Picture the knee joint as a crowded intersection in a busy city, with people and cars moving through it: up and down, from side to side. When this junction is flowing smoothly, traffic is a breeze and it is easy to get to where you need to be. But when there is an accident or […]
Q: I have students who are struggling to engage their abdominals when dancing. What might you suggest to help with this? A: This is a fairly common problem. Try this exercise to help students learn how to move their legs while maintaining abdominal engagement. Begin by having them lie on their back with their knees […]
For all the time we spend talking about feet, we think it’s time we did a deep dive into toes. Those little piggies bear a lot of weight, endure painful blisters and help your students soar across the classroom day after day. So, to show our toes the love they deserve, here are five exercises […]
“If you don’t have strong abdominal muscles, you sag into your lower back, your pelvis usually tips and you’re hanging out and slumped into your hip joints,” says Deborah Vogel, movement analyst, neuromuscular expert and co-founder of the Center for Dance Medicine in New York City. “It just has this whole chain reaction.” The effects […]
What is the key to getting higher extensions to the front and side? I’ve gotten many suggestions to use my psoas, but during all of the exercises I’ve done to try to strengthen them, I always end up using my hip flexor. —Hadley Hi Hadley, What a great question and one that many dancers are […]
In her work as director of physical therapy for New York City Ballet, Marika Molnar relies on tools like bands, balls and Pilates equipment to rehabilitate and strengthen dancers. She says there’s a place for such tools in daily dance classes, as well. Resistance and stability tools can help students develop strength and even break […]
Our hips are overachievers. They are the main source of turnout and the axis of all leg movement. Dancers work them hard. No one knows this better than Heather Heineman, physical therapist at the Harkness Center for Dance Injuries at NYU Langone Medical Center. She treats all kinds of hip injuries in dancers, frequently from […]
It was August in New York City, and Paula Morgan was leading a body placement seminar at the 2014 Dance Teacher Summit. When someone asked for advice on addressing bowleggedness in students, the already energetic Morgan switched into high gear. She demanded an example body from the group of attendees; a bowlegged dancer volunteered and […]
When a young male dancer hits puberty, you’ll know the signs: “One day they look normal, the next they look like a string bean. They can get a little wonky for a while,” says Jim Lane, managing director for The Portland Ballet, a youth academy and company. “You’ll notice turns get out of whack, or […]