have seen the videos and his teaching is revolutionary.

[@stoneybaloney65]

He is amazing! I’ve taken zoom privates with him and have never experienced anything like it.

[@chalkedlines8960]

Oddly enough, Cecchetti taught that the weight shouldn't shift to the standing leg (20:49). Learning this sort of blew my mind.

[@DaniellaTousson]

(note from mom): We tried the Misty Copeland Masterclasses. Super lady and dancer, but her approach covers her own shortcomings in general. As she grows and matures she'll more robustly advise. She's just young. So I don't sign her up for them anymore as we are looking for a more curriculum and standards based instruction set, so Daniella can understand the nominal, then apply it and find her own nuance variation and issue correction process and journalize them.

[@CedricsMom]

I suspect that teachers say things like "oh, that's just not your thing" because the teachers don't know how to train someone with different body issues. Hyperextended knees (right here) make a lovely line but it also makes us vulnerable to knee issues etc. A lot of teachers simply don't know what to do with that. So that's where the ignorance comes from. A dancer has to really hunt and search and research to find effective ways to deal with problems like that.

[@Christina4758]

I have hyperextension and my dancing improved so much when I finally found a teacher who told me NOT to put my heels together.

[@kamilareeder1493]

The masterclass isn't what I was expecting 👀👀 I thought it would be like a regular damce masterclass 🤔 but I appreciate her just giving us some advice and perspective

[@kamilareeder1493]

Haha she inspired me to start dancing. I started late like her and we have a very similar background :) it was so interesting to hear her talk about her injuries and her personal scruples with dance training 👀💀 makes me feel greatful that I'm not as hypermobile as her . :) I used to envy her leg shape. One time I met her after a performance and I was shocked to find that she is only 5'2 😂😭 I was towering over her, she seems so tall onstage. Must be the leg muscles 💪

[@gummybear8154]

Wow she does seem taller haha I thought maybe 5’7?

[@kamilareeder1493]

@@gummybear8154 haha en pointe yes.

[@KayAlexandria283]

Yes!!!! When I was in college she came to my University to take class (we thought she was giving a class 😆) and we were all gobsmacked by the fact that 1.) She wasn’t teaching us that day, and 2.) How tiny she is, because she looks so long in her dancing! We were all just looking at her like 😮 😂😂

[@GeorgeOu]

Ciccetti, Royal Ballet, ABT, Europeans, and most International schools focus on getting the aplomb where the belly button goes over the front shin (between the heel and ball, but closer to the heel) of the standing foot which creates a very straight standing leg that encloses the aplomb. SAB and other American schools that follow SAB put their bellybutton center-of-gravity over the ball of the foot that allows the dancer to press up at a moment's notice, but it creates a very slanted standing leg. Vaganova generally goes over the front shin like most in the world, but I will notice some exceptions like Maria Khoreva who likes to go more over the balls of the foot. Elite dancers from both schools of thought can make either system work, and there are times you want to be slanted in the standing leg and others when you want it straighter. So I think this is one of those things where you just use what works for you. Misty might just appear to be over the heel, or even past the heel because of her extreme hyperextention in the knees. I would need to see her en face in tendu seconde and then I will draw a vertical line in the computer from her bellybutton down, and that will likely be over the front of the shin bone.

[@AnnaAnna-zi8ri]

I love this explanation and comparison! You put it into words so nicely. Makes a lot of sense.

[@KayAlexandria283]

This was so insightful! Thank you for sharing this! I have been watching your videos and have been on a journey to learning how to have a healthy mindset in my dancing. Thank you so much for your channel! I appreciate you so much ♥️

[@heidiannette76]

She got this from Eric Conrad and I am sure you know it ( or should) and the indication about the heel it is just at the beginning. if you hear it from Eric he explains that eventually you need to press your whole foot. Mainly it is a matter on how to begin to understand placement rather than just making a position or straightening the legs incorrectly, hyperextension or not. And yes, I have taken classes with Svetlana , so I DO know. About keeping the hips in the center, it isn't as that, you developed your hips as a UNIT , the body does shift a tad but you don't purposely do it once you move from two legs to one. It keeps you compacted , under control and consistent so you can demonstrate artistry. I think the way that Misty is explaining could be misinterpreted but she definitely applied correctly what Eric taught her and you can see the difference in her body and quality of dancing.

[@gummybear8154]

Omg this is like a podcast and it’s very informative, thank you for that haha

[@joanacleliasoares3839]

Ñ falo inglês,mas sou do Brasil Belém do Pará se é de ballet te dou nota mil professora.Amo o ballet.❤🌹

[@belkyhernandez8281]

Misty studied this technique with Eric Conrad. He is super picky about studying things in a certain order. That tucking could just be it wasn't the focus in that moment.

[@asantos704]

why would u ever tuck at all though?

[@belkyhernandez8281]

@@asantos704 I don't think he was advocating for tucking. What I am saying is that maybe that portion of the video was focused on something else. It was a few years ago so I don't remember. But these were taken from sessions that were sometimes hours long.

[@dbird1965]

In my thinking, weight distribution should be over the whole foot, especially the arch where the shin meets the bones of the foot. This creates a spring in the foot that directly corresponds to the abdomen which now can also take on this collected, sprung, arched shape, and serve the appendages instead of gripping in shoulder and hip sitting. Weight over the toes produces too much quad and bent knees as a result, turnin and lack of controll due to lack of hamstring use

[@emhu2594]

Trying to keep my weight over my toes held me back for years. If someone tells you that, find another teacher

[@bettysmith8986]

yes, I agree . Every dancer has unique qualities that may require specific attention. I too have hyper extended knees (double jointed as we used to say) However I was always taught not to give in to the bend but to maintain the neutral position. Now that I have returned to ballet as an adult I sometimes have problems balancing because my knees do not lock in neutral. So I would have to do what Misty appears to be doing in her first position which is lock my knee into the hyperextension. This position to me does not look flattering and can have long term effects possibly causing injury. To balance in neutral I have to really work all the muscles in my legs to the max. Placing all of my weight on a hyperextended knee I fear would cause serious problems in the long run. Just sayin"

[@rosedavis8390]

This was great! Loved it!

[@CarinRuff]

This is fascinating, and I'd love to see you react to other classes that are online-perhaps to the various company classes that are archived from previous World Ballet Days.

[@TheConfidentDancer]

Great idea!! Thank you so much!

[@Constantin9va]

More of this!!!🩰

[@a.nonymous2089]

How do you square this with all the complaints that she can't do technique that all other principals can do? She's got some pretty embarrassing footage floating around KZbin ...

[@kareno7848]

The problem here is the Misty is just NOT up to snuff. Watch her dance. Watch the LACK of quality of movement. Her head sits stiff on her shoulders. No petit allegro and she is supposed to be a world class ballerina? Watch a comparison between her and Diana Vishneva. Vishneva is a graceful as a cat. Misty constantly jerks her head to keep her balance. Then ask yourself. Do you want this result for yourself?

[@christar9527]

I haven’t danced in ages but I noticed how tight she is in the shoulders too. You rarely see her showing her entire body here. It’s just snippets of a body part. Seems like she’s hiding things.

[@dianaalonso9696]

Please do the other masterclasses as well! 😅🙏🏻

[@TAZdance3]

I have been observing the 'ballet conrad' method for the past month, with curiosity trying to understand why some dancers and the teacher himself swear by this method so intensely. I almost feel like I am missing something yet finding it hard to relate...I have also been trained differently, distributing the weight of the body between the three points of the foot and shifting the weight when on one leg. I am a hypermobile and hyperextended (in the knees) dancer and it has been made aware to me that with hyperextended knees the hamstrings have to be strong to support the knee and stability (often hypermobile dancers have a harder time finding stability and balance because of the body's many possibilities it can stand and move) ... I personally find it very unstable to have my weight on my heels.. perhaps I dont have the strength in that position ..I also experience pain in my tibia bone from gripping when I stand and tendue this way.. I would be interested to hear if anyone has any experiences with this method :)

[@rbdb8953]

I'm not even a dancer although I took ballet and jazz for a year in 9th grade. But I did have cervical spinal fusion and was in a car accident after that. I find that his hip/ pelvis work is very beneficial. When I focus on that strong foundation, I don't have to strain through my neck and shoulders to have good posture there. My muscles there actually relax & I still have good posture there, when I make my hip area and pelvis do the work. Very 😎

[@celester.812]

Can you please do a more in depth video on placement? Please ❤️

[@TheConfidentDancer]

Thanks for asking! Have you happened to already watch my turnout and placement video that I posted last August? If not, that’s a great place to start!

[@gummybear8154]

Love the reaction🥰 hope to see more in the future🤍

[@gabsl1552]

How is she different from Julie Kent?

[@Ms.Opinionated]

People of color sometimes build muscles differently; therefore, I'm glad she showing a different technique. I had calf muscles like hers back in the day and people thought I was trained wrong. One Love 💘 ❤ 😍

[@Richie8a8y]

It’s a list of her shortcomings.

[@ot8479]

THA'S WHAT PARASITES DO WHEN THEY CANNOT ACTUALLY LIVE THE LIFE THEY WOULD LIKE TO LIVE.

[@aaliyahmichael8853]

@@ot8479what…..

[@belkyhernandez8281]

If you watch Misty's training throughout the months and you compare her hyper mobility, you will see it is greatly reduced from what is seen in this video.

[@kristenjohnson6583]

Misty Copeland is NOT one of the "best dancers in the world." She's barely average.

[@fredrika27]

That may be true, but she fills theaters and has fans while dedicating her life to dance!

[@emhu2594]

Russians are the best ballerinas. But they work for it from a very young age. Misty started when she was very old...she will never compare

[@fredrika27]

@@emhu2594 OMG, I am so sorry that Misty hasn't had the privilege of an antiquated Soviet style dance school, where the dancers are taken from their parents at an early age, starved and over trained with many having life long injuries or rich parents who could pay for the best training at €21,000 year! There are MANY dancers on KZbin who have won prestigious awards only to walk away from ballet because they were burned out! Miko Folgarty comes to mind who is now studying biology! Good and/or prestigious training is a must, but so are heart and dedication!

[@fredrika27]

@@GiselleKlara So what's wrong with that. I remember when Gelsey Kirkland wrote Dancing on My Grave and became a media sensation! People didn't talk about her like a dog nor belittle her for her cocaine addiction!

[@yvonneleslie7681]

@@fredrika27 Because Gelsey could actually dance. She could walk the walk as well as talk the talk...

[@gummybear8154]

I didn’t understand the part about where you’re meant to put the weight of your body? You said directly over the heel wasn’t as helpful I’m confused😭 I watched that part like thrice lol and didn’t understand it. Probably cuz I only dance as a hobby

[@ot8479]

NO CAUSE SHE SUCKS AND ACTUALLY IS NOT THSAT GOOD, OTHERWISE SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN CAST BY GOOD COMPANIES!!!!!

[@matina_angel]

If you have hyperextended knees, how can you put your heels together in 1st and still be fully stretched?? You cannot, obviously! Eric is so right. And also, you should not have the weight on the balls of the feet. Watch Baryshnikov, when he takes preparation for pirouette, he seems like he puts weight on the working leg. If you know how to look, you can understand.

[@larissaswayze]

Haha - first comment of probably several not even two minutes in 🤣 For some reason I pretty much always want to think about dance even though I am a dancer/teacher. To be fair I don’t actually spend all my time engrossed in it - I have a whole bunch of other things going on - so maybe that’s why anytime I come across a new ballet video I’m like CLICK!!!

[@oliviacapasso2792]

I have hyperextention, one leg more than the other. As for the heels together approach, when I am standing at the barre, in first position, I have my heels together in order to properly activate my inner thighs, rotators, and everything down to my arches, but that's just for the position, the pose. When I am passing through first, let's say for a grand fouette, there is no way that my heels will be able to touch as I'm just passing through.

[@originofnoise]

How does one walk with such legs? It's mindblowing. It looks so bad that it should be treated.

[@Art--Deco]

They look fine, your eyes are what should be treated.

[@ot8479]

IF TOO MANY LAYERS OF RACISM AND ENVY ARE RUINING YOUR CORNEA, GO TO A MEHTAL HOSPITAL.

[@matina_angel]

Also she is not tucking, you think she is because everbody nowadays work with a lordosis and teachers don't know what the pelvis should do.

[@thebluehotel426]

I enjoyed your comments very much.

[@ot8479]

IF YOU LIVE UNDER A ROCK, ARE RACIST, AND KNOW LITERALLY NOTHING ABOUT BALLET, PERHAPS!

[@frederickg.6155]

Love Misty but no barre nor plie to be found. I was hoping for a workout not just talking.

[@MrLuis85698]

Misty Copeland; the worst Principal dancer in History, she is unbeatable in that category.

[@sherriebans4737]

@mrluis85698 So sad and easy to be negative.

[@MrLuis85698]

@@sherriebans4737 what is "sad" is to pay money to attend a performance and be utterly disappointed, what is sad is celebrate inexistent greatness.. but what is "easy" is to be a hypocrite.

[@johngalt969]

Ngl, Misty Copeland is rubbish.

[@aaliyahmichael8853]

What makes you say that?

[@TheSunshinefee]

negative debby