With over 45 years of teaching dance and theatrical acrobatics in New York City I have found the following technical notes to be of value to teachers who teach or would like to start teaching Theatrical Acrobatics and Tumbling. As with all forms of knowledge its the fundamentals that are the most important and with body movement, especially, this is true. Following basic rules one can produce well trained acrobats and tumblers who execute movements technically and physically correct.
Basic Theory
Acrobatics: is the use of the body in movements that require counter-balance actions usually associated with curved line and arched back positions. Movements wherein hand support is maintained until foot support is attained.
Tumbling: is the use of the body in movements that require over or off-balance actions usually associated with straight lines and little or no arched back positions. Movements wherein hand support is withdrawn before foot support is attained. (Whether one considers him/her self an acrobat or tumbler both use some of the above to perfect their particular field)
5 Basic body actions: *Bend *Balance *Split *Roll *Twist
3 Basic body positions (P T L): *Pike (the torso makes a right angle to the legs) *Tuck (the body and legs are drawn into a ball or fetal position) *Layout (the torso is arched backwards to make as long a line as possible from finger tips to toes)
6 Fundamental movements in Acrobatics from which all variations are constructed: *Backbend *Front Limber *Back Walkover *Front Walkover *Handstand *Split
6 Fundamental movements in Tumbling from which all variations are constructed: *Forward/Backward roll *Front Handspring *Back Handspring *Cartwheel (2 handed side-to-side) *Handstand *Split
Considered to be fundamentals in both Acrobatics and Tumbling:
Backbend: There are two methods of executing a Backbend (which in reality is an exercise to learn how to arch backwards to the floor and recover from the floor)
#1 With arms extended up overhead and alongside the ears, feet parallel and separated slightly wider than the width of the hips, arch backward as far as possible on straight legs (pelvis must move forward). When the body cannot arch any more bend the knees and reach for the floor with both hands. To recover: rock the weight backwards thru the shoulder girdle and then push hips forward to roll off fingers to bring torso upright back to the starting position. Note: the feet must not turn outward but remain parallel ie: basic theory of ballet that the knees must remain over the toes. Turning the feet outward places the knees improperly and makes the feet sickle on the recovery.
#2 With arms and legs as above in Backbend #1 arch backwards as far as possible by pressing the hips forward. When the back will no longer arch bend knees slightly and lift heels from floor (releve) continuing to press hips forward and reach for the floor with both hands. To recover: rock the weight of the body backwards thru the shoulder girdle then push the hips forward to roll off the fingers. As hands leave the floor and the torso moves forward press the heels back down onto the floor and straighten the knees to bring the body back to the starting position.
Note: to help students master this action of plie/releve practice FACING a wall by standing approximately 3 or 4 inches from the wall with feet parallel and arms extended overhead alongside the ears execute the exercise using the numbered actions listed below ** #1 Arch back on straight legs until hips touch wall recover #2 Move feet back 1 inch repeat #1 and execute demi plie and knees touch wall recover #3 Move feet back another 1 inch repeat #1 & #2 then releve knees will still touch wall recover #4 Move feet back another 1 inch repeat #1,#2,#3 at this point the students is actually executing the backbend unaided then place hands on floor (heels remain in releve) #5 Rock weight back over shoulder girdle #6 Push hips forward and roll off fingers #7 Press heels down, straighten knees and bring torso upright to starting position
Note: this takes practice but is an exercise the student can practice alone. I teach this Backbend to students who are hyper-extended in the spinal column ** I teach this Backbend to students who are not hype-extended or have little flexibility in the spinal column Regardless of which method you teach, basic rules of the use of plie must be adhered to to prevent physical damage to the knees and insteps of the feet (rolling over)
Handstand: With arms extended up overhead and alongside ears and the R foot pointed forward, lunge far forward onto the R leg (arms, back and back leg should become a straight line in this position).Reach far forward to place hands on the floor AST kicking the back leg (L) upwards and overhead. Push away from the floor with the R leg bringing the legs together in a momentary handstand with the back as straight as possible. Recover by opening the L leg and pushing the torso backwards off the hands to the original starting position. Handstands take practice.
There are many exercises that one can do to obtain good handstands. Here are a two:
Handstand on the wall: Prepare for the handstand facing the wall and execute the action placing the 1st then 2nd leg onto the wall. Once feet are resting on the wall press with the finger tips into the floor and push up out of the shoulders. Take one foot slightly away from the wall followed by the 2nd foot and try to maintain balance, push away and alight on the foot into the starting position. The object is to maintain balance in the hand stand position and finding the place where the feet come together. Pressing the finger tips into the floor controls the over-balance, to control the under-balance you must bend the elbows slightly. Again this takes practice.
Handstand with entre-chat: Execute a regular handstand bringing the 2nd leg (the L if doing the prep from the R foot) back behind the R leg so ankles are crossed in the air. Execute 1 entre-chat in the hand stand position ie: beat legs back front. Open the L leg and push backwards to the original standing position.
Pointers: the straighter the back the easier it is to balance, focus should be slightly down with the head between the arms. Tight abdominals control the arch in the back.
Note: There is a difference in balancing for hyper-extended (contortionist) bodies.
Splits: Front Splits are executed without turnout. The legs are parallel to the floor ie: Thigh of the forward leg is facing upward to the ceiling. Thigh of the back leg is facing downward to the floor so the top of the knee and the instep rests on the floor (keeps hips square to shoulder girdle) The shape of the split if seen from above looking down is a dissected H
Pointers: legs are straight with feet pointed, do not sit on the buttocks, sit on the legs, Straddle Splits are executed so the student sits on the floor on the back part of the thighs with the top of the thighs facing upward again, not sitting back on the Buttocks -
-TO BE CONTINUED-