It wasn’t until I studied the Alexander Technique that I felt I had a full understanding of ballet technique. As “unnatural” as ballet is, there is an anatomical truth to this activity. The turnout of the hip joints, although a focal point and a challenge, must contain an appreciation of the design of our bodies as a whole.
The degree of ‘turnout’ is a function of oppositional pelvic elongation and support of the whole body. Muscles called upon to create the outward rotation of the legs are connected directly, or indirectly, to other muscles of the body. A strong turnout is the result of the synergy of groups of muscles; specifically, the sheet of muscles along the spine which continually ask for release in the interest of support for arm and leg movement.
Professional dancers are athletes in the highest sense of the word. It is essential to spend a lot of time training the body to cooperate with whatever choreographic and technical challenges arise. There must be an assured starting point, where solid technique drives the body to resilience.
Today dancers are responsible for performing technical feats that were unheard of 30 years ago. Cross-training like yoga, Pilates, and Gyrotonics has added a healthy layer of fitness to our basic ballet barre and center. This has enabled men to turn multiple times, slowing down to finish in passé on demi-pointe, to jump up and do eye-popping gymnastic moves in the air before landing, for women to do multiple sequences of double, triple turns in a set of 32 fouettes, balance on point and the list goes on…….
When I work with ballet dancers, we are attuned to the alignment of the body, the head, neck, spine organization and recognizing movement as a release versus a contraction.
