Expert: Dianne M. Buxton - 6/3/2010

Question
Hello. i am a 15 year old ballerina who has wider hips compared to other girls. And this has caused me to hape an "A" shape instead of an ideal "I" shape for ballerinas. Ever since puiberty, my hips expanded and my leg muscles grew a lot more bulkier. Instead of beinglean and long like it used to, my legs look stout although its actually quite long( i am 173 cm tall). My bone below the pelvis and beside the hip socket(the one on the tip of the thigh) is quite big, so it shapes the muscles there to protrude out slightly instead of just sliding nicely down the the knee in a straight line. So i seem to have a very heavy and big lower bottom. I really want to know it it posibly is genetics or can it be the way i train, and is there any solution. Beacuse i have been dealing with this problem for a long time and nothing seems to help me get my ballerina look right. please help ! thank you.

Answer
Hi Anna. Since I cannot see your training I can't answer you as to the cause of the shape you have developed. If the older women in your family have a similar shape, then I think it is correct to say genetics are involved.

http://balletshoesandpointeshoes.blogspot.com/2008/07/learning-to-develop-lean-m...  is an article that may give you a way of checking how you're working that could contribute to bulky muscles.

After you have checked your muscle use per this article, please feel free to ask any further questions - I'd love to know if you find some improvement from it. I am happy to help more if I can.

All the best, Dianne.