When I think of strength training I usually think of words like power house, beast, strong, powerful, dynamic and rarely think of words like light, airy and delicate. The funny thing though? The more strength your dancer has, the more control they have and the more control they have, the lighter they can land on their feet, they transition with ease and get off the floor with grace. Sounds dreamy! I remember the days of my dancers leaping across the floor and shaking the whole studio because they weren’t rolling through their feet or controlling the landing. They weren’t landing with grace, they sounded like a herd of elephants. If your dancers are struggling with this too, take a peek below. You can incorporate these exercises into your warm up or conditioning to help your dancers sound a little less pachyderm and a little more pleasing to the ear.
STRAIGHT KNEE LIFT
How it helps: for dancers who struggle with straightening their legs in the air. Bent knees in the air leads to heels landing loudly.
• Lying on your back, bend one leg towards your glutes and keep one leg straight.
Repeat 20 reps on each side
TURN OUT DRILL
How it helps: for dancers who turn in while they jump. Without turned out legs, a full split in the air can’t be reached.
• On your back with your feet together and legs extended straight from your hips at a 90 degree angle, turn your feet out to first position, and return parallel.
Repeat 15-20 reps
HALF RUSSIAN
How it helps: helps dancers practice rolling through their feet, leaving their chest up and landing softly without having to travel.
•Begin with legs together and arms at your side Repetitions and Modifications: [-] Take the jump out or tuck knees in front of your body
WALL SIT / HIGH KNEES
How it helps: strengthens leg muscles and helps dancers remember to roll through their feet as they get tired.
•[P1] Holds wall sit with arms extended outwards. Make sure to keep core engaged and back flat along the wall. Repetitions and Modifications: |
09/26/2019
