Actively Engaging Your Turn-out in Ballet - with Ellen Davis

[MissShaylouful]

but how do i get a better turn out? are there any exercises?? :)

[Lauriefishbone]

I ll never get a perfect turnout, I guess. I just got 14. Do you think I can still get there? I'm practicing every day and I got a little better. I think my turnout is about 165 degrees

[tanyadreams]

@Lauriefishbone keep stretching and you will get your turnout

[dancingboy91]

@Lauriefishbone You have the turnout you were born with. It is body structure. All you can do is learn to engage what you have. Don't ever force it or you will get injured.

[nothersheep]

6th position is (as I understand it) from Russian ballet. An idea that Vagonova employed in training.

[sunyalila]

@nothersheep - thank you! I did a search and found that Balanchine and SAB (where I had my formative training) used it.  Yet, I honestly do not remember hearing it called that there but from training I had professionally and since. I also found on my search that Serge Lifar originated it along with a 7th pos. that is a parallel 4th position. We've seen these positions used en pointe in some of the older ballets, and parallel positions are often used in contemporary ballet choreography.

[Dancerforeverbaby]

Hello~

My name is Kayla and i am a current dancer in tap ballet and jazz this will be my 11th year dancing but i still have the same problem. I have a slight case of scoliosis so i have very bad posture and a slightly curved/ arched back so even when i lay down on my back my lower back doesn't hit the ground anything i can do to help?? also... i have a very bad turnout.. my hips dont turn out. My knees sometimes do.. but when i stand in first my feet turn out but knees and hips dont. any advise?

[sunyalila]

@Dancerforeverbaby - Hi Kayla, Please take care not to have your feet turning out more than your knees and find your first position and turn-out the way I demonstrate in the youtube above and in the other instructional youtube that i have here on turn out. It explains a lot more about proper use of your turn-out as well as the proper placement of your pelvis in order to more fully engage your turn-out. I also have more instructional videos on placement that could be helpful.

[sunyalila]

I am realizing that my replies were not posting because I had links in them to the videos that I mentioned. I would also do a search on scoliosis and lordosis here and look at the videos that they have with excercises and yoga that you can do to help you. Awareness is helpful; recognizing how you hyper-extend and arch your back and how to aovid that. Some of the exercises given for scoliosis with the Swiss or stability ball that strengthen your core and back would be great.

[MissGxoX]

6th position? ive never heard of that.... isnt it called parallel? what syllabus is this?

[sunyalila]

I never heard the phrase "6th position" in my initial training, but heard it later - probably in the context of contemporary or modern work in Stuttgart at the Stuttgart Ballet Co. Or, perhaps I heard it first as a post-professional dancer when in class with a teacher of Gilabert technique or floor barre. I remember thinking it was a joke when I first head it - but I have heard it used often since then by many reputable classical ballet teachers. It is used synonomously with "parallel".

[norwegiandancer91]

I have one question; my arches are ?rolling? and I think it's really difficult to hold them up, do you have any tips or exercices that can help me to hold them up?

[sunyalila]

When you move the body in a balanced way, it creates balance in the body, & doing it repeatedly creates strength. The more you remember to hold up your arches, the easier it will be for you. It will become part of your kinesthetic integrity. Aside from this, there are exercises you can do to strengthen the muscles in your feet , legs or other areas which might play a part in your feet rolling. If this is a problem for you outside of ballet, you should see a good doctor or physical therapist

[sunyalila]

Make sure that they don't just look at your feet but at your postural alignment and your whole body.  There are exercises you can do with a theraband, towel, marbles or without anything to strengthen your muscles and ankles. But fallen arches (as distinct from feet that roll in, in ballet) are not necessarily due to weak muscles. Pronation can be part of the cause or exacerbate fallen arches. If you have fallen arches, getting orthodics for your shoes might be helpful.

[norwegiandancer91]

Thanks so much for all of your advice :)

I have in fact fallen arches, I've had that my entire life...I think I got it from my mother or something. But I have arranged to see my doctor about this and hopefully he will give me something to help me with it.

I hope that it won't be a problem for a much longer time...

[monequu]

oh, det har jeg også! Altså sånn at et bein inni i ankelen ruller innover! Har du fått noe hjelp av doktoren? Bare lurer siden jeg er ganske plaget med det når jeg danser :)

[norwegiandancer91]

Nei, jeg har ikke det. Men jeg skal til en butikk hvor jeg kan få skaffet meg spesialsko som kan hjelpe med å løfte opp ankelen min og holde den der.

Vet ikke om du har den der du bor, men butikken heter Løp Labbet :)

Håper du klarer å fikse problemet

[monequu]

ah, du bor vell ikke tilfeldigvis i kristiansand ? haha

[Vgracekelly]

Okay, sorry.,...yes there is...it was my computer.

[Vgracekelly]

There's no volume on your videos... :(