Expert: Dianne M. Buxton - 6/13/2009

Question
Hi. My name is Marvin. I have been dancing for 9 years, and I am 15 right now. I have noticed that I have been using my quadriceps for my ballet extensions. It hurts, and it doesn't go further that 90 degrees in the front, and to the side. I would like to be able to use my hamstrings, and get my leg higher like you are supposed to. How can use my hamstrings, instead of my quads?

Answer
Hi Marvin. Your quadriceps muscles do lift your leg - the hamstrings do not. However, if the hamstrings are long, the quads have less resistance in lifting the leg high.

Use a pinkie ball or a foam roller to relax the quads at the end of the day. Same with the hamstrings, to relax and stretch. If your quads are giving you pain when working, you need to relax them deeply every day, and stretch them out well.

Using a pinkie ball (a hard rubber sports ball) under the hamstrings when you're sitting on the floor, and kneading it from the sits bones down to the knee, will ease out a lot of tension. Do this before stretching.

Strengthening the core muscles which work to hold you upright as the leg extends, also helps the height of your extensions.

When ballet teachers say "lift your leg from underneath" what they mean is, lift the leg, but let the hip drop down, so that you have that defined break between the leg and the hip. As in, lift the leg, but not the hip. But the legs can only be mechanically lifted by the quads, helped by the hip flexors, or the iliopsoas. So lifting from underneath is imagery, not mechanics.

You may enjoy a book by Valerie Greig "Inside Ballet Technique", 'separating anatomical fact from fiction in the ballet class'. I got it at http://www.theballetstore.com in the books section.

Please let me know if you have any further questions about this. All the best, Dianne