Many Questions
Dancing Smart Newsletter
February 3, 2006
Announcements
Look in the next Pointe Magazine issue to read my article on the iliopsoas muscle. I also have an article coming out in Dance Spirit magazine on 'itises' at the foot. (Bursitis, plantar fasciitis, tendonitis) I so appreciate these 2 magazines along with Dance Teacher, for their focus on injury prevention.
Question #1
The first question is from Camille. She asks how do wide hips affect turnout?
The width of your hips don't influence how much turnout you have at the joint. That is determined by your structure and muscular balance. Having wider hips will influence how easily you can stay in turnout in 5th and 4th position, because you have a farther way to go to create those crossed positions. Also having wider hips makes it easy to have tightness at the ITB (iliotibial band) because of the increased angle between the hips and the knees. This does not directly influence your turnout, but may create a muscle imbalance around the hip joint making it more challenging to utilize your turnout muscles efficiently.
Question #2
First, I really love getting your weekly newsletters. I get a few different newsletters in my email, but yours is the only one I always read right away! On to my question...I started ballet when I was 19 and now I'm 23, and I also danced mostly tap from age 6-15. My turnout is pretty good and I can hold it when I dance in class, but my 5th position gives me a lot of trouble. Specifically, my knees seem to "fight" with each other when I'm in 5th. They get in each other's way and I simply can't figure out for sure what the problem is. As a result, my 5th is not as closed as I'd like it to be and it's not very stable, which makes center work a chore.
My knees are somewhat knocked and quite hyperextended. Also, my thighs muscles are disproportionately large in the front and back, which could account for the difficulty (I *have* been stretching my hip flexors and psoas, but it's slow going). In addition to this, in spite of my hyperextension, my teachers are always telling me to straighten my knees both when standing and gesturing. I can't seem to do this automatically, perhaps because a fully stretched knee isn't stable or because I can't find an automatic, modified straight knee.
Thanks for listening, and thanks for your wonderful website! It makes me a better, more knowledgeable dancer, even if I'll never dance for the Boston Ballet.
Alexandra
Alexandra, I put your question here because it is another situation where you have turnout, but your structure with being knock-kneed and hyperextended make it challenging for being in 5th position. It is hard to make 5th position feel right because of this. Standing in more of a 3rd position will definitely be helpful. It's quite possible that similar to the last newsletter on assessing hyperextension, the 'look' of your thighs is altering your teacher's perceptions whether your legs are straight. I'm okay with hyperextension in the gesture leg, but agree you need to focus on repatterning what your standing alignment is. It will be much easier to work on this outside of class by catching yourself dropping into your hyperextension and immediately changing your alignment. A few session with a Pilates reformer might help reeducate your body as to what is truly 'straight'. Becoming a more knowledgeable dancer is the way to keep dancing throughout your life! Best wishes on a successful dance career!
Question #3
I dance many hours a week and recently in a stretching/coaching class, my dance teacher recently mentioned that I have straight legs with absolutely no hyperextension. My teacher said that hyperextension is such a beautiful line but hard to work with. Will I get into a company even if I have "straight' legs? Thank you. Christina
Absolutely! Look at the dancers and models in Dance Spirit magazine and notice how many are not hyperextended. You will get into a company because of your passion and ability to share your love of dancing - not because of your knee structure. Keep working hard and envisioning where you are headed - and don't limit yourself with a belief that you need hyperextension to become a performer. That's poppycock!
Question #4
Quite a few years ago I pulled my hamstring. Ever since then I have had trouble with my leg, and usually I feel that I pull it all the time. Now one of my students seems to have the same problem. My question is what can you do to heal a pulled hamstring besides rest, because even that did not solve the problem?
Thank you for the information, Tindal
Strained hamstring muscles can be very tenacious in their recovery. Resting and stretching are very important, but sometimes deep tissue work (massage) can help to break up adhesions in the muscle. If you don't break up the scar tissue or adhesions, it means that that original strain spot is more vulnerable to repeat injury and isn't as flexible so you'll feel the pulling in that same original strain area. Try working with a pinkie ball underneath the hamstring on the floor or booking with some type of practitioner who can manually work the hamstrings. Assess how your hamstrings feel after that type of work to decide if that would be useful in this situation.
Question #5
Several months ago I went to the chiropractor because of a rib sprain. I had also had lower back problems, and it was uncomfortable to arch my back, but it didn't bother me too much then. After the appointment my lower back became much worse and it now hurts constantly, even though I do the stretches he advised me to do. My back has never had much of an arch, but now I've noticed that it's even less flexible, and it is always painful to arch it. Do you have any idea what could be causing this or advice on what to do that would help my back? Thanks! Claire
I'm not sure why your body responded the way it did to the manipulation, but something was triggered or irritated. The fact that your back hasn't ever been very flexible makes me wonder about possible tightness of the iliopsoas and also what your overall standing alignment is like. If it is a muscle strain, icing, or using an anti-inflammatory to calm it down might be indicated. I would encourage you to seek out a practitioner who can evaluate your overall alignment. You might also try getting a massage to see if that helps relieve some of the muscle tension. Good luck!
On with the dance!
Deborah
"Education is the key to injury prevention"
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Email your questions to Deb at AskDeb@thebodyseries.com or visit her online at http://www.thebodyseries.com.
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Deborah Vogel is a dancer, author, and master teacher who conducts workshops across the U.S. for both student and professional dancers. Her numerous articles on dance technique and injury prevention have appeared in Dance Spirit and Dance Teacher magazines. She is the Director of the Institute for Performance Studies and a faculty member at Oberlin College and the OC Conservatory of Music. During her years in NYC she co- founded the Center for Dance Medicine. Deborah makes her home in Oberlin, Ohio.
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