Physical Skills Can Be Excellent For Aesthetic Movement

Physical Skills Can Be Excellent For Aesthetic Movement, Sometimes Creating Interest! Posture Strength Control Balance Extension Flexibility Alignment Mobility Stamina Coordination Isolation

Physical Skills Can Be Excellent For Aesthetic Movement, Sometimes Creating Interest. Posture The way the body is held. Physical Muscular power. Strength Skills Control The ability to start and stop movement, change direction and hold a shape efficiently. Balance A steady or held position achieved by an even distribution of weight. Can Be Extension Lengthening one or more muscles or limbs Excellent Flexibility The range of movement in a joint (involving muscles tendons and ligaments) Alignment Correct placement of body parts in relation to each other. For Aesthetic Mobility Movement Stamina The range of movement in a joint; the ability to move fluently from action to action. Ability to maintain physical and mental energy over periods of time. Sometimes Co-ordination The efficient combination of body parts. Creating Interest Isolation An independent movement of part of the body.

Posture The way the body is held.

Why do you need good posture? Essential for control, safety and performing with expression and projection. Poor posture can impact on the whole body and cause injury and poor alignment Exercise to Improve Posture: Task: Demi Plié Exercise Development over time to maintain improvement: Grand Plié Exercise Check your progress by… • • Stand at a bar or in the space. Perform 2 slow plies in parallel 1 st then 2 in turned out 1 st. Make sure you keep the back straight and bottom tucked under. Repeat in 2 nd position, 2 in parallel and 2 in turn out. Complete 3 reps 3 times a week. • 1. After 1 week add in a grand plié in 1 st position. 4 x gran plié in parallel 1 st 4 x grand plié in turned out 1 st 2. After 2 weeks add in a grand plié in 2 nd position 4 x grand plié in parallel 2 nd 4 x grand plié in turned out 2 nd watching yourself in a mirror filming yourself and watching back or asking a friend or teacher to watch you and give feedback. (look at the way the head Is held/projection as well as position of the spine)

Strength Muscular power

Why do you need good strength? If a dancer develops strength, they can be more in control of their body and can execute more technically demanding actions and perform safely. With good strength movement can be held which makes it look better/effortless. Exercise to Improve Core Strength: Task: Bridge Lye on your back with your knees bent and feet hip distance apart. Slowly raise hips rolling up through spine from pelvis to shoulders. Hold position for 8 counts making sure back remains straight. Slowly roll back down through spine from shoulders to pelvis. Complete 3 reps of 10 every other day. Development over time to maintain improvement: Check your progress by… 1) After 1 week increase to 3 reps of 15 2) After 2 weeks increase challenge by adding alternate leg lifts • • • Make sure back remains straight and hips do not twist. watching yourself in a mirror filming yourself and watching back or asking a friend or teacher to watch you and give feedback. (in performance look at balance, height in jumps, fluency of movement into and out of the floor)

Control The ability to start and stop movement, change direction and hold a shape efficiently.

Why do you need good control? If a dancer can develop control over movements then they will be able to execute the choreographers intent accurately and have a greater expressive quality. Exercise to Improve Core Strength: Task: Reverse crunches 3 sets of 10 every other day Development over time to maintain improvement: Check your progress by… • 1. 2. After 1 week increase repetitions to 3 sets of 15 After 2 weeks increase repetitions to 3 sets of 20 • filming yourself and watching back or asking a friend or teacher to watch you and give feedback. (In performance look for ability to change dynamics, use breath, balance, and spatial awareness)

Balance A steady or ‘held’ position achieved by an even distribution of weight

Why do you need good balance? Developing balance through strengthening ankles helps to maintain relevé positions in balanced movements. A strong core helps to maintain the alignment in the spine. Exercise to Improve Ankle Strength: Task: Releve/Calf Raises 3 x repetitions of 10 in parallel 1 st 3 x repetitions of 10 in turned out 1 st 3 x reps of 10 in parallel 2 nd 3 x reps of 10 in turned out 2 nd Development over time to maintain improvement: 1) Increase repetitions to 15 after 1 week 2) Increase repetitions to 20 after 2 weeks 3) For further challenge add in a bend and stretch while in releve position, as shown below. Try adding a bend in all 4 positions Check your progress by… • • • watching yourself in a mirror filming yourself and watching back or asking a friend or teacher to watch you and give feedback. (look out for any wobbling during performance) Repeat 3 times a week

Extension Lengthening one or more muscles or limbs

Why do you need good extension? To ensure actions are performed correctly with clarity. To make movements seem endless and effortless. Exercise to Improve leg and foot Extension: Task: Tondu exercise Start in Parallel 1 st position 4 x tondu right leg to front 4 x tondu left leg to front 4 x tondu right leg to side 4 x tondu left leg to side Repeat in turned out 1 st position How to do a tondu correctly: Transfer your weight into supporting leg, push into the ball of the foot until only the very tip of the big toe is in contact with the floor. Make sure the rest of your body remains still with a straight long back. keep hips square, do not put any weight into extended foot/toe. Reverse the action to close. Complete 2 reps 3 times a week Development over time to maintain improvement: 1. After 1 week add in a small leg raise just off the floor after each tondu followed by a leg raise to knee height 2. After 2 weeks add in leg raise to hip height and arm extensions- reaching arms outstretched to the front and side to mirror leg work. Check your progress by… • • • watching yourself in a mirror filming yourself and watching back or asking a friend or teacher to watch you and give feedback. (make sure all movements are completed with energy to the ends of fingers and toes)

Flexibility The range of movement in the joints (involving muscles, tendons and ligaments)

Why do you need good flexibility? Flexibility helps to Improve mobility in the joints which allows the dancer to perform difficult actions acurately. Flexibility encourages and helps towards gaining good alignment. Exercise to Improve Back Flexibility: Development over time to maintain improvement: Task: Yoga Sun Salutations Use breath to increase flexibility of spine. Do not allow hips to tilt. Maintain safe alignment. Complete 3 reps three times a week 1) After 1 week increase range of stretch (e. g. in cobra push back higher, in position 3 push nose closer to legs) 2) After 2 weeks increase challenge- in position 4 and 9 lift arms over head and hold for 2 inhales of breath Check your progress by… • • • watching yourself in a mirror filming yourself and watching back or asking a friend or teacher to watch you and give feedback. (check to see if the dancer reaches the correct positions during performance)

Alignment The correct placement of body parts in relation to each other.

Why do you need good alignment? Good alignment puts less stress on joints, can prevent injury, and helps to maintain good posture. Exercise to Improve Alignment: Task: table top From a standing position fold at the hips maintaining a flat back into a table top position. Hold for 8 counts. Release bending knees and dropping arms and head to floor. Roll up through spine to standing. Repeat 4 times twice a week check you maintain correct alignment by using a mirror or asking a friend Development over time to maintain improvement: 1) 2) After 1 week increase challenge by taking arms to the side- make sure arms stay in line with shoulders and in peripheral vision After 2 weeks increase challenge by adding a plié and stretch before release - make sure knees stay over toes- no side movement of legs Check your progress by… • • • watching yourself in a mirror filming yourself and watching back or asking a friend or teacher to watch you and give feedback. (look at the placement of knees over toes throughout the performance)

Mobility The range of movement in a joint; the ability to move fluently from action to action

Why do you need good mobility? To enable the dancer to execute movements with precision and control. To be able to perform with fluency. To be able to perform dynamics accurately. Exercise to Improve Shoulder Mobility: Development over time to maintain improvement: Task: Arm swing Exercise 1) After 1 week increase the speed and energy of the rolls 2) After 2 weeks On forward arm swings add spine contraction taking arms over and behind before reversing back to standing- perform with fluency and a sense of rebound and suspension Shoulder rolls back x 4 Elbow circles back x 4 Arm circles forward x 4 Elbow circles forward x 4 Shoulder rolls forward x 4 Repeat above x 8 for each Repeat exercise every other day to improve shoulder mobility Check your progress by… • • filming yourself and watching back or asking a friend or teacher to watch you and give feedback. (look for correct dynamics and fluency in performance)

Stamina Ability to maintain physical and mental energy over time

Why do you need good stamina? Stamina is crucial for the prevention of injury. In extended performances, the heart and lungs need to deliver oxygen to the blood and muscles as efficiently as possible. Once fatigue sets in, mistakes in judgement or undue stress on muscles and joints make continued dancing unsafe. Good stamina allows high intensity actions to be performed accurately throughout a dance performacne Exercise to Improve Stamina: Task: Jumps Development over time to maintain improvement: Check your progress by… • 8 x jumps in 1 st parallel 8 x jumps in 1 st turn out 8 x jumps in 2 nd parallel 8 x jumps in 2 nd turn out Repeat 4 jumps in each position Repeat 2 jumps in each position Repeat 1 jump in each position Perform 3 times a week 1) After 1 week Increase repetition to twice through 3 times a week 2) Increase challenge after 2 weeks by adding arm actions e. g. arms held outstretch to side throughout • filming yourself and watching back or asking a friend or teacher to watch you and give feedback. (look to see if you appear to get tired or loose energy in your performance)

Coordination The efficient combination of body parts

Why do you need good co-ordination? Essential for developing accuracy in performance of actions. Exercise to Improve Coordination: Task: jumps with arm gesture Combine arm and leg actions as follows: Development over time to maintain improvement: 1) 1. Arms move through three positions shown below, changing on each count. repeat the sequence x 4 2. Legs start in parallel 1 st, jump to 2 nd on count 1 back to 1 st on count 2, 2 nd on count 3, 1 st on count 4…. and so on 1. Complete 4 reps of arm sequence with legs in parallel followed by 4 in turn out three times a week 2) Increase challenge after one week by adding a change of direction by turning ¼ turn to the right on every 4 th jump. Repeat turning to left ¼ on every 4 th jump Increase challenge after 2 weeks by adding jumps from 3 rd to 4 th position, right foot front followed by left foot front Check your progress by… • • filming yourself and watching back or asking a friend or teacher to watch you and give feedback. (look to see if you are performing actions correctly with all limbs in the correct position)

Isolation An independent movement of part of the body.

Why do you need good isolation? If a dancer develops the ability to isolate it can add intricacy to movement and also enable the illusion of ‘waves’ in the body or arms. Exercise to Improve Head Isolation: Task: Head isolations 1 3 2 4 Stand in 2 nd with hands on hips, slightly bend knees. Hold shoulders still, move only your head through the 4 positions. Hold each position for 8 counts. Repeat holding for 4 counts. Complete 4 reps every other day. Development over time to maintain improvement: 1. 2. After 1 week Increase speed of positions adding a repetition holding each position for 2 counts After 2 weeks Increase challenge by adding a repetition holding positions for only 1 count- ensure the rest of the body remains still. Check your progress by… • • • watching yourself in a mirror filming yourself and watching back or asking a friend or teacher to watch you and give feedback. (look for accuracy of individual body parts in performance)