VoyForums

[ VoyUser Login optional ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, [8], 9, 10 ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 05:32:29 02/14/08 Thu
Author: Ealain
Subject: Inside...
In reply to: mom of ds 's message, "Any older boys remember going through difficult times with their dancing?" on 09:22:38 02/13/08 Wed

I didn't start dancing until I was 15 (two years ago), but recently I've found myself going through the same kind of experience; these days I tend to take much longer to get a grip on things, even though they're the same standard of movements and very little actually changes in terms of choreography. I've also developed a few arm and wrist issues that I didn't have before.

Since you don't stop growing until you're 21, I think the experience carries on, but the best you can really do is ease through the transition and fix all things that are fix-able. I know my arms are ridiculously long, so it's even easier to notice little quirks like wrist and arm problems. Encourage him, support him, do whatever you can. Not only will he appreciate it in the long run, but you'll be able to help him infinitely.

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

[> [> hey there Ealain - how you going? Ds has the same trouble - gangly arms - it makes him look like he has orangutan arms and they flop around everywhere..also makes him "lurch" his upper body. He is slowly getting used to his extra height etc and it is starting to subside. Hang in there Moms - ds will get used to it. -- Lee in Darwin, 16:12:52 02/14/08 Thu [1]

Did you get into the Uni you wanted?

[Edit]
[> [> [> Hey Lee! More inside, plus some more tips for everyone on helping out the boys... -- Ealain, 06:28:32 02/16/08 Sat [1]

I'm rather happy at the moment, and your good self? Hope Owen, Fletcher, Sarah and everyone are going well up there in Darwin - Sarah excited for the Worlds next Month? It's going to be a great spectacle, even from here in Australia. Woohoo!

I think the main thing with going through puberty - particularly with male dancers - is that these issues inevitably come along, and that it's a prime opportunity to re-consider and re-apply the principles of keeping correct posture and upper body positions in Irish that you focus on when you first started dancing. I know that I myself now seek extra help from my TC in trying to straighten out my problems with my arms and wrists, and the posture which usually falters a bit, particularly with the higher jumps; within the first few months of my starting back in '06, I'd gained and sustained the right posture and had no problems, but now they're coming back again.

The key is to help out your sons/brothers/etc. if ever they need it; I usually have my dancer friends watch me dancing after I have a practice session at the studio, so that they can warn me whenever one of the problems crops up again, and consequentially I can focus on re-dancing from the beginning whilst trying to keep that issue down-pat. If necessary, you can go back to the whole tying-elastic-around-the-wrists routine, so that your DS can adjust to the feeling of dancing with straight, rigid arms whilst simultaneously getting used to the new length/feeling of his limbs.

One particular tip that I've found do work quite well with this: Practice in front of a mirror, even if only in a stationary, non-moving position due to lack of available space, is crucial in the process of fixing physical problems that are at all noticeable when it comes to dancing. Even if you're not dancing (I do this a lot of the time), if you ever pass a mirror, stop for a minute and straighten your back, square your shoulders a little, keep the arms by your sides; this helps with muscle memory and a more natural easing through the transition back into good posture and suchlike.

And yes! I got into the university I wanted - University of Western Sydney. :) It was my first preference on my list, and I'll be doing a four-year Bachelor of Arts (Psychology)/Masters in Primary Teaching double degree. I might transfer to another university after my first year, depending on my grades and my comfort level with the uni, but chances are I'll end up staying where I am.

Hope everything's going well up there in the NT! :D *hug*

[Edit]

[> [> Very good advice Ealain. We are focusing on all the things he is doing well and his TC is assuring him that the arms will begin to cooperate more soon. Luckily, it isn't a really noticable issue, but a new one for him and it is driving him crazy! -- Irishmama, 20:00:55 02/14/08 Thu [1]


[Edit]

[ Contact Forum Admin ]

Forum timezone: GMT-8
VF Version: 2.94, ConfDB:
Before posting please read our privacy policy.
VoyForums(tm) is a Free Service from Voyager Info-Systems.
Copyright © 1998-2008 Voyager Info-Systems. All Rights Reserved.