Saturday, 16 November 2013

Productive stretching



Me, as I write this post ;)



I'm not saying that you have to agree with the author's opinions, but this is an interesting article. When it comes to stretching there are probably as many different opinions as there are dancers. The important part is to listen to your own body and find out what you need to include. The video clips of the exercises are reason enough to invest time here ( all films are under 30 seconds). Especially for everyone with injuries and local pain.

Productive stretching for dancers

Sunday, 10 November 2013

Quote

Today, just a quote from another article. This is important enough to stand here alone. You'll find the article here.




" Distorting the back, either by crunching the lumbar vertebrae and splaying the rib cage open or by hunching the shoulders forward and tucking the pelvis under, affects every other part of the body. Since the proper placement of the torso is the foundation of any movement, a dancer with a misaligned spine will develop other deadly technique sins. Problems can ripple all the way down to the extremities and upward to the neck and head. The core will be loose, and unable to provide essential support. A pelvis that either tips back or tucks under will limit the range of motion in the hips. Christine Spizzo's students at the North Carolina School of the Arts constantly work on their placement. The one directive I give in class more than any other she says, is tailbone down, navel muscles lifted. She emphasizes that the tailbone lengthens downward without tucking under, and the navel muscles lift upward, not inward. This opposition allows the external rotator muscles to be actively engaged at the top of the thigh. Spizzo uses the expression the Four T's - no tucking, tipping, tilting or twisting of the pelvis - as a reminder for the students. "

Sunday, 3 November 2013

Read






This article is well worth reading now when the local council (kommune) is threatening budget cuts; but also because it tells you a lot about the skills and attributes dance training can give you that aren't just specific to dance. Not least of all, the last paragraph is a call to arms. It is unfortunate but these days it is important to stand up and fight for what you believe in, not just for yourself but also for those who come after you. Read.

NB: Dole = arbeidsledig (mottar dagpenger)