Releve Lents

A good exercise to start students in Adagio is Releve Lents.  This exercise is first studied facing the barre in the Pre-Ballet levels and then moves on to  "one hand on the barre" positions.  The movement involves lifting the whole leg from tendu to 45 degrees and later to 90 degrees.  We usually start doing this in the decote ( side)  position followed by devant (front) then derriere (back) .  At Early part of  Level 1 of the Vaganova Syllabus we use this exercise at the center to transition to Battement Developpe and Battement Fondu.  

 

Stretches: Lying a la Seconde Stretch

This stretch is one of the easiest stretches to do. All you need is a wall and enough space to spread your legs sideways.  In this exercise, one experiences a static stretch of the innner thighs. It is ideal to do this as part of your cool down routine or when you are winding down at the end of the day. 

Simply find a wall space clear of any obstructions. Lie down in front of the wall with your tail bone touching the wall and your legs up. Open the legs sideways and allow gravity to progressively increase your stretch. Ensure that all of your back from the tailbone to the shoulders is imprinted on the floor. 

Fig. 1 Lying a la Seconde Stretch

Note: The wideness of the unobstructed wall space will depend on how long your legs are and how far to side can you open your legs. 

Conditioning Exercise: A la Seconde Leg Pulses

This exercise is intended to strengthen the hip flexors and develop strength for aspiring dancers to lift their legs.  As a result, my Ballet students exceeded their personal highest when it comes to developpes ( progressive extension of the leg away from body). Aside from strengthening hip flexors, the exercise tones and improves control of the upper leg . It also improves balance and sensitivity to the body’s center of gravity.  While this exercise was originally intended for Ballet dancers, everyone will definitely enjoy better leg  control and a beautiful elongated tone of the legs. 

To start the exercise, stand in front of a barre or a piece of furniture that can carry the weight of your leg. Do note that the piece of furniture need not be as high as in the illustration below. Place your leg on the piece of furniture then float the leg 2 inches above the furniture surface. Pulse your leg up and down by half an inch for 100 times. 

Fig. 1 A la Seconde Leg Pulses

Conditioning Exercise: Sitting Arabesque Pulses

This exercise is another one I took inspiration from the Callanetics Exercise Programme developed by the late Callan Pinckney.  The original intent of the exercise was to make the glutes firm while recruiting other stabilizing muscles such as the inner thighs. Together with Sitting Attitude Pulses, I use this exercise to strengthen the glutes of my Ballet students in order to improve their leg turnout. When utilized in combination with stretches targeting the glutes and outer thigh muscles, I noticed a significant improvement in my students’ turnout.

To start the exercise, you the reader sit down with one of your legs bent in front of you. The other leg lies in a straight line to the side with the big toe touching the floor.  

Fig. 1 Sitting with turned in leg to the side

You then rotate your hips diagonally to the side whilst rotating the side leg such that the heel is taken off the ground

Fig. 2 Rotate hips diagonally to the side

Next, you pull the leg towards you bringing your body towards your bent leg.  This means your crotch will lift off the floor as a result.

Fig. 3 Pull Leg 

Float your leg off the floor no higher than 3 inches above the ground.  Pulse your leg up and down half an inch 100 times.  

Fig. 4 Pulse Leg up and down half an inch

After consistently doing this exercise you will notice that your glutes and your thighs will be firm and tone.

 

Conditioning Exercise: Sitting Attitude Pulses

It’s been a good number of months since most of the world has been confined home.  As we continue to struggle to put a sense of normalcy to our lives, we are often faced with the question of “How do we maintain our physical fitness?”  In the Philippines, and in a lot of countries, it will be quite a while until gyms open; considering this context, it is considered prudent to have a fitness regimen at home to ensure our bodies are in shape.  

The exercise I will show you today is inspired from the Callanetics Fitness Program of the late Callan Pinckney.  The original intent of the exercise is to develop the firmness of the glutes to have a nice shapely behind; however, I’ve adapted this exercise with the intent of strengthening the glutes to develop the ‘turn out’ of my ballet students.  While the intent has been modified, the exercise should be able to deliver the intent of the original exercise.  

The exercise starts with you, the reader, sitting on the floor in ‘fourth position’. This means that you have one of your lower legs positioned parallel to your hips in front of you, whilst the other leg has the thigh positioned in a straight line to your side, level with your hips, with the lower leg bent towards your body.  You then lean to the side to float the knee above the floor no higher than 3 inches.  Pulse the knee up and down half an inch for 100 times.

 

Fig. 1 Sitting in Fourth Position

Fig. 2 Pulsing up and down 1/2” 

 The video below shows some of my students doing the exercise.      Please note that as you gain more strength in your glutes, you should be able to do the exercise in a smoother manner than shown in the video.  The goal is to have your pulses imperceptible to the naked eye.  As you do this consistently, you will notice tighter, firmer glutes and a significant reduction of “saddle bags”.  Also note that whilst the diagrams and the video shows the exercise done with a barre, you can do the exercise holding the floor, a table or any piece of furniture that can stabilize your body. 

Fig. 3 Exercise Demo Video