A petite dancer can be tall
How can I forget the joy, excitement and surprise that it is actually possible to get a bit taller after a growth spurt? Here’s how it happened…
First things first, I have to mention that I had been working on my posture and placement for 6 months. This played the most important role in the unexpected growth.
Understand how to stand, not just as a dancer but in everyday life.
The biggest game-changer was definitely understanding how to place and use my rib cage. I had no clue what proper rib cage placement was and how much it affects my alignment and dance technique.
Luckily, I was able to learn all of the useful information for dancers with a little bit of tailored anatomy classes. Being able to understand my body allowed me to find length in my spine and better understand technique as well.
A change of mindset also made me taller
Another thing I changed, without truly realizing it, is that I started thinking of myself as the tallest one in the room (and believe me, I am not!). This mindset shift made me expand my movements, fill in the space, go beyond the end of my limbs and consequently led me to be able to move and stand as if I were really that tall.
So here I was, on the eve of my 17th birthday, checking how tall and realising I was 2 centimetres taller than last year. I have finished my growth spurt so it really came as a surprise.
Every petite dancer can be tall
I wish I could tell my desperate younger self that being petite in the end doesn’t matter that much. It is not about how tall I am on paper, it is about how I can fill the space on stage. There are plenty of things I can do for that. Work on posture and understand how the body works, think of myself as a very tall dancer and move like one and observe what other dancers my size do differently turned up more effective than drinking milk every day.
