Basic Latin Actions

Basic position of body: head, shoulders, ribcage, hip, leg, stacked up and connected, not tight, legs moves like scissors.

Spine transfers between positions:

1. Spine split between 2 feet.
2. Spine stacked over whole foot.
3. Spine over front of foot.

Leg actions:

1. Horizontal action: release back leg, track, move to front horizontally, front ankle directly below front knee.
2. Vertical action: Contract thighs, pushing knee down and backwards to create lengthening of the leg. Common mistakes: reach from knee outwards.

Feet:

1. Whole foot (or Flat): feet lined up with knees (do not turn out foot, turn out is from hip socket).
2. Demi-pointe position (arch) - common mistake is missing this step and go directly to pointe position. Also, note that feet causes spine to move.
3. Pointe: Feet is causing spine to move more.

"Working from floor on and up" - it's the feet causing spine to move. Common mistake: gravity causing spine to move.

Practice: demi - pointe - demi - flat.

Combing Spine movement with leg and feet:

1. Spine over whole front foot, back foot demi-pointe (not turned out, which will cause instability).
2. Spine over front of foot, back foot pointe.
3. Release leg, track, ankle below knee,
4. Split, front leg straight (all same time), Demi-pointe position.
5. Flat (both foot) 

Repeat: Demi, pointe, release, demi, flat, [demi, pointe, release, demi, flat...]