finding your center

[Guest limeymauve]

I was wondering if anyone knows of good warming up exercises, in addition to barre work, that help you to find your center. There is one teacher at my school who subs for us sometimes who does these pre-barre exercises, and after I do them I feel like I can balance and turn much better. One of them is to stand in fourth position, first straight-legged, then in plie, raise your arms above your head, clasping one hand flexed in the other, and circle your hands and upper body around, feeling like you're carving a circle in an imaginary ceiling. But I can't remember everything she does, and I don't see her unless she substitutes for us. Any ideas? This would be for a little warm-up before class starts.

[Guest limeymauve]

does anyone have ideas on this?

[kellyisthebestintheworld]

In my class we do stuff like that. One that we do is where you stand in second and you go down to the ground so that your right leg is under you (the ball of your foot in on the ground) and your left leg is straight next to you (like center splits) and you move to the left and right so that your legs are opposite. Does that make sense? I'm not too good at it because it's hard for me to find my center, but one you get the hang of it it's a great warm-up.

 

*I'm not 17-22

[AmaG520]

Some of the most basic I do before barre are splits,(Right, left, center), and then a stretch like so: sitting on the ground with your legs parallel in front of you, "nose to knees" with pointed/ then flexed feet, (stretches your hamstring?/backs of your legs).

 

We also lay on your back, then try the center splits on your back, trying to get your legs/feet parallel to the floor, and if your really flexible, on the floor.

 

Some Pilates is great for the center, maybe looking up the Abdominal series, of single straight leg, double straight leg, single leg stretch, double leg stretch, and criss-cross.

[Guest Bethie0420]

Doing Pilates every night really helps me. Before I was only doing it a few time a week and I noticed that the next day in ballet my balance was soo much better. Strengthen your abs and you should be just fine!

[Guest limeymauve]

thanks so much for all the replies, actually we do that rocking side-to-side thing in jazz but i never thought of it for ballet , i'll try that because you're right, that does work on balance. AmaG, you do splits before barre? i don't think i'm flexible enough to until i'm warmed up, but i do less strenuous stretches usually. Also, I've never tried Pilates but it sounds really good, are there any websites or books you guys recommend? And is it okay to pick and choose some of the things they do in pilates if you're not taking a class and doing the whole thing?

[AmaG520]

Yes, well, when I was younger, my dance teacher startd us all off doing splits, until we could do them (i think by 13/14 i could do them all the time) idk, it really IS a flexibility thing, so yes, do what suits your body the best.

 

Pilates, I find, is so great, you don't get that bulge from weight training or any of that other good stuff gyms have.... You will get lean lines and a very powerful center. I have two Mari Winsor Pilates DVD's that are only 20 minutes, one is called "Ab sculpting" and the other "Advanced Body" they work so great, and they don't take that long.