The key principles of alignment will help to prevent dancers from getting injured; during ballet classes you may hear, “knees over toes”, “turn out from the hip” and “don’t curl your toes up” but the principles are the same for any dance discipline. Keeping your legs strong and aligned properly means you are using them correctly and have less chance of injury.
When correcting alignment, begin with the hips. All rotation must come from the hip joints, not the knees, ankles or feet. The pelvis must be neutral, which is the safest position to work from. If the hip bones are forward, they are in an anterior tilt with an arched lower back; if they are titled backward the hips are in a posterior tilt, and tucked under. The knees should match the direction of the toes, which can be checked during pliés – the knees should track over the toes and the feet should not be rolling in.
It is important to keep the feet strong – imagine the foot is nailed to the floor, through the heel and each side of the ball of the foot. This reduces risk of injury and prevents the feet from rolling, which is especially important en pointe. The toes should be straight and lengthened on the floor which encourages articulation and secure, correct pointe work. When the dancer moves to demi pointe, ensure the work is not sickled by continuing to lift the arches. The weight should be centered over the first two toes to help strengthen the muscles on the outside of the ankle, and guard against ankle sprain.
Once the legs and feet are aligned correctly, it is important to keep your weight over your toes, and not to swing back into the heels. Don’t lift the heels, but ensure your weight is in the balls of your feet ready to move.
Damian has a diverse background in dance and theatre having been Danish Ballroom and Latin Champion on several occasions. He was 1st runner up in So You Think You Can Dance (Denmark) and went on to continue his training at Laine Theatre Arts.
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Pulitzer Prize-winning musical OKLAHOMA!, freshly directed by Rachel Kavanaugh and with new choreography by Drew McOnie, will tour the UK and Ireland next year, opening at the Derngate Theatre, Northampton, in February 2015.
Former Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger will make her West End stage debut this year when she takes to the stage as Grizabella in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s record-breaking musical Cats. The musical, directed by Trevor Nunn and choreographer by Gillian Lynne, will return to the West End for a strictly limited run from 6 December at the iconic London Palladium.
Candoco Dance Company is searching for 13 guest performers from any background to join the company for an exciting performance project in 2015: applications close on Sunday 9 November 2014 at 12pm.
Darren was born in London England in the 1980s. He gained a scholarship for vocational training at The Urdang Academy where he trained extensively in acting, singing and dance. He graduated in 2007 with honours and went straight into his first show Carmen Jones at The Royal Festival Hall London.
Robia has been performing, choreographing and teaching in London for over 10 years. She has worked with companies and choreographers such as Avant Garde Dance Company, A&R Dance, Definitives and Ivan Blackstock, as well as creating work as a solo artist.
BBC Young Dancer 2015 is a new award for young people that showcases the very best of young British dance talent. Young dancers will enter in one of four categories: ballet, contemporary, hip hop and South Asian dance. The competition will culminate in a grand finale at Sadler’s Wells, London, when the best dancers in each category will compete for the competition title.
A few months ago, we started a competition with the hope of crowning a young dancer here in the UK, Dance Direct’s Student Ballet Dancer of the Year. To enter, any interested parties had to submit a video of themselves showcasing their dancing skills, to be judged by Dance Direct blog writer, Jessica Wilson. The winner would collect £250 worth of Dance Direct vouchers to spend on dance gear and an article dedicated to them on our blog.
You’re in the final year of your professional training, what’s your next step?
In maintaining your health as a dancer it is important to consider all of the aspects of health which are equally as important as each other. For example nutrition through food and drink is used for the body’s every function, from muscle contraction to nerve impulses, with many nutrients taking on more than one job in the body. For instance, calcium is well known for being a hugely important part of bone health but is also critical for creating an electric impulse that travels down a nerve, and for allowing a muscle to relax after contracting.