EmilyPdancer Posted July 14, 2004 Report Share Posted July 14, 2004 Adagio is really hard for me, i don't have the streingth to keep my legs up because I have grown alot this year, do my mussles (sp?) are really weak. Its also hard for me to remember to streighten my knees. When they feel like i've streightened them, they still dont look pulled up, so I have to concentrate extra hard on pulling my knees up. That is whats hard for me in my classes. Quote Link to comment
Administrators Victoria Leigh Posted July 14, 2004 Administrators Report Share Posted July 14, 2004 Hello EmilyPdancer, and welcome to Ballet Talk for Dancers It is often hard when one is growing to get control of everything, and probably feels like your legs and arms don't even belong to your body I know that happens. And adagio and petit allegro, along with pirouettes, will be the things most affected. You just have to work extra hard, and be very sure to place yourself before starting things. The better your placement the better you will be able to control all those long muscles, and also your rotation! A lot of work on Pilates and strengthening exercises would be helpful right now. Quote Link to comment
EmilyPdancer Posted July 15, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2004 thanks Miss Leigh, I have a questin about pilaties; when I take a pilaties class, I really feel a strain on my neck, and it dosn't seem to help me with my "inner streingth". I'm not sure why, but I don't think it is a very good thing to feel stress in my neck. Is it?? Quote Link to comment
Administrators Victoria Leigh Posted July 15, 2004 Administrators Report Share Posted July 15, 2004 No, it's not. Have you talked to the instructor about this? Quote Link to comment
EmilyPdancer Posted July 15, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2004 no, i havent, i just figured i was weak there or something, i should?? Quote Link to comment
Administrators Victoria Leigh Posted July 15, 2004 Administrators Report Share Posted July 15, 2004 Absolutely! Anytime you are doing something that is not working for you, and you do not understand it, you must let the teacher know. It's very possible you are doing something incorrectly that is causing this, or it's possible that you need to adjust somehow for the exercise where this is happening. (This topic is really not a Dancers for Dancers topic, so I'm moving it to Young Dancers 13-16.) Quote Link to comment
EmilyPdancer Posted July 15, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2004 Thankyou I will talk to the teacher. are there any excersisesI can do to work on helping my streighten my knees?? they often don't appear streight, but they feel like they are, which is hard in class because i don't remember to pull them up. Do you knwo any excersizes?? Or is this another thing I should discuss with my pilaties teacher? Quote Link to comment
Administrators Victoria Leigh Posted July 15, 2004 Administrators Report Share Posted July 15, 2004 Do you have a theraband? There are good exercises with those which can help. Have your teacher show you. (Ballet teacher or Pilates teacher) Quote Link to comment
EmilyPdancer Posted July 16, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 I have a theraband at home, but not with me here. Are there any other excersizes that could be done with out the thereband?? I could always borrow one from a friend (which I have done before) and ask my teacher. But (just to re - cap) are there any other excersizes to help me streighten my knees that could be done with out the thereband?? Quote Link to comment
Administrators Victoria Leigh Posted July 16, 2004 Administrators Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 Get a used tennis ball, or a rubber ball that is not too hard. Sit on the floor, put the ball under your knee with your leg stretched out in front of you, foot flexed. Squash the ball. This makes the quads work and the knee straighten as far as it will go. (The ball should not be so soft that you can really squash it.) Quote Link to comment
Guest dancinabbs Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 I have the same problem as EmilyPdancer, with straightening my knees. But for me, when I try to straighten them all the way, I think I am gripping in my quads. Is this SUPPOSED to happen, because I didn't think it should, but when I asked my teacher, she said she didn't think I was gripping, but I'm sure I am! (Whew! Run-on sentance!) Quote Link to comment
shulie Posted July 16, 2004 Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 I always HATED pas de bouree pique en pointe across the room since I had trouble spotting the corner with my eye and keeping my arms firm enough to guide me into the right direction. Guess I managed it by now.. LOL Luckily I dont have to do them too often anymore.. Quote Link to comment
Administrators Victoria Leigh Posted July 16, 2004 Administrators Report Share Posted July 16, 2004 Abbs, the quad muscles need to be engaged for the knees to be straight. It does not require "gripping" to do this, and actually gripping the quad of a standing leg is really a pretty hard thing to do! It's easy to overuse, or grip them in an extension like a développé, but in standing you would be more likely to grip the derrière muscles. Quote Link to comment
EmilyPdancer Posted July 17, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2004 miss Leigh.. Thankyou fo all your help and time, I really appreciate it. I wil work on the excersize you gave me to work on, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!! love, Emily Quote Link to comment
Guest mal89 Posted July 18, 2004 Report Share Posted July 18, 2004 Maybe this is a stupid question, but I was reading through what dancinabbs was writing about, and I didn't understand what she ment by "gripping" the quad! Can someone please explain? Quote Link to comment
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