Rotation question

[bluebillie]

This is a rather specific question for Major Johnson...

 

I have been exhaustively researching "hips" and "rotation" on the forums in preparation to post some of my dance pictures (in my other pelvic placement topic). Not that I am looking for a quick fix, but certainly more information to continue working for proper rotation during movement as opposed to static or passive stretches.

 

You said, in this forum (http://dancers.invisionzone.com/index.php?...c=32645&hl=), that you had been able to increase your rotation significantly even after getting back into dance at a later stage in life. Though certainly each individual is different, would you mind me asking what particular exercises you did, thoughts you had, etc?

 

I have read through many posts and still haven't really found any answers that could work for me. Without seeing me, I'll try to give you a few details that might help you understand more clearly where I stand in terms of rotation.

 

I have *very* tight hips, and have been working on the "frog" stretch and the "cross-over" hip stretch (looks a little like butterfly stretch but the top leg is flexed and placed over the right instead of the feet touching at the center line) every day after barre in addition to my other stretches. In both stretches, I am, at this point struggling. I would say that if a "perfect" frog stretch is to have the feet on the floor even with the hips, I am only about half way there. The same tightness applies to the hip stretches.

 

In my research, I came across the term "tibial" torsion, and thought it might apply, as I distinctly remember attaining a near perfect 5th in my teens without rolling in. However, I see that I do not have this anatomy, because if I hang my legs down from a chair, my feet do not naturally rotate outward. But my knees do certainly turn inward. When I was younger, I constantly got the correction "put your knees over your toes" because people failed to realize that my knees NEVER went "over" my feet. I would also try to describe my leg shape, but I think that it is relatively clear from my pictures in my other topic. I will say that it is almost as if my legs, at the knee, were "shifted" over to the inside, not unlike the diagram below. In thinking about my pro years, either my hips got to be MUCH more turned out from the 20-30 hours of dancing I was putting in/week, or I was really wrenching my knees to look more "turned out" even though I wasn't rotating. Clearly, I want to rotate in a healthy and correct manner, and preserve my knees, one of which already experiences some bursitis from what I think now must be some incorrect "wrenching" while dancing. As always, I appreciate any information you can give on this subject in addition to the many pages you have already contributed on this forum.

 

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I also want to note that I read another topic related to my leg shape (http://dancers.invisionzone.com/index.php?...32&hl=bowed), that I'm struggling to understand, since for this particular poster, they ARE able to get their knees over their toes, and seem to have some tibial torsion. Further differences are: when I stand in 1st position, my calves touch easily, and also, my legs NOT touching in parallel have more to do with an extremely wide pelvis for my size. It's almost as if my "parallel" would need to be with my feet about a foot apart for my feet to be directly under my hips. And speaking with my physicians, I know that my legs aren't "bowed" in the classical sense, that is, from the thigh. It's almost like only the bottom portion of my leg, from the knee down, is bowed. I know that I inherited my legs and pelvis from my father, as I believe I said before, but he was never classified as bow-legged either. I think I'm starting to feel WendyMichelle's pain; I'm feeling a little like a mutant here!

 

And, please delete this if I shouldn't be posting websites, but if you scroll down to the "sample of studio sketchbook drawings showing multiple figure studies" on this website (http://www.sandrashaw.com/AH1L02.htm), I swear that this artist had me in mind with this sketch! Note the slight "S" curve in the legs. Okay, TMI I'm sure, but I'm off to bed hoping NOT to dream about curved legs and tight hips!

Edited June 29, 2008 by Mel Johnson

[WendyMichelle]

Mutants!

 

Sorry for posting before you, Major, but that was FUNNY!

 

WM

[Mel Johnson]

The short answer is contained in the wording of the object post: "I was able to RESTORE...."

 

I had a decent rotation and turnout during my working life, and when I came back, I started with a relatively uncomplicated class level and worked my way back by paying constant attention to placement and rotation, and working slowly, slowly! The restoration proceeded carefully, but after about three or four months, I was able to demonstrate convincingly in class, and dance actual character dances again.

 

Tibial torsion is another whole matter, and never affected me directly. I teach to correct it by encouraging both proper placement and correct use of weight distribution on the feet. Every case is different, so it's an up-close-and-personal kind of treatment that I don't think I can describe in generalities on a discussion board.

[WendyMichelle]

Hey bluebillie,

 

I think somewhere on here the teachers don't really advocate the frog stretch. I can do it and my feet are on the floor, but my left hip is still tight.

 

One stretch I do is this: http://www.myfit.ca/exercisedatabase/view....etches&ID=4 Once I'm stable on my knee I push forward on my front leg; you can really feel the stretch in the hips there. Another thing I do is after the above, I will actually lift my back foot off the ground, reach around with my arm, grab my ankle, and pull the back leg towards the buttocks (still leaning forward on the front knee and the back knee still on the floor). I call this the supreme hip stretch.

 

I also do another one: http://yoga.about.com/od/yogaposes/a/pigeon.htm Make sure to look at the three pictures and read the instructions. You can't go all out to begin with, you've got to ease yourself into these stretches. You will really feel the stretch in the hip flexor and glutes with this one.

 

WM