Expert: Dianne M. Buxton - 8/9/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hi Dianne,

I danced with an amateur ballet company from the age of 7 steadily until age 18.  Currently I am 25.  I would like to begin taking ballet, jazz, and modern classes again.  However, my body has changed so much over the past 7 years.  (You can imagine - 7 years without training!)  

My question:  What kind of inner thigh, turn-out, glut, and core exercises can I do at home to prepare myself to go back to class?

When I do something as simple as standing or laying down (not ballet related), I notice that I am holding myself up by my quads, calves, and even shoulders.  At home, I have started doing plie's - but I notice I am still mainly using my quads.  I recall that when I was dancing, I felt most of my stability and felt "held up" by my core and glut muscles.  

Is it possible for me to get back to using the correct muscles?  What advice & thoughts do you have?

ANSWER: Hi Christine. I have a blog, http://www.balletshoesandpointeshoes.blogspot.com. To make it easier to find articles, there are several lists of blog posts, down the left sidebar. You can click on the titles to read the posts. There are some on turnout, and some on barre exercises which I think you will benefit from reading. I go over the basics of posture in many. Posture will affect how you go into a demi plie for example, and affect how your muscles work well - or strain.

Pilates is excellent for developing your core muscles quickly. A very basic dvd to work with at home will do this for you. Of course it doesn't hurt to take a few classes if you can.

My articles on pirouettes may help you as well, because of the basics I go over also in those articles.

All the above muscles you mention wanting to strengthen are best strengthened just by doing ballet - except for additional Pilates for core,and sole of foot exercises (read the posts about getting into pointe shoes). Sole of foot exercises will help you use the foot on the floor properly and also strengthen feet faster for the refined control ballet demands.

Please feel free to ask any more questions after reading the above articles! You certainly can regain as much strength and control as you want!

All the best, Dianne

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Dianne,


After reading your articles, I have tried some of the tests and exercises you describe for maintaining and developing turn-out.  When I tried doing them, my quads want to automatically take over.  (For example, when lying on my back in imaginary 1st position with feet flexed, I try to use my turn-out muscles to press my legs into the ground.  However, my quads simply end up contracting & I don't feel that I am using my turn-out muscles at all.)  Do you think it will just take some "getting used to", or do you have another suggestion for me to find my "lost" turn-out muscles?  Thanks for any input you can provide!

Answer
Hi Christine. Here's another exercise that isolates the rotator muscles:

Lie on your side, bending the knees but keeping the ankles and hips in line. If you are on your right side, slowly lift up the left leg, keeping feet together. You can check that your gluts are not tightening up, by placing your left hand on the outside of the left pelvis area. The gluteal muscles are on top of the rotator muscles. If you can keep them soft, you'll feel the turnout muscles lifting the leg up.

Once you've worked up to ten slow repetitions, without fatigue, you know you're strengthening those turnout muscles.

Then you can add: raise the leg slowly, straighten at the height of your turnout position (always make sure the hips don't roll back), turn the leg in, and then out again, bend and lower it. Keep the gluts soft, and you'll be isolating the rotators.

Once you feel the muscles better, you can practice for instance, battement tendu devant, rotate the leg in, out again, and close. Same en croix. Other muscles contribute to the positions, but as long as your rotators are working, you'll keep getting stronger.

Let me know how it goes! Dianne