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Left/Right handed dancers??


Guest tammi_twinkle

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Guest tammi_twinkle

I'm doing a first hand investigation for science, to determine whether left handed people are better at ballet, or enjoy it more than right handed people and vice versa.

So, if any of you dancers out there could post and tell me your handedness it'd be really helpful.

Also if you have any ideas on where to look, or who to contact about finding out about famous dancers and their handedness then i'd be ever so grateful!!! :D

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Cool question. I'm a righty but I turn better in the right direction which I think is a left handed thing. I don't know. My jumps are much better to the right as well. What are people's thoughts on dominant sides? I thought right handed people do better going left, am I wrong? Sorry to side track this question..

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Hi!

I don't know about ballet, but I thought I'd throw in some skating tidbits since it's a bit similar.

Most skaters jump and spin counter-clockwise (to the left), and it seems to have little to do with right or left handedness. For instance, even though I jump CCW and land on my right foot, I am more comfortable spinning CCW on my left foot. Some skaters can spin in both directions, and a very few can jump in both directions.

I don't think that coaches try to force people to become "counter-clockwise", so the split between CW and CCW is natural.

Being clockwise is generally not an issue, though it's preferable for pairs teams to jump and spin in the same direction.

I would suspect that most dancers are CCW jumpers and spinners too, though because of chereography, they'd have to be equally competent in both directions. Otherwise it'd look pecuilar with dancers turning in opposite directions. Hmmm...could those dancers who don't make good corps dancers be the "lefties" or CW spinners/jumpers who have a hard time adjusting to "the norm".

So, I don't think being a righty or a lefty makes a difference in ballet or skating. It seems that those things that make a good skater/dancer-natural talent, etc-are independent of "handedness".

Kate

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while i am right handed, i tend to do most things the way a left handed person would do. besides turning to the left, having a stronger leg on the left (both in supporting and working), and more flexibelity on the left, I also use household items with the left hand. I've heard in the past that this might have something to do with my mother being left-handed. interesting note: even though my left ankle has been injured and undergone surgury two times, i still tend to want to releve and jump off of it more than the right foot.

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I am definitely right-handed, though several members of my immediate family are left-handed. (I recall reading several years ago about a study that showed right-handed people from families with left-handers represented exhibited thinking styles more similar to those of left-handed people than to those of right-handers from from consistently right-handed families.) I've noticed that many things in my classes are easier (or not quite as impossible) on one side than the other, but it's not always predictable which side. Soutenu turns, for example, are easier clockwise, but pirouttes are easier counterclockwise (left leg supporting). The latter is particularly curious, because my left foot is much weaker than my right and I can barely balance on it when I'm not turning.

What is this scientific investigation for? Will it be published, is it a school project, or what?

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I'm left-handed and better on my left side for just about everything. I turn better to my left ( en dehors), so as a result my right foot is better at supporting balances. I heard it's common for right-handed gymnasts to do better on their left side, I'm not sure but I remember hearing Nadia Commaneci was that way. For gymnastics that's ok, but for ballet dancers usually strive to be equally strong on both sides as exams and certain choreography call for steps to be performed left and right. Anyways, it can be difficult being a lefty because chances are the rest of your class, or the rest of the corps are righty's and so for group dances you have to jump and turn to the right side. NBoC's Aleksandar Antonijevic is a lefty.

Just a question: if you are dancing a solo/principal role, can you change the choreography ( ex. Petipa) to your prefered side or is it written in stone?

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Of course, you can change it, Paquita. Another interesting thing, that besides left or right turning people, we have en dehor or en dedan turning dancers. The classic example is Vassiliev, he could make easily 12 en dedan pirouettes and barely 6 en dehor.

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Thanx so much people for your information, and please everyone else, keep posting!!!

This is just a experiment at school, for my yr 10 school certificate but it's pretty important. It's really becoming interesting, reading everyone's responses, so thankyou so much!!!

:D

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Guest tammi_twinkle

Oops!! Sorry people, that last post was from me, but i was logged in under the wrong name! I just thought i'd clear up any confusion. Thankyou all once again, and keep posting!

:D

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I'm right handed. I turn much easier to the right - or when my left leg is in releve (for both en dehor and en dedans turns.) I believe my left leg is more flexible as well.

Another part of your research could be finding out which eye is dominant during spotting in a turn. Do piques across the floor with a patch over your left eye. Now do the same turns again with a patch over your right eye. Which is easier? (It will be different for different people.) :rolleyes:

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Guest tammi_twinkle

Hey, thats a great idea piccolo!! Unfortunately i don't have that long to finish it and it's already becoming so complex! :eek: But maybe i'll try that one day just for fun :D

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Guest tammi_twinkle

Okay, if anyone wants to they can fill out this survey for me. It's the survey that i'm using in my project. Just type the question number and your answer!!! Thankyou so much people who've already posted!! :D

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Guest tammi_twinkle

Okay, if anyone wants to they can fill out this survey for me. It's the survey that i'm using in my project. Just type the question number and your answer!!! Thankyou so much people who've already posted!! :D

The survey is aimed at students, but if you are a former dancer, or a dancer who is no longer at school, then you can still do it if you remember what you were good at and what you enjoyed at school.

1. Are you right handed,

Left handed, or ambidextrous?

(Ambidextrous- being able to control both hands equally)

A) Right Handed

B) Left Handed

C) Ambidextrous

2. Why do you learn dancing/ballet?

A) For Fun/ amusement

B) Because you choose to/

Love dancing

C) Exercise

D) To be with friends/

Social

E) For something to do/

Boredom

F) For relaxation/

Releasing stress

G) Other reason (specify) :

3. Do you like dancing/ballet?

A) Yes, I love it.

B) Yes I like it

C) Sometimes.

D) Don’t like it.

E) Hate it!

4. What subjects are you good at, at school?

A) Mathematics

B) Science

C) English

D) History

E) Geography

F) PE/H/PD

G) Visual Arts/

Design subjects.

H) Drama

I) Music

J) Wood/metal work/

Industrial subjects

K) Languages other

Than English

L) Food tech/

Hospitality

M) Sewing/textiles

N) Computers/info. Tech.

O) Other:

5. What subjects do you enjoy at school?

Only choose subjects which you enjoy because of their characteristics, and content, not because of teachers, friends or any other contributing factor.

A) Mathematics

B) Science

C) English

D) History

E) Geography

F) PE/H/PD

G) Visual Arts/

Design subjects.

H) Drama

I) Music

J) Wood/metal work/

Industrial subjects

K) Languages other

Than English

L) Food tech/ hospitality

M) Sewing/textiles

N) Computers/info. Tech.

O) Other:

6. List any other interests or things you enjoy here:

7. List any other things you are good at or achieve highly in:

8. Do you learn better or would you prefer to learn by:

A) Reading, re-writing, summarising, or writing from a dictator.

B) Colour-coding, mind maps, diagrams and visuals.

9. Do you learn better or would you prefer to learn in an environment which is:

A) Bright, colourful, light and cool.

B) Warm, soft lighting, neutrally coloured.

Thankyou for Participating!

:)

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Guest ballerinaDEDG

Hello,

I am right-handed and I do practically everything better to my right side. :) I turn more easily to my right side (it feels so awkward to the left), my right splits are a lot looser, and my extension is better to my right. I guess the left just isn't for me. I have been working a lot on improving my awkward side and it has actually gotten better! :)

In reply to your survey, my answers are:

1) A

2) B

3) A

4) A, B, C, E, H, I, K

5) A, B, C, G, H, I, K

6) going to the theatre, piano, reading, traveling

7) Latin

8) B

9) A

So, there you go! Sounds like a great project! Good luck! :D

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Guest tammi_twinkle

Thanx a whole lot to all of you who posted!!

Your replys have been very helpful!

I'm nearly finished, Thank God, and hopefully i'll get a good mark on it! :D

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Another thing to add to the mix is the fact that teachers generally make their students start all exercises with either the left hand or the right hand on the barre as a rule. In RAD exercises almost always start with the right foot (I honestly can't think of ever starting an exercise with the left foot in my many years of dance), so for most dancers you learn an exercise on your dominant side. So the theory (I read this somewhere) is that if you always learn exercises initially on your dominant side, you will tend to be stronger on that side in general. I am right handed and I do most things better with my right leg as the supporting leg, so I turn better CCW en dehors but I turn better CW en dedans for example.

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ok, here we go.......

1: A

2: F & G >> i want to be a pro and i LOVE it

3: A

4: C & I & K & O >> dutch

5: C & I & K

6: reading

7: ??? don't know

8: A

9: A & B

as for my favorites. pirouettes en dehor are much better on my left. split is going easier with my left leg in front....but both are flat and stability is better on my left leg.

good luck with your assignment

Colleen: as for the teaching on one side.....for me it doesn't matter. i practised my elementary on the right first and the barre was on the other side of the room during the exam

~SKIP~

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OK, here are my answers:

1. A

2. B

3. A

4. B, E

5. B, E

6. playing the piano and gymnastics

7. don't know

8. A

9. A

I'm right-handed and also turn better to the right side (however it doesn't matter a lot), my splits are better with my right leg and it's easier to stand on my right leg!

Elf

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Guest tianehu

Hello...I love surveys, this is fun! =)

1. I'm right-handed. Trying to be ambidextrous, though, but it's not really working out. =)

2. Actually, because I love dancing in general, and it's also an opportunity to meet up with friends and to get away from everything else and just spend hours on end being very quiet and enjoying myself...

3. A! Yes, I love it!

4. C, D, G, H, K, M

5. B, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M (what a lot!)

6. Ice-skating, rollerblading, cycling, swimming, singing, reading, watching tv and movies, talking...

7. Playing the piano? Um, playing the recorder? Playing netball, though I don't like it. Running long-dist. Talking.

8. Actually, this is very hard to say. I summarise things into mind maps, and my mindmaps have to be colourful, and I rewrite those mindmaps to get the info into my head. You decide.

9. A

I'm right handed, and my right leg is more flexible and more stable and I can turn better on it. I hope this helps! All the best with your project!

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