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rotation


Guest dancinbabie514

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Guest dancinbabie514

hey! I would really appreciate it if someone could help me. I need some exercises to increase turnout/rotation/ extention. The whole package. What exactly should I do?

thanks

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  • Administrators

Hello dancinbabie514, welcome to the Young Dancers' forum on Ballet Alert! Online :(

 

Since you have asked essentially this same question with another new thread, I'm going to close the other one, and respond here.

 

Actually there are more posts about rotation/turnout than anything else on the whole board! If you search that topic, you will find more than enough to keep you busy for eons :)

 

All the exercises in the world won't do any good unless you are properly placed and USING your rotation when you work. Allowing a knee to bend in order to extend the leg is cheating and not accomplishing anything. You mentioned that in front extension your supporting knee bends. Well, don't let it! Who is in charge of that knee? ;) If you lower the leg and place yourself and the leg correctly, there will be no need to bend the other leg. Gradually, over time, the extension will increase, with regular ballet stretching exercises that you learn in class.

 

As for rotation, there is nothing better in the world than very slow, carefully executed rond de jambe à terre. It's all about rotation. And, if you work all of your tendus and dégagés and fondus and all the barre exercises with that degree of attention to placement and rotation, that is how it will improve.

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Guest dancinbabie514

i hate to be a pest, but do u know any sort of exercises....such as stretches to do...I looked at other threds....some I am working on, but is there any that seem that will help with my problem?

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Guest dancinbabie514

also, you had mentioned the leg on barre exercise and lift off the barre for a few counts, how often should I do it, and how long until I might see some improvement

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  • Administrators

Read my answer again. The stretches should be given to you in class. If they are not, ask why not. If your teachers do not know how to give you the correct stretches, go to another school. I don't believe in teaching specific stretches online, as they need to be shown by a teacher and checked to see that you are doing them correctly. Rotation stretches are standard, and you probably already know all of them if you have been studying a long time. If not, then you have not been at the right schools.

 

The very best things are still the things I described above. BALLET exercises.

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  • Administrators

Your last question came while I was posting the previous answer.

 

The leg off the barre exercise should be done under supervision, to see that you are placed correctly. It is held very briefly, just a couple of seconds, and you do not do it a lot. Once or twice front and side. It's hard to do without overworking the quads, and one should not do that.

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Guest dancinbabie514

yes thank you. My teachers have given the class numerous stretches, and I have been working with my teachers, I was just curious if there may have been others I didn't know about...it just seems like im doing it wrong. I ask my teachers and they correct me and say I have much turn out, but just haven't found it. No matter what people tell me ....it just doesn't click! I was just wondering if you had any hints to what I should do to find it

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This hint is very simple - keep working in class and allow time and repetition to do their work. Improvements seldom come suddenly. They are the result of perseverance and patience. A long and slow improvement over time is the norm in ballet.

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Mr. Johnson, I know improvements come slooowly, but it seems I have reached a plateau where no matter how hard I work, I get nothing. It is very discouraging.

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Plateaux occur in all endeavors of life, and they can be frustrating. An important part of developing a mature attitude is learning how to defer gratification and wait out the stagnation while continuing to work hard at holding onto what you have and not slipping backwards! Something WILL change, and the logjam will break - eventually. Sometimes it's something you do, sometimes it's something your teacher does, sometimes it's nothing that you can identify, it's just change as time advances.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Ah, frustrating indeed :unsure::dry: . I am hoping my plateau will break when I start my SI in August and will be dancing alooooooooooooot.

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