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Back flexibility


lildancechick722

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I was wondering if anyone could give me some help on how to make your back more flexible for arabesque! I have a very low arabesque 70 degrees :devil: and really would love some exercise to help make it a little higher! Thank you very much!

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I have a couple of questions for you.

 

Are you trying to keep the hip extremely square in the arabesque? That will kill the extension pretty well. You have to allow the hip to open slightly, if not exactly lift. You don't want to flop wide apart there, and wreck the line. There has to be someplace for your backside to go, and it doesn't get in the way in extensions to the front or the side, but it sure complicates things to the back. Just think. It would be worse if we had tails!

 

Also, are you trying to keep the torso as straight up as possible? That's another killer. When you do an arabesque, the torso has to go not only up, but forward a bit, sort of diagonally upward, in order to keep the body weight from all settling in the heel. It also preserves the "arabesque spiral" of line essential to the position.

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Guest dancinabbs

I have the same problem - my back is probably a little more flexible than yours but it's still not very flexible. I was told to help, to lie on the floor on your stomach and put your arms in front of you and legs in back and lift them of the floor at the same time. HTH! :devil:

 

xoxo ABBE xoxo

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You can do the cobra stretch (where you lay on your stomach and push back your back with your arms).

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Guest knittingdancer2

i know a stretch, i dont know if it helps strengthen or not though.

have someone be there to help you too. stand with your back to a closed door. then bend backwards and "walk" down the door. it works pretty well. getting back up is the hard part!!! :lol:

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Wow ... thank you, Mr. Johnson! I clicked on this because I was wondering if something could be helpful here (strength issues - sometimes flexibility ones too) and I think that might be why if someone holds me, I have an easy six o'clock penchee, but otherwise a lousy one ... Thanks!

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