Floor Warm-Up Part IV

FOR THE FEET

Bring your legs together and position yourself on the highest half-toe your feet will give you while using your hands to maintain your balance.  Raise or lower the knees until you achieve your ideal position.  Then put your heels down and your hands behind you so your Achilles tendon is at its greatest length and let your tailbone hang straight down.  Shift your weight forward, then slowly uncurl and come to a standing position.  Feel the stretch through the entire spine and out the top of the head. 

FOR THE BALANCE

Half-Toe Roll-Throughs -- Stand in parallel position with the feet shoulder-width apart and hands loose at your sides.  Rise to half toe, bend your knees while remaining on half toe, lower the heels while remaining in plié, then straighten the legs.  Repeat as desired.  Remember, adjusting the feet to maintain balance is not poor quality of movement.  It is necessary for you to find your center and your body understands this.  Do not tighten in an attempt to make it look "perfect" or "hang on".  Next, raise your right foot to half toe, raise both feet to half toe, then lower the right heel while the left stays on half toe.  Alternate your feet and repeat as desired.  Then add a plié on the standing foot, pulling up at the hip of the standing leg each time.

Repeat the entire exercise in 1st position and 2nd position if desired.  If you don't want to do the entire sequence in 2nd, just do the last part with the plié.  Relax out of it by bending forward in reverse 1st position (toes together, knees bent, head down, hands on knees) and wiggle everything you can in this position (your tail, head, shoulders, back, etc.)  You'll probably feel stupid, but do it anyway.

Attitude à la Seconde -- Stand in 1st position with the arms in à la seconde.  Brush the right foot out and raise it to attitude à la seconde, then replace in 1st position.  Repeat on the left, then plié, bringing the arms down to 5th low.  Relevé and bring your arms to 5th high, thrusting the energy down into the floor and up out the top of the head at the same time.  Balance, then control the descent into a demi plié and return to the starting position.  Repeat as desired.  If you want, you can vary the position of the balance.  You can go from plié to one leg instead of two.  Then you can move the extended leg and maintain your balance.  Work with your body and do what you need. 

SOME PARTING WORDS

Allow yourself to be led as you learn these stretches.  It is the feeling, not the words we are after.  You can alter the rhythm of this warm-up as needed so your body gets the most out of it. 

Students need to be aware of the plateau signs.  Your hips will tell you when you have pressed them enough and will signal you to rest for a while and allow the connecting fibers to strengthen and acclimate to the new extremes of your rotation.

It is particularly important for you to monitor your spinal work as well as your rotational achievements.  This work should be considered evolutionary within your training and should be accomplished without pain or discomfort.  Pain and discomfort mean you are doing too much too soon and are out of control and are risking injury.  Be like the tortoise, not the Mad Hatter.  The exercises here will get you fully extended barre stretches very quickly if practiced daily and in a gentle manner. 

Your body will come to love and depend on this warm-up and it will be able to fortify itself against difficult professional work.  Dancing should not put our bodies at risk.  Honor your body and keep it safe, healthy, and strong.