What You'll Learn
- Thoracic mobility techniques to enhance your cambré back and épaulement without lumbar compression.
- Critical lower back safety cues, including glute engagement and foot pressure to stabilize the pelvis.
- Seated straddle variations that focus on the relationship between the pelvis and femur heads for deeper inner thigh opening.
- Methods to identify and release muscle tension that limits technical movements like grand plié and passé.
- Active rotation exercises to explore your unique hip anatomy and improve functional turn out.
About This Video
Elevate your dance practice with this 14-minute flexibility session from Broche Ballet, specifically designed to target the upper and lower back, glutes, and inner thighs. Achieving a graceful cambré or a high à la seconde requires more than just raw flexibility; it demands a functional range of motion and a deep understanding of pelvic alignment. This practice guides you through the nuances of ballet-specific stretching to help you move with greater ease and safety.
We begin by focusing on thoracic mobility. Improving the flexibility of the upper back is essential for achieving a beautiful cambré back and expressive épaulement. The instructor emphasizes the separation of movement between the upper and lower back, ensuring that your extensions come from a place of strength and mobility rather than compression.
To protect the lumbar spine, you will learn to engage the glutes and press the tops of the feet firmly into the floor, maintaining a stable and safe pelvic foundation during back extensions. The session then transitions to the lower body, targeting the inner thighs and glutes. Through seated straddle variations and unilateral stretches, you will explore the relationship between the pelvis and the femur heads.
Maintaining a forward pelvic tilt is key to maximizing the effectiveness of these stretches, which directly translates to improved performance in technical elements such as grand plié and passé. Throughout the practice, the focus remains on the mind-body connection. By identifying specific areas of muscle tension and learning how to isolate movements, you gain a deeper awareness of your anatomy.
This awareness is invaluable in a traditional ballet class, allowing you to refine your turn out and find more space in your hip joints. Whether you are working toward flatter splits or a more supple back, this session provides the tools to enhance your technical foundation safely and effectively.
