Turns!

Hey guys!

Over the last year or so I've really focused on my turns and pirouettes, and they've improved dramatically! Here are my 3 top tips for general turns...

#1 SPOT SPOT SPOT

I can't tell you enough how important spotting is when turning! For years I tried everything to make my pirouettes better, and once I started spotting it all made sense! As you turn, leave your head behind, keeping your eyes on a spot on the wall until you can't leave it there any more and then whip your head round to find your spot again. Focus on whipping your head and spot as fast as possible... This will help keep your balance and prevent dizziness!

#2 use those abs!

As well as spotting, you also need to engage your core to keep upright when turning. Do lots of exercises to build up core strength, such as crunches. As you prepare for your turn, engage your stomach muscles and these will support you as you turn!

#3 arms...

As someone with crazy long arms, I have found it really difficult controlling my arms while turning (especially in fouetté or a la seconde turns!). As you prepare for your turn, feel yourself tense your upper arm muscles. Then as you turn ( a conventional pirouette), keep these muscles rigid and focus on getting them in a round circle with fingertips just touching. This will not only give you more momentum but help your balance!

Hope these help- I will be posting more tips on fouetté and a la seconde turns soon so watch this space!

Box splits (+my favourite stretch ever)

Hey everyone! I hope you're having a lovely summer ❤️❤️

As someone who doesn't have naturally flat box splits, I wanted to share with you my favourite stretch which will help your box splits dramatically... So I first learnt this stretch at an ALDC Masterclass I attended last summer, and I've basically done it every day since!

Stand with your feet in a wide second position

Bend your knees and place your hands on your thighs- for the best stretch try and get a right angle between your shin and the floor and then a right angle between your shin and your thigh

 With your hand and arms, try and push your thighs apart as far as you can

One you get really good at this, you can use your elbows instead of hands, pushing your inner thighs out while trying to tuck your bum under into a more traditional ballet plié.

You can do lots of variations of this, including lunges from side to side using your elbow to push your leg out!

Do this everyday and your box splits should get much better!

Atlanta :)

Scorp!

My Scorpion- Summer 2015

Hi everyone!

Another really good stretch which is really difficult to get is a scorpion. While this may look quite easy, it is deceptively difficult and requires a lot of back and shoulder flexibility.

While my back is very inflexible, I have managed to go from barely being able to pull my leg up behind my head to being fairly close to a needle (see picture) in about a year.

Here are my top tips and stretches for getting your scorpion:

• Splits. If you want to get close to a needle, you are going to need flat splits on both legs. I would recommend pulling your scorpion with your most flexible leg on the ground. However, as always, you should try and stretch both legs/sides equally!

• Advanced splits. Once you have your splits, try to bend your back leg up to your head. (note- if your leg goes to the side rather than straight up, then your hips aren't level. Adjust and keep stretching until your splits are flat with your hips square and your back leg goes straight up) If you can do this, try grabbing your back foot like you would if you were doing a scorpion and hold the stretch- if you want to use both hands make sure you have a spotter to keep you from falling over to one side!)

• Bridge. Of course, for a scorpion, your back needs to be flexible. The best way to stretch out your back and shoulders is to push up into a bridge, put your feet together and straighten your legs, pushing your shoulders forward over your hands. This should give you a good stretch!

• Shoulders. Many people don't realise that you need very flexible shoulders to be able to do a scorpion. Before attempting a scorpion, do several arm circles and stretch your shoulders and arms out well.

Good luck and don't give up! Keep stretching and your scorpion will improve massively!


I hope this helps you! As always, please comment suggestions and requests for more posts.

Atlanta :)

Getting your splits

Hi Guys!

So the question I get asked most often is how to get your splits. Most people don't realise that I'm actually really naturally inflexible, and so I had to work really hard for my splits! Here are some exercises I recommend you try:

Hamstrings: if you want to get your splits, you obviously need to really stretch out the backs of your legs. Sit on the floor with one leg straight out in front of you and the other bent behind you. Reach forward to your foot, keeping your leg straight and hold the stretch for 20 seconds. Repeat several times a day on both legs. As you get more flexible, try to get your chest on your leg, and then try the stretch with a flexed foot.

Lunges: lots of people struggle getting the final bit of your splits flat. This is generally because you lack flexibility in the hips/pelvic area. To loosen this up, you should do lunges with your back knee on the floor; take your hands off the ground and push your hips forwards into the stretch. For maximum results, keep your hips square and maintain a 90 degree angle between the floor and the shin of your front leg.

Back: many people don't realise that often it is their back flexibility which is holding back their splits. To get a flat split, you need to be able to have your leg in arabesque above 90 degrees with a straight back. As someone with a really inflexible back, I do lots of bridges, rocking backwards and forwards over your hips and shoulders. Once you have good back flexibility, it is also good to practise your scorpion for back flexibility.

Top tips:

Don't only stretch one leg! It's a common trap to fall into when you get your splits on one leg to stop stretching your other leg... Remember it's better to be equally flexible on both sides than to have one really flexible leg and one really tight leg!

Stretch little and often. It is best to stretch for a few minutes every night, rather than spending a few hours stretching at the weekend. Progress will come slowly, but you need to keep it up.

Don't give up! Flexibility takes time and effort- while it may seem like you're getting nowhere your body is just adjusting and it will take a while to get your splits. However with regular stretching and determination, you'll soon have your splits!

I hope this has helped some of you, and please comment your thoughts and suggestions of other things you want help with!

Atlanta :)

Welcome

Hi everyone!

I constantly get messages from people asking for dance tips and so I thought it would be good to post all my tips for technique, flexibility, strength and tricks on here... Much more to come over the summer so please keep checking for more advice and tips!

Atlanta :)