I found out how important the strength of hip muscles (front, side and back) and the glutes are. I started training with weights on my ankles. (Lifting the leg with weights, develloppe with weights) First I thought why should I use weights when I am not able to lift my legs without them. But I found out that the body always tries to build up JUST as much strength it needs - not a single little bit more. So the body doesn't "know" it ist not "enough" to lift the leg higher than - let's say 45 degrees. So you need to "tell" the body that it is not strong enough by really challenging it very hard. BUT very important: Use weights only as soon as you are very familiar with the correct technique. Otherwise you will injure yourself or train the wrong muscles.
@@missellendiane ok. Why? I want to understand. Btw I use them only 2 times / week for very basic leg lifts, which I do very, very slowly and controlled. Not during an entire barre or class.
hi, alessia! I want to add this little challenge for myself this year but, I was wondering, from which video is the exercise of minute 5:23 originally? I can't find it and I'd love to try it. I hope you're having a wonderful day. Thanks for all you do!
Oh, COOL! I'm not a dancer, just a 70 yr old exercise video junkie. I just tried the 90 with my dining chairs. After a few seconds, I could sure feel the stretch! This will help my tight hamstrings a LOT! Thank you!
After desperately trying for 20 years I have finally improved the extensions of my legs by doing two things: Graham technique floor work and Alessia's extensions videos. It works! Thank you so much Alessia!
You danced Swan Lake?!!!! Amazing!!! Thank you for encouraging us to play to our strengths. I too had ideal upper body qualities but the lower half was lacking for ballet. When I was dancing as a modern dancer, I was blown away by the strength and power of some of the dancers who didn't have ideal "dancerly" "ballet" bodies. But man, they were strong and they made the choreography explode off their bodies when they moved because of their strength!
So funny that story about sleeping with your legs up! I cannot lift my legs more than 90 degrees yet, but am working the best I can to get there. Thanks 💗
Ive discovered at the age of 52 that Ive always had scoliosis. really you have 1 body. Enjoy it but respect it. We are not all perfect but we are all minor miracles!
This is a fantastic video! My daughter and I both do Chinese classical and contemporary dance. She's less able to do those leg lifts than her peers, though she's been dancing a long time. I'm newer to dance and just don't have some of the skill/strength to do some of these things. I love that you included both the things we can't change and those we can. We will be trying out your workout soon.
Ohmigosh-I got out two chairs and positioned them like she did, and I *couldn't even lift my legs at all* above the chair backs. 😳 I guess I have some work to do!
Hello my dear Alessia, one more month, a big thank you to you for these beautiful shares of your great knowledge. I always have a great pleasure to listen to you and with my experience of dance, I know that you are absolutely right in EVERYTHING you say. Thank you for sharing all this with us on youtube, never forget that you are a very beautiful woman and a magnificent beautiful ballerina. You can be very proud of who you are. Bravo🤗🥰🇨🇦
This helps a lot! I'm choreographing a solo where I have to do a turn holding my leg high next to my ear for like 3 counts and I definitely can't do that yet, so this helps so so much. I'm definitely gonna try working on those as often as possible! Thanks so much
It's kinda funny because for me the problem always was the stretching, not the muscles. Like I pushed myself for 2 weeks to finally get a slight oversplit (previously I never was able to get splits, and my teacher never expected me too because I am a guy, which is a bad reason), and now I get my legs up very well. My problem never was strength, but only flexibility lol.
A zero equipment way of learning to use the right muscles and not hoist up your leg by tilting your pelvis: Put your leg on the kitchen counter or something of similar hight, then plié the standing leg so your working leg is quite a bit above 90° and then, while still pliéing, lift your leg off the counter without tilting your hip. Hold it for as long as you can, then lower it down slowly. Do this daily and slowly increase the number of repetitions. Once you feel you got the hang of it, try it with your standing leg stretched and your working leg at just slightly above 90°. Also in battements be very careful to not use hip tilt to get your leg up. Use the same muscles you used when you lifted your leg off the counter. Additional tips: Practice développé in the center without the barre. It forces your standing leg to hold you up, while the barre makes it easy to cheat. Also, don't just practice développés in floor barre, do slow battements using a resistance band. Lifting your leg while stretched puts much more load on your muscles then just holding it up while your stretch it out. And try not to use the 'standing' leg to assist your working leg when using a resistance band; leave it as relaxed as you possibly can for this exercise.
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I’m in musical theater and I’ve been acquainted with choreography. I am a rising sophomore and I plan on doing dance in my junior year. I really need to figure out the basics and get used to it before then.
Thanks! This should help me with my karate. I was struggling to with my side kicks and roundhouse kicks because I couldn't get much elevation, I was actually starting to wonder if I should visit a dance class for that
ur such a cutie. thx 4 this video, it helped me a lot. all the videos i see say "stretch, get ur leg extensions", but i stretch all the time and still can't hold my legs above 90°
Thank you so much for this video!!!❤ Just understanding the science behind a devellopé already helps to make the journey possible as an adult ballet dancer, who only started 2 years ago.
I am a handball goalkeeper and i used to lift my feet so high with no problem but i got sick and took a week off than i return to the court but my flexibility ain’t the same hopefully u can help
@@webweib8271 I've been excluded,'cause russian banks are sanctioned, there is no opportunity to pay any longer(((Regardless of my position, i'm sanctioned just on the grounds i live here and have no real option to immigrate right now(((
