Guest Annika Fidelle Posted July 17, 2003 Report Share Posted July 17, 2003 Are there any stretches or strengthening exercises that can help the flexibilty in my upper back. My lower back is quite flexible but my upper back is not. Thanks Link to comment
Administrators Victoria Leigh Posted July 17, 2003 Administrators Report Share Posted July 17, 2003 Annika, that is what cambrés are for! The only other thing I think you can do is some Pilates work. Mr. Johnson may have some more suggestions though. Link to comment
Mel Johnson Posted July 17, 2003 Report Share Posted July 17, 2003 Nope, that's just exactly my advice, cambrés and Pilates. Link to comment
Guest floatingonair Posted July 17, 2003 Report Share Posted July 17, 2003 along the same lines, are there any stretches after dancing to stretch out the lower back? it always seems to be sore after a hard class Link to comment
Administrators Victoria Leigh Posted July 17, 2003 Administrators Report Share Posted July 17, 2003 Yes, there are a couple of things you can do. Sit on the floor, legs out in front and stretch forward. Or, stand facing the barre, somewhat away from it, place both hands on the barre and bend forward until your back and head are in line with your arms. Make your back very flat. Then slowly roll up like a cat, and do it again a few times. Link to comment
Guest Nadezhda Posted July 18, 2003 Report Share Posted July 18, 2003 Lower back soreness after class might also be because you're not engaging your abdominals (enough). Sinking into your hips and improper posture can contribute to lower back soreness. Consult your teacher about this. If your body is improperly placed it can cause many problems with your dancing (making many things impossible to do propperly). Link to comment
Mel Johnson Posted July 18, 2003 Report Share Posted July 18, 2003 A good answer, Nadezhda! I couldn't have put it better myself. Especially the part about "consult your teacher"! Link to comment
Guest Nadezhda Posted July 19, 2003 Report Share Posted July 19, 2003 Thank you Mr. Mel! Having been there and having done that I know that when the class is difficult one tries to compensate and lets go of the correct alignment (but this only makes you more tired and can even lead to injuries!). I'm glad I could help. Ballet is such a delicate thing and like you (should) always consult your doctor regarding your health you should consult your teacher concerning your dance. Link to comment
Administrators Victoria Leigh Posted July 19, 2003 Administrators Report Share Posted July 19, 2003 Nadezhda, would you do me a favor and replace the Location in your profile, so that it shows up here? The reason I'm asking this is that I really would like other teens to see, when they read your incredibly well-written posts, that you are from another country and speak English as a second language. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe you have ever even been to an English-speaking country? I find your ability to write English at this level, with punctuation, good sentence structure, upper and lower case, and even the use of American idioms, to be totally amazing!!! Edited to note that Nadezhda is now 19, which totally blows me away because the time has gone so fast! She was 15 when she first came, but, my point is that she has always been able to write in English exceptionally well! Link to comment
Guest Nadezhda Posted July 20, 2003 Report Share Posted July 20, 2003 Thank you, Victoria! You're quite correct, I've never been to an English-speaking country, but I hope to go sometime. As for idioms we were given the opportunity to learn them at school and I did remember some of them. It's always nice to be complimented. Link to comment
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