How do you Get your leg to stay up for Ballet!?
Please help im i keep trying but it hurts so bad and now there sore, how do i get them to be strong so theyll be high and stay up?
2007-03-11 09:40:15 · 7 answers · asked by Madison 2 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Dancing
first of all you have to stretch to be flexable first-
in dance team we have to stand against a wall with your heel to it and keep your hips flat against it and have a partner grab your leg and push it up
remember:
push youself but NOT TOO HARD otherwise you can end up with pulled muscles
one time i did this and my foot actually touched the wall but i pushed myself too hard and the competiion was like 3 hours away................ you shuda seen my kickline.....
2007-03-11 09:44:51 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Contrary to what everyone is saying, stretching will not help you hold your leg in the air for a longer period of time.
If you want to hold your leg in the air for a longer period of time, you must work on the strength and endurance of the muscles involved. Here are a few things that might help:
1. Buy ankle weights (2-5 pounds). Wear them during barre exercises (if your teacher will allow it).
2. Practice developes (front, side, and back) daily while wearing the ankle weights
3. Keep a daily journal that tracks how long you're able to hold your leg extension without dropping the leg. This way, you'll be able to see your progress.
4. If you feel soreness, stretch the muscles that are being used. You may occassionally need to ice the muscles as well.
2007-03-12 16:37:13 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Flexibility will not help you if you don't have the muscles to hold up your leg! Whenever you do an arabesque, you should feel strain on the muscles in your back. These are the muscles you need to build for an arabesque; you will never be able to hold your leg up without them. When you try to hold your leg to the side, you should feel the muscles in your thighs, hips, and your sides. To build the back muscles, the only true way is to practice the arabesques. For the thighs, do squats and strength training. For the hips and sides, stand up tall and learn to each side, putting on of your arms over your head. You should feel a stretch in your sides. This will make them stronger.
hope this helps!
2007-03-11 18:37:37 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
It sounds like your on the right track. Like others before me have said, stretch your thigh muscles. It will really help.
Also, work on excercises were you work on strenghthening you hamstrings. These are the muscles that are supposed to be holding your leg up. Not your thigh muscles.
Eventually you should be able to hold that leg up using your hamstrings. Don't get discouraged though, it may take a while.
Good luck!
2007-03-12 15:46:05 · answer #4 · answered by Twinkle Teddy 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Practice and more practice! Do some weight training also to strengthen your whole body. Ballet dancers have a tough time looking so graceful and it does cause some damage. Be very careful and you should check with your dance instructor to make sure that you're doing your steps correctly.
2007-03-11 16:45:27 · answer #5 · answered by Topez 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Simply put, s t r e t c h. I know that you have probably read this over and over, but it's true. If you stretch and exercise those muscles regularly then they will become stronger. Good luck with ballet, I completely admire you for doing it! =]
2007-03-11 19:18:51 · answer #6 · answered by rollercoasterromance 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
you need to hold your butt muscles and back. hold your stomach muscles too. don't grip your quads!!!
2007-03-12 22:31:12 · answer #7 · answered by j c 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋