Every dance student wants to be able to spin like a top, doing multiple pirouettes when in reality many do not have the basic posture and body strength to be able to even balance on one leg successfully! I have found that by strengthening specific areas I have been able to get my students to turn with balance and confidence. Once the student starts to feel the effects of their new found strength you will never have a hard time getting them do the exercises consistently. There are a number of areas that need to be worked on to make the balance even.
The most important of these areas to work on are the lower abdominals. Today, with the fashion of everything being worn on the hips there is very little consciousness in normal, everyday life, of the center of gravity area between the hips and the lower ribs known as the waist! I have sometimes asked my students to show me where their waists are, only to be met with blank stares!!! So, one of the things that I implement with students in ballet class is that they always wear an elastic belt on their waists. It really is a useful tool because it pinpoints that center for them. They will probably be resistant initially but in time will come to realize the benefits.
Exercises to strengthen lower abdominals:
Lie on floor with knees bent, feet flat on the floor and slightly apart. Holding a basketball size ball between the knees. Hands behind the head, elbows flat. Do 25 crunches squeezing the ball and breathing out as you lift the shoulders off the floor. Repeat 25 crunches lifting the feet off the floor, knees to chest and still squeezing the ball. Repeat both sets again for a total of 100 crunches.
Lying on floor, one leg bent foot flat on the floor, other leg extended. Hands behind the head, elbows flat. Bicycle pulsing for 2 counts bringing opposite elbow to bent knee for 4 counts of 8. Repeat with single counts for 4 counts of 8. Repeat all.
Lying on floor placing feet flat on exercise ball (suitable for height of student) with knees bent. Extend legs and roll ball away. Using the lower abdominals, bring ball close to body at the same time lifting upper body with hands behind neck to a crunch position. Repeat 20 times.
Extend legs and ball away from body and at the same time lift hips off the floor. Keeping hips lifted bring ball close to body and using crunch position with the upper body repeat 20 times.
Lower back and buttock strengthening exercises :
Lying on floor with knees bent and feet flat on the floor, slightly apart. Roll hips up off the floor for 4 counts, hold for 4 and roll back down from the base of the neck to the hips. Repeat 10 times. To intensify, squeeze basket ball size ball between the knees and repeat 10 times. To further intensify repeat exercise squeeze ball 10 times when the hips are lifted off the floor.
Lying on stomach, legs and feet together. One arm stretched out to the side the other straight ahead. Alternating sides, working in opposition lift arms and back off floor with opposite leg also lifted. Repeat 20 times.
Push back onto heels to relax back muscles and then repeat exercise and stretch.
Upper back strengthening exercises:
Using exercise ball, kneel behind it and roll it forward lying on the ball. For beginner use make sure that the thighs are on the ball, for intermediate use the shins are on the ball and for advanced the feet are on the ball. Making sure lower abdominals and buttock muscles are tight and legs are straight. Do 15 push ups and then roll back and stretch arms. Repeat exercise for an additional set of 15 push ups.
Sitting on floor with legs bent over exercise ball, elbows bent with hands flat on the floor, fingers pointing towards the front. Lifting hips off the floor and keeping them up do 15 reverse push ups working the triceps. Relax hips onto floor and stretch out arms. Repeat exercise for an additional set of 15 push ups and stretch.
All of these exercises will help to strengthen and improve the posture of your students. By understanding the importance of strengthening these areas the dancers will start to feel more in control of their turns which will give them more confidence and sense of relaxation to enable them to execute pirouettes successfully. Next month I will be giving some helpful ideas on strengthening the leg muscles necessary to stabilize the turns and also additional suggestions for spotting.
