NOTE: Do not attempt these exercises at home until you have performed them in class so you know the proper way to do them.
1. Ankle rolls to warm up the feet and ankles
Parallel - gently roll the R ankle in small circles, keeping the toes on the floor - 4 cts en dehors, 4 cts en dedans. Repeat with L foot. 2x on each side.
1st position - repeat above turned out, all the way up to the top of the hip, keeping toes on the floor and hip joint loose - 4 cts en dehors, 4 cts en dedans. Repeat with L foot. 2x on each side.
2. Tendu/flex
1st position - tendu devant with R foot, flex at ankle, rond to side en l'air, tendu close 1st. Repeat from side to back and back to side. Demi-plie and fully stretch. Repeat with L foot. Repeat starting from back.
3. Marches
Parallel - roll through feet (toe-through ball) 8 times, then step back to parallel lunge with R leg, flexing L ankle with heel on the floor, then return to parallel and push over the R arch. Repeat with L foot.
1st position - repeat above marches turned out. Cross the R leg back to a long 4th position lunge and then push over the arch in a wide second lunge. Repeat with L foot.
4. Coupe springs
1st position - spring R foot off floor as if in saute, without lifting top of thigh. 8x R, 8x L.
5th position - repeat in 5th - 8x devant no change, 8x changing. Repeat with L. Repeat en arriere R and L.
5. Eleves (straight knee releves)
Parallel - lift heels and roll up to full pointe in 8 cts, roll down in 8 cts. Roll up in 4 and down in 4 - repeat 2x. Roll up in 2 and down in 2 - repeat 4x. Roll up in 1 and down in 1 - repeat 8x.
1st position and 2nd position - repeat turned out and in shallow 2nd position.
6.Slow roll-ups
1st position - demi-plie 2 cts, roll to demi en pointe 2 cts, straighten knees to full pointe 2 cts, roll down with straight knees 2cts. Repeat 4x. Repeat in 2nd position 4x.
7. Releves
Parallel - demi-plie with heels into floor, press up to releve, 4 x, hold balance 4 cts, roll down 4cts. Repeat 4x. Repeat in 1st and 2nd positions.
8. Sousous breakdown
5th position - demi-plie, lift heels without fully forcing the arch or rising to full pointe, then using the toes, spring to a tight souous, both legs moving evenly to center. Hold sousous for 4cts and then evenly roll down to 5th position demi-plie. Repeat 4x. Repeat with L foot front 4x.
9. One-leg balance
Parallel - rise with straight knees to full pointe, lift R foot to parallel coupe, full down slowly on L foot to demi-plie, return R foot to parallel. Repeat with L foot. Repeat 4x.
1st position - repeat with turned out feet. Rise to full pointe, shift R foot to back of ankle and roll down on L foot. Repeat with L foot 4x. May also be repeated with foot at front of ankle.
Showing posts with label first year pointe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label first year pointe. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
Sunday, July 24, 2016
Saturday Pointe Class REBOOT!
A number of my students have requested pointe class
again and I'm very excited to bring it back on Saturdays 11:30AM-12:30PM
at Inspire Dance Studio in La Canada. Because I have a number of
students who are new to pointe, I'm going to structure it like this:
First half-hour at barre - technique:
- exercises for articulation of feet and toes
- exercises to strengthen ankles and calves
For beginners,
the class is structured so that shoes can be taken off after barre (or
after walking/tendu practice) and the rest of the class can be completed
flat while still working on technique applicable to pointe. As
beginners progress, they can eventually perform exercises like
bourree and waltz first at the barre and then in the center as they
build strength.
More experienced dancers can perform the entire class en pointe.
First half-hour at barre - technique:
- exercises for articulation of feet and toes
- exercises to strengthen ankles and calves
- balancing en pointe
- glissades and sousous, pique sousous (eventually echappe and soutenu)
Second half-hour in center - technique:
- walking, running, glissades
- tendus and degages (eventually echappes)
- port de bras with developpe
- traveling steps: waltz, balance, etc.
- bourree and soutenu, easy turns
Occasional center combinations - phrases from variations
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| Some of my pointe students' feet! |
The
majority of the barre exercises will be the same from week to week to
maximize time and measure progress. Center will vary and will not always
include the same elements.
More experienced dancers can perform the entire class en pointe.
The class will begin on Saturday August 6. As with my other
technique classes, pointe will be drop-in; you won't need to sign up in
advance nor are you required to take it every week. For those dancers
completely new to pointe, I ask that you not purchase shoes yet but take
a class (or 3!) flat until we are confident you have the strength in your core and ankles to hold you properly. When you are, this article about fitting pointe shoes from physiotherapist Lisa Howell is an excellent resource.
If you have any questions, please ask! Happy dancing~
Monday, March 23, 2015
Do you speak ballet?
Recently I was teaching a pointe class to my adults and I watched how most of their ballet knowledge flew out the window as soon as they put their pointe shoes on. They "climbed" up to their pique; they forgot how to do a proper glissade.
Why?
Because they were not thinking in ballet.
Yes, the vocabulary of ballet is primarily written and spoken in French and Italian but beyond that, there is a language to it that is not just words but also visual images and physical movement. This is why we do the same exercises every single class. We do our barre the same way every week so that we drill into our brains what a tendu is, what a fondu means, how to connect our head and arms with our feet, and so on.
And just as it's much easier to learn and speak Spanish or German if we immerse ourselves in it, the same is true of ballet. Constantly translating English into Spanish is hard and prevents us from truly learning the language.
This brings me to an important point about pointe. "Am I ready for pointe?" students ask me. Well, are you fluent in ballet? Are you still translating what croise means? Are you still trying to recall what en croix refers to? Then no, you are not ready. You need to think in ballet so that when it comes to pointe work, you are not constantly translating. You know what pique means and you would never in a million years climb up to it with a bent knee. It's one thing if you don't know how to keep your knee straight when you are in pointe shoes but if you don't know that you have to keep it straight, you will have that much more to translate.
Happy dancing~
Why?
Because they were not thinking in ballet.
Yes, the vocabulary of ballet is primarily written and spoken in French and Italian but beyond that, there is a language to it that is not just words but also visual images and physical movement. This is why we do the same exercises every single class. We do our barre the same way every week so that we drill into our brains what a tendu is, what a fondu means, how to connect our head and arms with our feet, and so on.
And just as it's much easier to learn and speak Spanish or German if we immerse ourselves in it, the same is true of ballet. Constantly translating English into Spanish is hard and prevents us from truly learning the language.
This brings me to an important point about pointe. "Am I ready for pointe?" students ask me. Well, are you fluent in ballet? Are you still translating what croise means? Are you still trying to recall what en croix refers to? Then no, you are not ready. You need to think in ballet so that when it comes to pointe work, you are not constantly translating. You know what pique means and you would never in a million years climb up to it with a bent knee. It's one thing if you don't know how to keep your knee straight when you are in pointe shoes but if you don't know that you have to keep it straight, you will have that much more to translate.
Happy dancing~
Monday, August 25, 2014
First year pointe student asks...
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| A Pointe in the Right Direction Designed by Meshea Cook |
...how can I strengthen my ankles for pointe work? Are there any exercises I can do at home?
Answer: There sure are! And you don't even have to do them in your pointe shoes.
(And by the way, I caution all new pointe students when they are wearing their shoes at home. Be very, very careful! Until you know the proper way to rise up and come back down from pointe, don't! Get a few lessons under your belt first and then do a few eleves and releves at home, but nothing more or you run the risk of injury.
Okay, rant over.)
1. In bare feet or socks, stand in parallel at a barre, chair or counter and rise up and down (eleve) on both feet 16 times. Be sure to keep your toes flat on the floor and don't knuckle them.
2. Repeat the above on one leg, keeping the other leg in parallel coupe and not allowing the knee to swing in and turn in. 16x, repeat both sides.
3. Do both 1&2 in parallel with releve (demi-plie and press straight up, then lower back down to bent knees.) Again, 16x.
4. Do 1, 2, & 3 all turned out in 1st position.
5. Add a Theraband to your ankles, tying it loosely above the ankle bone, rise up on both legs in parallel and then while en releve, stretch one leg out against the band and back in (sort of like a parallel degage). Do this 16 times on each side. Repeat it in a turned out first position. If your calves hurt, you can do these flat.
6. Sitting on the floor, stretch your legs in parallel in front of you, wrap a towel or Theraband around the sole of your foot and lift it slightly off the ground. Point and flex your foot against the towel/band, increasing the resistance as you feel necessary. Try to keep your back straight so you also work your core. Repeat 16x with both feet.
These are some basic exercises you can do without your shoes. Once you feel more confident, you can repeat 1-4 with your pointe shoes on.
Happy dancing~
Monday, April 28, 2014
First year pointe student asks...#5
Why are my bourrees either too stiff or too bent? I can't find a happy medium!
Steps that appear to be so effortless when performed by professional dancers on stage often feel and look so clunky in the classroom.
Let's break it down:
1. A bourree must have an impetus somewhere in your body. In the simplest terms, though, it is either a pique with the front leg or a pique with the back leg. It can start flat or from sousous but one foot must move in a direction. And the way that foot moves is pique, i.e. a straight-kneed step up to pointe.
2. Next, the knees must bend. They are bent softly, though. It is not a demi-plie en pointe. The biggest obstacle to a pretty bourree is the knee position. You will need to experiment with how bent your knees are when you bourree. Go ahead and exaggerate the plie and see how quickly you can move. Try the opposite with very stiff knees.
3. The knees must stay together. Yes, they open a bit as you travel but they are typically kept tight together so they appear to be one leg moving swiftly across the floor. Remember: the goal of bourree is to appear to glide through the space, not run or drag.
4. The toes lift briefly off the ground, alternating from one foot to the other. The best way to get this feeling in your body is to stand facing the barre and alternate front coupe and back coupe without changing position, just up-down-up-down, first slowly then faster and faster until the foot does not lift fully to coupe but just off the floor. This will prevent you from dragging one foot behind the other when you are bourreeing across the floor.
5. Remember which foot is driving the bourree. It is the opposite leg of the direction in which you are moving. Say I am moving laterally to the right with my right leg croise; then my back leg, my left leg, is the driving force. Perhaps I am moving backwards or on a diagonal, then the leg in the front will drive. Again, this will prevent drag.
6. Keep your upper body still and move across the floor using your hips and upper legs. If you can think about your rib cage lifting up and out of your hips, you will travel more smoothly than if you have a stiff torso.
7. One final tip: do not grip your glutes! If you tighten your derriere muscles, your legs will be very stiff. Simple as that.
Happy dancing~
Steps that appear to be so effortless when performed by professional dancers on stage often feel and look so clunky in the classroom.
Let's break it down:
1. A bourree must have an impetus somewhere in your body. In the simplest terms, though, it is either a pique with the front leg or a pique with the back leg. It can start flat or from sousous but one foot must move in a direction. And the way that foot moves is pique, i.e. a straight-kneed step up to pointe.
2. Next, the knees must bend. They are bent softly, though. It is not a demi-plie en pointe. The biggest obstacle to a pretty bourree is the knee position. You will need to experiment with how bent your knees are when you bourree. Go ahead and exaggerate the plie and see how quickly you can move. Try the opposite with very stiff knees.
3. The knees must stay together. Yes, they open a bit as you travel but they are typically kept tight together so they appear to be one leg moving swiftly across the floor. Remember: the goal of bourree is to appear to glide through the space, not run or drag.
4. The toes lift briefly off the ground, alternating from one foot to the other. The best way to get this feeling in your body is to stand facing the barre and alternate front coupe and back coupe without changing position, just up-down-up-down, first slowly then faster and faster until the foot does not lift fully to coupe but just off the floor. This will prevent you from dragging one foot behind the other when you are bourreeing across the floor.
5. Remember which foot is driving the bourree. It is the opposite leg of the direction in which you are moving. Say I am moving laterally to the right with my right leg croise; then my back leg, my left leg, is the driving force. Perhaps I am moving backwards or on a diagonal, then the leg in the front will drive. Again, this will prevent drag.
6. Keep your upper body still and move across the floor using your hips and upper legs. If you can think about your rib cage lifting up and out of your hips, you will travel more smoothly than if you have a stiff torso.
7. One final tip: do not grip your glutes! If you tighten your derriere muscles, your legs will be very stiff. Simple as that.
Happy dancing~
Monday, February 10, 2014
First Year Pointe Student Asks...#5
She asks: "Why are my toes numb in my shoes? Is this something I will simply have to get used to?"
Short Answer: "Your toes are not working. And hopefully not."
The longer answer is, well, more involved. First identify why this could be the case for you. The likely culprits:
1. You have too much padding around your toes. Gel pads, toe spacers, toe pads, and so on are great to give your feet a bit of cushion, especially if your skin is soft and you have no callouses built up. But the flip side of that is that you are not able to move them. Your toes should be straight up and down in the box of your pointe shoes but you should be able to roll up smoothly through demi-pointe using your toes, not merely lifting your heels.
If you can't wiggle your toes while you are standing en pointe at the barre, try less padding. You don't need resort to a wisp of lamb's wool and adhesive tape (like we did back in the old days!) but you do want to build up some tougher skin on the balls of your feet and knuckles.
2. You are skipping demi-pointe as you spring up to pointe. Whether you roll or spring up, you need to move through demi-pointe. When you don't do this, your toes become inactive. Gotta work 'em!
Some exercises to practice:
--stand facing the barre in first position, start full pointe, then roll down to a 3/4 demi-pointe and back up to full without ever going to actual demi-pointe or flat. Alternate very slow roll-ups with quick ones to activate your toes and increase their flexibility.
--stand facing the barre in fifth position, rise to demi-pointe, hold for 2 counts and then spring up to sousous from the demi-pointe with and without demi-plie. This is a strengthening exercise for your toes and calves and will get you in touch with the muscles you need to activate to spring up to pointe, rather than only using your quads.
3. Your weight is on your heels and your knees are locked. When you shift your weight back on your heels, your toes become inactive and, again, numb.
Whenever you stand at the barre in pointe shoes, particularly with one hand, avoid the temptation to shift back on your heels to maintain your balance. Instead, concentrate on keeping your weight centered over the arches and balls of your feet. Lift your core (front and back muscles of your torso) and activate the tops of your legs, rotating outward from the center where your thighs meet.
Remember: when there is pain en pointe, there is a reason for it. Very rarely is pain something you simply need to get used to. Pointe is a lot of things - exhausting, challenging - but it should not be painful.
Short Answer: "Your toes are not working. And hopefully not."
The longer answer is, well, more involved. First identify why this could be the case for you. The likely culprits:
1. You have too much padding around your toes. Gel pads, toe spacers, toe pads, and so on are great to give your feet a bit of cushion, especially if your skin is soft and you have no callouses built up. But the flip side of that is that you are not able to move them. Your toes should be straight up and down in the box of your pointe shoes but you should be able to roll up smoothly through demi-pointe using your toes, not merely lifting your heels.
If you can't wiggle your toes while you are standing en pointe at the barre, try less padding. You don't need resort to a wisp of lamb's wool and adhesive tape (like we did back in the old days!) but you do want to build up some tougher skin on the balls of your feet and knuckles.
2. You are skipping demi-pointe as you spring up to pointe. Whether you roll or spring up, you need to move through demi-pointe. When you don't do this, your toes become inactive. Gotta work 'em!
Some exercises to practice:
--stand facing the barre in first position, start full pointe, then roll down to a 3/4 demi-pointe and back up to full without ever going to actual demi-pointe or flat. Alternate very slow roll-ups with quick ones to activate your toes and increase their flexibility.
--stand facing the barre in fifth position, rise to demi-pointe, hold for 2 counts and then spring up to sousous from the demi-pointe with and without demi-plie. This is a strengthening exercise for your toes and calves and will get you in touch with the muscles you need to activate to spring up to pointe, rather than only using your quads.
3. Your weight is on your heels and your knees are locked. When you shift your weight back on your heels, your toes become inactive and, again, numb.
Whenever you stand at the barre in pointe shoes, particularly with one hand, avoid the temptation to shift back on your heels to maintain your balance. Instead, concentrate on keeping your weight centered over the arches and balls of your feet. Lift your core (front and back muscles of your torso) and activate the tops of your legs, rotating outward from the center where your thighs meet.
Remember: when there is pain en pointe, there is a reason for it. Very rarely is pain something you simply need to get used to. Pointe is a lot of things - exhausting, challenging - but it should not be painful.
Monday, December 16, 2013
First Year Pointe Student asks...#4
"Why is it so hard to stand flat en pointe?"
First of all, when a student asks me this question, she usually means that, when she comes to center and has no barre to hold onto, she starts to wobble on her leg, especially when she shifts from two feet to one, as in a developpe.
To be sure, pointe shoes are not slippers. They are not as pliable, not as supple, not as form-fitting. They do not cover your feet the way flat slippers do. There is a thin strip of leather against the floor and thick cardboard under your foot. It only makes sense that it's harder to balance on one leg when you are wearing them. If they are broken in a bit, they are somewhat softer and a little easier to wear and stand in.
But the bigger issue has nothing to do with the actual shoes. I recommend tackling wobbly legs in the following ways:
1. Start with your core. Hold your abdominal muscles and your back muscles, pulling them up on both sides of your spine, front and back. Do not hold your breath but be sure to stay lifted, as if you have a partner holding your ribcage up and out of your pelvis.
2. Engage your upper back muscles. Always consider your port de bras, the carriage of your arms. By feeding energy from your spine out to your shoulders, biceps, triceps, forearms and fingers, you will balance out the lower torso and feel more suspended.
3. Keep the pelvic bones tilted up. If your hip bones are the base of your tray of snacks, don't tip the snacks into someone's lap!
4. Engage both your quads and hamstrings. In much the same way as your core muscles are being used, pull up both sides of your femur, which will in turn keep your kneecap lifted and stable as well.
5. Lift your arches. There are 3 arches: medial (the inner arch and the biggest), the lateral (the outside of the foot) and the metatarsal (the top of the foot and what most people mean when they say you have "high" arches). When you are wearing pointe shoes, it's especially important to keep the medial arch lifted and the lateral arch pressed down against the floor in opposition. This will prevent pronation which is where the wobble ultimately comes from. You can strengthen this arch by using a Theraband or towel and pointing and flexing your foot against it. But always - always - concentrate on lifting your arches when you are at the barre so you can count on them being there for you in the center.
By starting from the top and working your way down to your feet, you can minimize that feeling of wobble and maximize your control when you are in the center. Happy dancing!
First of all, when a student asks me this question, she usually means that, when she comes to center and has no barre to hold onto, she starts to wobble on her leg, especially when she shifts from two feet to one, as in a developpe.
To be sure, pointe shoes are not slippers. They are not as pliable, not as supple, not as form-fitting. They do not cover your feet the way flat slippers do. There is a thin strip of leather against the floor and thick cardboard under your foot. It only makes sense that it's harder to balance on one leg when you are wearing them. If they are broken in a bit, they are somewhat softer and a little easier to wear and stand in.
But the bigger issue has nothing to do with the actual shoes. I recommend tackling wobbly legs in the following ways:
1. Start with your core. Hold your abdominal muscles and your back muscles, pulling them up on both sides of your spine, front and back. Do not hold your breath but be sure to stay lifted, as if you have a partner holding your ribcage up and out of your pelvis.
2. Engage your upper back muscles. Always consider your port de bras, the carriage of your arms. By feeding energy from your spine out to your shoulders, biceps, triceps, forearms and fingers, you will balance out the lower torso and feel more suspended.
3. Keep the pelvic bones tilted up. If your hip bones are the base of your tray of snacks, don't tip the snacks into someone's lap!
4. Engage both your quads and hamstrings. In much the same way as your core muscles are being used, pull up both sides of your femur, which will in turn keep your kneecap lifted and stable as well.
5. Lift your arches. There are 3 arches: medial (the inner arch and the biggest), the lateral (the outside of the foot) and the metatarsal (the top of the foot and what most people mean when they say you have "high" arches). When you are wearing pointe shoes, it's especially important to keep the medial arch lifted and the lateral arch pressed down against the floor in opposition. This will prevent pronation which is where the wobble ultimately comes from. You can strengthen this arch by using a Theraband or towel and pointing and flexing your foot against it. But always - always - concentrate on lifting your arches when you are at the barre so you can count on them being there for you in the center.
By starting from the top and working your way down to your feet, you can minimize that feeling of wobble and maximize your control when you are in the center. Happy dancing!
Monday, September 30, 2013
First Year Pointe Student asks...#3
"Why are my bourrees so clunky?"
Let's examine what a beautiful bourree does: it speeds the dancer across the stage as if she were light as a feather. There is no stop-start, no lifting and dropping. She stays at the same level as she flitters through space.
New dancers en pointe often have awkward bourrees. They are uneven and, yes, clunky. Here are some simple ways to make yours smoother and more beautiful:
1. Remember the bourree is not a drag but a lift. Each foot lifts off the floor, alternating back-front-back-front, etc. It is not the front leg pulling the back one. Practice this at the barre in place, standing in sousous and holding with two hands. Quickly lift the feet up and down in place and then practice moving along the barre.
2. The ankle must remain straight. If you have a bend at the front of the ankle, you are articulating the wrong part of the foot. Again, practice lifting the toes in the shoes not tapping them.
3. Keep a micro-bend in your knees. If the knees are completely straight, they do not allow smoothness or speed. Neither are the knees completely bent as in fondu.
4. The back foot drives the bourree. A beginning pointe student is likely going to start her bourree from a sousous rather than a pique but in either case, be sure to initiate the movement from the leg that is in back. This will keep the space between the knees small and tight and will avoid the urge to drag.
Final thoughts: Your goal with bourree is to keep the steps small and quick - better to have many small steps than several large ones.You can help yourself (as always) by staying lifted in your torso and lower back. This will (as always) allow more room to move underneath you.
Bonus link! Lisa Howell, of the The Ballet Blog and the creator of the Perfect Pointe system, addresses the issue of hyper flexible feet en pointe in this article. Good stuff!
Happy dancing~
Let's examine what a beautiful bourree does: it speeds the dancer across the stage as if she were light as a feather. There is no stop-start, no lifting and dropping. She stays at the same level as she flitters through space.
 |
Multiple exposure of ballerina Alicia Alonso doing bourree, 1944, Life Magazine
|
New dancers en pointe often have awkward bourrees. They are uneven and, yes, clunky. Here are some simple ways to make yours smoother and more beautiful:
1. Remember the bourree is not a drag but a lift. Each foot lifts off the floor, alternating back-front-back-front, etc. It is not the front leg pulling the back one. Practice this at the barre in place, standing in sousous and holding with two hands. Quickly lift the feet up and down in place and then practice moving along the barre.
2. The ankle must remain straight. If you have a bend at the front of the ankle, you are articulating the wrong part of the foot. Again, practice lifting the toes in the shoes not tapping them.
3. Keep a micro-bend in your knees. If the knees are completely straight, they do not allow smoothness or speed. Neither are the knees completely bent as in fondu.
4. The back foot drives the bourree. A beginning pointe student is likely going to start her bourree from a sousous rather than a pique but in either case, be sure to initiate the movement from the leg that is in back. This will keep the space between the knees small and tight and will avoid the urge to drag.
Final thoughts: Your goal with bourree is to keep the steps small and quick - better to have many small steps than several large ones.You can help yourself (as always) by staying lifted in your torso and lower back. This will (as always) allow more room to move underneath you.
Bonus link! Lisa Howell, of the The Ballet Blog and the creator of the Perfect Pointe system, addresses the issue of hyper flexible feet en pointe in this article. Good stuff!
Happy dancing~
Thursday, July 18, 2013
First year pointe student asks...#2
"Why are my echappes a la seconde so shallow?"
We know what a beautiful echappe is supposed to look like. It's a very classical step that virtually every ballerina performs in a petit allegro. She glides from fifth to second so smoothly, snapping up to the second en pointe and holding for a split second so effortlessly that it looks like anyone can do it. But when a new student attempts it, for some strange reason, she can't seem to get past a wide first position! What's up with that?
Most likely answer #1: You are hopping on top of your pointes instead of springing up to them, which makes the step more of a saute to second position rather than a glissade. Practice fast glissades side to side, concentrating on the demi-pointe as you degage out and pull the leg back in. Really work the foot against the floor so you feel it - and use it. Also, make sure you are using your toes to snap up to the pointe. Practice by starting in soussus, springing down to fifth and then out to the second, and once your feet hit the edges of your platforms, push past them and force the arch out with a snap.
Most likely answer #2: You may be gliding but you get stuck between first and second. In this case, you are probably not using your demi-plie. Be sure to give yourself time to go from first to second by taking a deep demi before you spring out to second. If you have a shallow demi, you simply won't have enough time to get from one position to the other and you will get stuck.
Most likely answer #3: You may glide and use your plie, but you are not using your core abdominal muscles and tops of your hips to stay lifted. If you feel "heavy" when you perform echappes, it may be because you are not engaging the muscles above your legs. Often, lax muscles result in a plopping down on top of the pointes rather than a lift that allows you to take more time to glide to the second and to balance longer en pointe. Be sure to hold your arms up higher than your waist to help you get more lift, and imagine you have a partner helping you keep your rib cage lifted out of your pelvis.
Lovely sharp echappes, especially when they are wide and long, look gorgeous on stage. That's why we see them so often! Happy dancing~
We know what a beautiful echappe is supposed to look like. It's a very classical step that virtually every ballerina performs in a petit allegro. She glides from fifth to second so smoothly, snapping up to the second en pointe and holding for a split second so effortlessly that it looks like anyone can do it. But when a new student attempts it, for some strange reason, she can't seem to get past a wide first position! What's up with that?
Most likely answer #1: You are hopping on top of your pointes instead of springing up to them, which makes the step more of a saute to second position rather than a glissade. Practice fast glissades side to side, concentrating on the demi-pointe as you degage out and pull the leg back in. Really work the foot against the floor so you feel it - and use it. Also, make sure you are using your toes to snap up to the pointe. Practice by starting in soussus, springing down to fifth and then out to the second, and once your feet hit the edges of your platforms, push past them and force the arch out with a snap.
Most likely answer #2: You may be gliding but you get stuck between first and second. In this case, you are probably not using your demi-plie. Be sure to give yourself time to go from first to second by taking a deep demi before you spring out to second. If you have a shallow demi, you simply won't have enough time to get from one position to the other and you will get stuck.
Most likely answer #3: You may glide and use your plie, but you are not using your core abdominal muscles and tops of your hips to stay lifted. If you feel "heavy" when you perform echappes, it may be because you are not engaging the muscles above your legs. Often, lax muscles result in a plopping down on top of the pointes rather than a lift that allows you to take more time to glide to the second and to balance longer en pointe. Be sure to hold your arms up higher than your waist to help you get more lift, and imagine you have a partner helping you keep your rib cage lifted out of your pelvis.
Lovely sharp echappes, especially when they are wide and long, look gorgeous on stage. That's why we see them so often! Happy dancing~
Monday, July 8, 2013
First year pointe student asks...
"Why do the front of my ankles hurt after I've been en pointe?"
Good question, FYPS (that would be First Year Pointe Student)!
Most likely answer #1: You are not lifting with your core and hips, but rather solely your feet. When you don't utilize your entire body to get yourself onto the tops of your pointe shoes, you are asking a lot from your feet. You are making them (and your ankles) do all the work which results in strain on the tops of your ankles.
Most likely answer #2: You are using your upper legs to lift and possibly your abdominal muscles but not the glutes (your derriere), your back and the small muscles underneath your derriere, your deep rotators. This results in a pushing, rather than a lifting, especially if you are working facing the barre. You end up rising on top of your pointes and pushing your hips forward which, again, results in strain on the tops of your ankles.
Most likely answer #3: You are using your core and your upper legs and your deep rotators but you are not using your demi-plie to push the feet into the floor and roll up or spring up to the tops of your pointes. If your plie is too shallow, you end up trying to lift from the top of your feet instead of the bottom.
So, to avoid that pain, always use your plie, press your whole foot into the floor, engage your core and upper legs and rise en pointe with your whole body, not merely your feet.
Good question, FYPS (that would be First Year Pointe Student)!
Most likely answer #1: You are not lifting with your core and hips, but rather solely your feet. When you don't utilize your entire body to get yourself onto the tops of your pointe shoes, you are asking a lot from your feet. You are making them (and your ankles) do all the work which results in strain on the tops of your ankles.
Most likely answer #2: You are using your upper legs to lift and possibly your abdominal muscles but not the glutes (your derriere), your back and the small muscles underneath your derriere, your deep rotators. This results in a pushing, rather than a lifting, especially if you are working facing the barre. You end up rising on top of your pointes and pushing your hips forward which, again, results in strain on the tops of your ankles.
Most likely answer #3: You are using your core and your upper legs and your deep rotators but you are not using your demi-plie to push the feet into the floor and roll up or spring up to the tops of your pointes. If your plie is too shallow, you end up trying to lift from the top of your feet instead of the bottom.
So, to avoid that pain, always use your plie, press your whole foot into the floor, engage your core and upper legs and rise en pointe with your whole body, not merely your feet.
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