Hip Flexor Stretch

Any kind of dance requires a lot of activity from the joints and muscles around the pelvis.In ballet, maintaining a high develope, controlling batement, and holding quick turns requires strong, flexible pelvic and hip muscles. This hip flexor stretch builds coordination and strength in these areas. Exercises like these need to be repeated daily in order to gain anything from them. Strength, flexibility, and coordination are maintained through a little bit of work EVERY SINGLE DAY. Take even a week without stretching or strengthening, and all your improvements may be gone.

Here's how this exercise works: 

1.) kneel on the right knee. Have your foot on the floor with your left knee at a 90 degree angle. Lengthen through your spine, keep hips in line

2.) Make a pelvic tilt through your upper body.

3.) slowly lengthen your arms into cambre position (note the right picture to see what this looks like if you're not sure). Hold this stretch for 45 second at minimum. Breathing deeply will help your balance.

4.) Slowly bring you arms back into your body, keeping your balance on your knee. Make sure to keep your hips square the entire time.  If this is too easy, try closing your eyes! (its hard....)

5.) repeat on the opposite side. Do ten reps on each leg.

wha la!! Hope you feel a little stronger :)

Happy dancing!!

Why must we  strengthen and stretch on a daily basis in order to to see improvement? What are good ways to motivate ourselves to persist in exercises everyday?




 Haas, Jacqui Greene. Dance Anatomy. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 2010. Print.