Skip to main content

The Secret Message

Is there a secret message to make all your dancers turn like Sophia Lucia? Sorry, I don't think so. However, reminders that build muscle memory are the key to having consistently strong turners. Below are bullet points to remind your dancers of every class as to what to think of while turning. One of my favorite tactics is asking my class what they need to think about while they are turning. My dancers will raise their hands and we won't stop until all of the bullet points have been checked off.

  • High relevé
  • Straight supporting knee
  • High passé
  • Shoulders down (out)
  • Strong spot (spot your own eyeballs or a point in the room)
  • Strong arms (like holding oranges under your armpits)
  • Utilizing your closing arm
  • In second turns, turning out both your supporting leg and your working leg
  • Closing into a high, strong croisé and not swinging your leg
  • Leading with your heel and not gripping your turnout muscles
  • Not dropping your heel too hard in second turns or fouettes
  • Pulling straight up, not around
  • Engaging your center
  • Keeping your center directly over your turning foot
  • Get your power from your closing arm and your spot
  • Pulling up as you pull down to create opposition 
  • PREP IS IMPORTANT!!!
By your dancers implementing all of these reminders into their muscle memory when they go to turn, they will not need to actively think about them. Therefore, your dancers will become strong, c onfident turners in no time.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Are you properly teaching the "Frog"?

While attending Velocity Nationals in 2014, a workshop was provided for the individuals at Nationals with a director or instructor pass. This workshop was taught by Shannon Mather. With more than a plethora of experience and a resume as long as an encyclopedia, Shannon Mather is more than qualified to speak to dance instructors and share her experiences and knowledge. One go-to that many of us use after sliding through our middle splits during warm-up is the "frog" stretch. By laying on your belly, slapping your feet together behind you, and letting gravity do the work on your feet (like pictured above), many of us may think that we are stretching out hips. However, as Shannon Mather noted, this stretch is actually just twisting your knees into an unnatural turned in position.  However, the correct way to do this stretch is to ensure your students' knees are in 90 degree angles. With their feet right below their knees, they will sink their hips as low as possi...

Teacher Reactions

While we as instructors are so passionate about seeing our dancers improve, it is important to sometimes take our experiences with a grain of salt. From excuses like "I didn't have time", or "my Mom didn't tell me," we have heard them all. This article , is full of dance teacher reactions that we are all-too familiar with. 

Injuries for Life

In the dance industry, career-ending injuries are all too common. As a dance teacher, coach, or instructor, it is important to be aware of some of the most common dance injuries. According to a study by Dr. Raj Deu and Hopkins Medicine, the following are injuries often seen on dancers: Hip Injuries Snapping hip syndrom  Hip impingement  Labral tears Hip flexor tendonitis  Foot and ankle injuries Achilles tendonitis  Trigger toe and ankle impingement  Knee injuries Patellofemoral pain syndrom  Stress fractures Metatarsals  Tibia Lumbar Spine Sesamoids Arthritis  Knee Hip Ankle Foot As a teacher, it is important to listen to your students if they are complaining of pain in these areas. It help them distinguish between pain and an injury, you can ask them the following questions: Does the pain keep you up at night? Is the pain already present before you start dancing? Does the pain increase with activity? Doe...