Are My Legs Straight?

I personally struggle with a very specific problem... I swear my back leg is straight in my leaps and arabesques when it in fact not straight. If your dancers are experiencing this, there might actually be a medical reason. According to the editor of Dance Teacher Magazine, Deborah Vogel, meniscal tears, swelling, trauma, or arthritis might all be the culprit. There is also the possibility your dancer is not properly working their turnout. If your dancer's kneecap of their leg is dropped towards the ground in arabesque, the leg will appear bent if it is in fact straight. Lastly, your student's body type may be the reason. If the student has a naturally knobby knee that protrudes forward, it could appear bent while they are trying to straighten it.

Comments

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...

How should you incentivize your dancers?

Dance classes can be an extremely rewarding extra-curricular recreational activity. However, in many classes it is evident that many dancers do not have the energy or the discipline to focus as much as they need to in order to truly accomplish their goals. Many parents and students are paying for dance classes with an end goal in mind for their children and themselves. Some intend to make a high school or college team, some intend to simply improve on their skills from last year, some wish to win competitions. Therefore, giving these students an average dance education will not suffice. As influencers and educators , we should should set ourselves apart with a higher standard. So the question is, how can we motivate the more... uninterested of our students. Research has demonstrated that offering rewards to children can improve their concentration, performance, and behavior in a classroom setting. Teachers can reward their...

The Instructor's Dance Floor

Search This Blog