AboutKT Expertise I can answer questions dealing with the "how tos" of jazz, ballet, hip hop and lyrical. I can help get over creative blocks with song ideas and inspiration to help create. I can answer choreography questions and techniques to help better your dancing and/or teaching.
Experience I have been dancing for 19 years in the styles of jazz, ballet, hip-hop, and contemporary. I studied at a studio rated one of the top 100 studios in the nation, then moved on to The Ohio State University to study dance. I have been teaching summer dance camps for five years. I've been choreographing solos and group routines at a local studio and for groups in my state for three years. I have also attended numerous conventions and workshops throughout the nation. Through the winter I judge for a dance team circuit in the styles of Pom, Jazz, Lyrical, and Hip-Hop.
Education/Credentials I will soon be graduating with a bachelors degree in early childhood development and a minor in dance education.
Awards and Honors This past year I was given one of only twelve scholarships out of four hundred students from Broadway Dance Center's the Pulse.
Question Do you have any advice on how to properly execute a backwards leap? Also, I'm
interested in knowing how to push for multiple rotations during a pirrouette.
Thanks for your time!
Answer Hey Delilah, thanks for your question! Things to keep in mind when doing a backwards leap are 1. Using your plie to really help you get off the ground so you have enough time to rotate in the air before landing 2. Flip your body around quickly. Any middle grey area will just look sloppy in the air. 3. Keep building up your leg strength to help push you off the ground and to be able to get both legs straight quickly. and finally 4. Pull you posture up up up like a string pulling out of the top of your head because this will help lift you in the air.
As for pushing for multiple pirouettes it helps if you break down each element. For one thing you need to have a strong supporting leg with a straight knee and a strong strong releve! If you keep gaining muscle in your calf it will be easier to stay up longer giving you a longer time to turn. Also be sure that your pase is pulled up tight and connected to that supporting leg (letting it float out in space will give it a chance to slow you down). Next think about your core. Core and abdominal muscles are maybe the most important element in doing multiple turns. You must have a good center to be able to hold in space. As long as you can use your abs and back muscles equally, you will not go soft and lean one way or the other. Finally think about your upper half. Be sure you are pulling your head away from your chest so you have a long straight neck. Also make sure you are spotting quickly and at your own eye level. Be sure your arms are held tight and your shoulders are pressed down. Basically you should feel like you have a strong center with the bottom half planted into the ground and the top half lifted to the sky. Putting all of this together will help you gain more turns and basically you just have to keep going for it and keep pushing!
