Expert: Dianne M. Buxton - 2/6/2008

Question
Hi. I have a guy friend who says he can't stand in 5th with straight legs because his thighs are too big.  Would this really be the case or is his placement just wrong?

Answer
Hi Courtney. Big thighs could be the case. I have seen male dancers who trained and developed very bulky muscles. This could be the style of training, or a teacher not correcting him in his use of his thighs.

Doing slow leg extensions, lying down, with stretchy bands around the feet and held in the hands, gives a feeling of elongating. The elongation needs to be emphasized in all developpe and leg raises. This is a Pilates appraoch, and is also a balletic approach in good training.

Muscles will change with use, and if he is interested he can check my technique articles at http://www.theballetstore.com

Placement in standing in fifth is affected by a student's actual turnout capabilities, which might require that the hips big not quite square. But it wouldn't affect the legs being straight or not.

Pushing down on and clenching the butt muscles shortens the upper thighs and makes the muscles bulge out. Sometimes if a student learns to pull up long with the lower abs, and lets the pelvis stay in a correct neutral position, the bulk disappears. The student may feel like he is not holding his butt muscles tight enough - but they do not have to be clenched for maximum tension to maintain a balanced position.

I hope that answer wasn't too long! All the best, Dianne