Thread: Snake arms

Ok so in my ballet class last week we did something very very similar to snake arms, It got me wondering where they came from, is this a Reda invention?.....

What did your ballet teacher call the arm movement?
And how is your class going btw, are you finding it beneficial in the areas you were hoping?

In regards to Reda; I don't think that "snake arms" are considered a Reda construct. That is not to say that something of the like wasn't included in their training.

Though the troupe members did ballet training "everyday for an hour" according to Mohamed Kazafy.

It is going wonderful!!!! I love it and it is helping with arm carrage, It is strange though i sware he pushes my hips down and chest out giving me a sway back, which confuses the heck out of me since i thought it was supposed to be straight.....that is a whole other thread.

I dont know what it was called since I dont speak japaneese, but it was exactaly snake arms, the only difference was that the arms moved together rather than opposite, and there was less shoulder movement

bird arms?

In *ballet*?

hmmm, yes but not very birdy, very small small small movements, it was very graceful, and we were traveling with them

There is a porte au bras done while doing tight bourre in Swan Lake where the arm pattern is very similar to a small snake arms BUT it doesn't originate int he shoulders as snake arms are supposed to. Well, it does, but the feel will be more a change through the elbows.

{{{HUGS}}}

like the first 10 sec of this clip

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEKJdMvtR1U&feature=related]YouTube - Yuan Yuan Tan ballet[/ame]

oh you have to click on the title

Originally Posted by annwyn

It is going wonderful!!!! I love it and it is helping with arm carrage, It is strange though i sware he pushes my hips down and chest out giving me a sway back, which confuses the heck out of me since i thought it was supposed to be straight.....that is a whole other thread.

Oh good :-) so glad you're enjoying.

I know it's really another thread, but the posture thing... in ballet it is important to have that extended spine but it is equally important to retain the natural curvature of the spine. Obviously I don't know the specifics of your physiology but perhaps you are over-straightening your lumbar spine so while his correction feels like an over compensation he is actually making sure you retain the proper lumbar curve? The position of the pelvis is critical to the rest of your alignment and your alignment is critical for all the relevant joints and muscles controlling them to be able to move freely and at their full range of movement.

If he is a good teacher, trust him and see where this new body alignment takes your dancing. If you still have doubts then educate yourself further on dance kinesiology so you can make your own decisions... I can recommend a book: Inside Ballet Technique by Valerie Grieg (@ amazon). Very detailed but very easy to read.

I dont know what it was called since I dont speak japaneese, but it was exactaly snake arms, the only difference was that the arms moved together rather than opposite, and there was less shoulder movement

Well, if you're asking wether snake arms entered the oriental dance vocab via Reda and any associated ballet influences, I would say no. no way.

Any dance forms are going to share some things in common because all dance forms work from the same raw materials -- the human body. I don't see this as evidence that one came from the other.

The whole presentation of the arms in the ballet clip, what the rest of the body was doing, what the music was doing -- none of it reminded me of how and when arm undulations are used in oriental dance.

Originally Posted by anala

bird arms?

Did you sit there and try to do the move as Annwyn described it?

Because when I did, I said, "Oh, like a bird. Weird."

After watching the clip, the move is very beautiful--not like Morris Day and the Time doing the bird.

Snake arms are used a lot in Turkish style. Love 'em!

Yep sat there and moved with the description!!! I use this move to work beginners up to snake arms alot. Morris...love him! Whauk!!

Originally Posted by mish_mish

not like Morris Day and the Time doing the bird.

Or even better, The Oak Tree:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=332SqqV-buk&feature=related]YouTube - Morris Day - Oak Tree[/ame]

There is a porte au bras done while doing tight bourre in Swan Lake where the arm pattern is very similar to a small snake arms BUT it doesn't originate int he shoulders as snake arms are supposed to. Well, it does, but the feel will be more a change through the elbows.

********** senior RATHOR taught that snake arms came from a more asian /eastern , hindu .thing
one of the many moves collected on the silk road that all went into "the dance".

"porte au bras "
btw, right on!
z

Oak Tree....very cool.

Now twist wrists with fingers slightly curved in and you have the male Persian "screwing in light bulb" dance gesture!

If you look at golden era dancers, many of them had arm patterns very similar to to what you are seeing in the Yuan Yuan Tan clip. Snake arms? No.

Keep in mind that ballet similar to what we know it today is over 400 years old and has older roots in Basque mens folk dance and Italian Court Dance.

{{{HUGS}}}

Yeah, Annwyn! I'm so happy you're doing Ballet and enjoying it! It really is a challenging, etheral art form.

Goodness, I LOVED the first ballet clip. It was like my childhood dreams come to life yet even better with snowflakes and lasers! ;-) Now I remember why I loved ballet so much. (sigh)

But bellydance is a much better, gentler form of dance for the adult woman's body.

I think, even though bellydance is much different than ballet and maybe the carriage is different, you still benefit from ballet training. You very rarely hear from a bellydance instructor, "you're just too graceful." (though sometimes you do:) I think it's easier to correct someone who's so flexible and technically proficient than to start from scratch. I could be wrong. I like trained dancers, and ballet is so technical, it will influence all areas of your body. Walking, moving, and dancing.

I was always told that the snake arms thing came into Egyptian dance via Indian dance influence.

Originally Posted by laura 2

Or even better, The Oak Tree:

YouTube - Morris Day - Oak Tree

...spread your branches, you know what to do
NOW SHAKE YOUR LEAVES!

I think Morris should have been a children's musician.

Originally Posted by Candi

I was always told that the snake arms thing came into Egyptian dance via Indian dance influence.

That would make sense. Probably got into Turkish the same way.