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Heather’s Top 5 Exercises for Dancers!

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I get these questions often –

“What should I do if I want a higher extension? What exercises will help me reduce my chance for injury? How can I gain more control over the flexibility I’ve worked so hard for?”

 

Well my dearest dancer friends – here they are.

My top 5 most prescribed exercises for dancers!

*Click the video links for each exercise for a demonstration!

Wall Hinge and Press:

Stand next to a wall with a band around your thighs. Begin with your feet hip width apart and in parallel. Hinge your hips back and come into a shallow squat. Lift your inside leg and press the side of your shin into the wall while keeping your pelvis level. Hold for 30 seconds on each side. Repeat 2 more times.

 This move is perfect for dancers wanting to train proper hip, knee ankle alignment and strengthen their standing leg…. which is all of us. A stronger standing leg equals a higher working leg, ability to pump out more pirouettes, and less chance of injury when landing from jumps.

Eccentric Sliding Splits:

Begin by kneeling on one knee and extending the other leg in front of you. Using socks or sliders, glide the front leg away from you towards your splits and then back again. Move slowly and with control while making sure your body stays upright. Repeat 5-10 on each side.

 I like this move for all dancers as a replacement of the passive static splits. When we sit in a stretch there is no muscle activity needed. While in the eccentric sliding splits you’ll quickly come to realize what your muscles have control over. This makes a huge difference in your passive vs. active range of motion. A great example of this is how your battement height relates to your developpe height and how your splits transfer into your leap.

Tri Plane Lunges with Passe Balance:

Front lunge balance, back lunge balance. Repeat 3 times. Side lunge balance, curtsy balance. Repeat 3 times. Lunge to front corner, lunge to back corner. Repeat 3 times.

 Dancers need to be able to keep their equilibrium while moving in all directions. This lunge series trains strong legs while practicing the skill of finding balance when entering from multiple angles.

 

Tabletop Press into Ipsilateral Dead Bug:

Lie on your back and come into tabletop. Start by keeping your low back actively touching the ground (as you advance you will be training this move in a neutral spine). Press the heels of your hands into your knees and tighten the core by actively pressing your knees back into your hands. Release your right hand and reach it over head while extending the right leg in opposition. Alternate Sides for 10 repetitions.

 When I was training at the University of Illinois our motto was “find your core and go from there.” In essence they were drilling into us - all movement is in response to how strong or weak your core is. So train a strong center and see your balance, control, and power expand and grow!

 

Pushups: I start all clients on their knees. Align the wrists under the shoulders, tighten the core and find the neck in a neutral position. Shoulder blades are sliding down into your back pockets as you bend your elbows at a 45 degree angle away from your body. Only go as low as you can while continuing to maintain control over the entire shoulder girdle and core. Perform 10 repetitions, rest and repeat 2 more times.

 We’re seeing it everywhere. Ballerinas aren’t just ballerinas anymore. They’re doing contemporary and modern as well--to name a few! We need to be able to not only support ourselves safely during floor work, but also be able to be a safe and confident partner during lifts to our fellow dancers.