What You'll Learn
- Techniques to relax the hip joint for higher, more effortless extensions
- Proper pelvic alignment to ensure stability during leg movements
- Specific drills for strengthening the hip flexors and glutes
- How to use the barre effectively to support leg rotation and height
About This Video
Achieving high, graceful extensions in ballet requires a delicate balance of active strength and passive flexibility. In this 15-minute specialized class from Broche Ballet, we focus on the mechanical foundations of extensions in devant (front) and à la seconde (side). The session begins by addressing the common mistake of "gripping" the hip, teaching you how to find relaxation in the joint even while working against gravity.
Using the barre for support, you will explore how the femur rotates within the socket to unlock greater range of motion without compromising your pelvic alignment. The instructor guides you through a series of foundational exercises, including pliés and tendus, which are specifically designed to build the deep core stability needed to support a high leg. As the class progresses into more dynamic movements like grands battements, the focus shifts to maintaining a level pelvis while the leg disengages from the floor.
We also incorporate targeted strength drills, such as the "clamshell" and a unique ball-squeeze exercise between the calf and hamstring, to activate the glutes and posterior chain. These drills ensure that the lifting power comes from the correct muscle groups rather than just the quadriceps. You will learn the importance of "popping" the back toe and bending the knee in specific stretches to isolate the hip flexors effectively, allowing for a deeper stretch that translates directly to better lines.
Throughout the video, the instructor provides detailed corrections on maintaining the relationship between your shoulders and hips, ensuring that your posture remains upright and elegant. By emphasizing proper technique over brute force, this class helps you move past plateaus in your extension height. Whether you are struggling with "heavy" legs or looking to refine your aesthetic line, these techniques provide the anatomical roadmap to a more effortless and powerful ballet technique.
Join Broche Ballet for this focused practice and start seeing results today.
