Comments on: Introducing the Iliopsoas http://danceadvantage.net/2009/10/13/introducing-the-iliopsoas/ Giving students, teachers, and parents an edge in dance education Tue, 22 May 2012 20:33:36 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Angie http://danceadvantage.net/2009/10/13/introducing-the-iliopsoas/comment-page-1/#comment-6745 Angie Sun, 18 Dec 2011 20:19:22 +0000 http://danceadvantage.net/?p=3747#comment-6745 Hi Nichelle. Thanks for this post. I'm going to share it with my students. I am in my 30s and teaching a great deal. I'm also a body worker. The intro to and use of the iliopsoas is so overlooked in dance training. I see it frequently. I didn't have it as a young dancer and therefore, sadly, never learned to access the strength to find extension above 90 degrees. I also dealt with a variety of other obstacles over my dance career that I believe are due to a weak and also shortened psoas, which I'm just beginning to work on. I focus a lot on this with my students from young to adult. I love to share info with them and encourage outside-of-class reading and exploration. I know they might be more apt to read articles and blog posts rather than whole books. Do you have any articles or links you suggest (aside from your book list above)? (A few of the links on those are broken, by the way. I can only see 2 links of the 5.) Thank you! Angie Hi Nichelle. Thanks for this post. I’m going to share it with my students. I am in my 30s and teaching a great deal. I’m also a body worker. The intro to and use of the iliopsoas is so overlooked in dance training. I see it frequently. I didn’t have it as a young dancer and therefore, sadly, never learned to access the strength to find extension above 90 degrees. I also dealt with a variety of other obstacles over my dance career that I believe are due to a weak and also shortened psoas, which I’m just beginning to work on. I focus a lot on this with my students from young to adult. I love to share info with them and encourage outside-of-class reading and exploration. I know they might be more apt to read articles and blog posts rather than whole books. Do you have any articles or links you suggest (aside from your book list above)? (A few of the links on those are broken, by the way. I can only see 2 links of the 5.) Thank you!

Angie

]]> By: Nichelle (admin) http://danceadvantage.net/2009/10/13/introducing-the-iliopsoas/comment-page-1/#comment-3298 Nichelle (admin) Fri, 12 Nov 2010 03:49:00 +0000 http://danceadvantage.net/?p=3747#comment-3298 Hi April, I don't have enough physiological knowledge to know if the capacity decreases with age. My guess is that training or perhaps the best word is discovering the iliopsoas is possible at any age but like other areas of exercise, recovery would be slower were you to overdo something. Therefore, it's even more crucial that care is taken to properly warm up and stay tuned into your body (pain is not good at any age). As you may have noticed, exploration and understanding of the iliopsoas is perhaps the most important step toward activating and "developing" this muscle for use in dance. It's not training for strength in the traditional sense, rather a muscle group you gradually learn how to wield. :) Hi April,

I don’t have enough physiological knowledge to know if the capacity decreases with age. My guess is that training or perhaps the best word is discovering the iliopsoas is possible at any age but like other areas of exercise, recovery would be slower were you to overdo something. Therefore, it’s even more crucial that care is taken to properly warm up and stay tuned into your body (pain is not good at any age).

As you may have noticed, exploration and understanding of the iliopsoas is perhaps the most important step toward activating and “developing” this muscle for use in dance. It’s not training for strength in the traditional sense, rather a muscle group you gradually learn how to wield. :)

]]> By: April Princessa http://danceadvantage.net/2009/10/13/introducing-the-iliopsoas/comment-page-1/#comment-2969 April Princessa Mon, 01 Nov 2010 02:04:05 +0000 http://danceadvantage.net/?p=3747#comment-2969 I danced as a kid but didn't start dancing seriously until I was a young woman (early twenties). Now some thirty years later, I am involved in teaching and choreography. In spite of having what I felt were good teachers, I was never introduced to the use of the iliopsoas to get those great high leg lifts. Is it too late for me to develop this important area of the body for dance? Hopefully, April I danced as a kid but didn’t start dancing seriously until I was a young woman (early twenties). Now some thirty years later, I am involved in teaching and choreography. In spite of having what I felt were good teachers, I was never introduced to the use of the iliopsoas to get those great high leg lifts. Is it too late for me to develop this important area of the body for dance?

Hopefully,
April

]]> By: Nichelle (admin) http://danceadvantage.net/2009/10/13/introducing-the-iliopsoas/comment-page-1/#comment-2948 Nichelle (admin) Fri, 29 Oct 2010 02:55:41 +0000 http://danceadvantage.net/?p=3747#comment-2948 The front leg... in what position, Tyciol? The front leg… in what position, Tyciol?

]]> By: Tyciol http://danceadvantage.net/2009/10/13/introducing-the-iliopsoas/comment-page-1/#comment-2935 Tyciol Mon, 25 Oct 2010 23:04:37 +0000 http://danceadvantage.net/?p=3747#comment-2935 I hear if we rotate our spine towards the front leg away from the rear that it helps to stretch this due to how it attaches to the front lateral portion of the spine. I hear if we rotate our spine towards the front leg away from the rear that it helps to stretch this due to how it attaches to the front lateral portion of the spine.

]]> By: Nichelle (admin) http://danceadvantage.net/2009/10/13/introducing-the-iliopsoas/comment-page-1/#comment-2717 Nichelle (admin) Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:06:47 +0000 http://danceadvantage.net/?p=3747#comment-2717 Joyce, your best bet will be talking to a doctor about repair, physical therapy, and pain management. A tear or rupture is an injury that should be taken care of by a specialist. Joyce, your best bet will be talking to a doctor about repair, physical therapy, and pain management. A tear or rupture is an injury that should be taken care of by a specialist.

]]> By: Joyce Friedman http://danceadvantage.net/2009/10/13/introducing-the-iliopsoas/comment-page-1/#comment-2714 Joyce Friedman Fri, 27 Aug 2010 03:58:26 +0000 http://danceadvantage.net/?p=3747#comment-2714 I have been suffering with a torn iliopsoas tendon - do you know of any cure? It's been very hard to do excercises and it's almost impossible for me to lift my right leg. If I stub my right foot - I see stars .... Any ifo would be greatly appreciated. Thanx, Joyce Nurturechef@yahoo.com I have been suffering with a torn iliopsoas tendon – do you know of any cure?
It’s been very hard to do excercises and it’s almost impossible for me to lift my right leg. If I stub my right foot – I see stars ….
Any ifo would be greatly appreciated.
Thanx,
Joyce
Nurturechef@yahoo.com

]]> By: Nichelle (admin) http://danceadvantage.net/2009/10/13/introducing-the-iliopsoas/comment-page-1/#comment-1630 Nichelle (admin) Tue, 20 Oct 2009 20:29:25 +0000 http://danceadvantage.net/?p=3747#comment-1630 Thanks very much for your comments! Some of Franklin's imagery can feel a little out there. BUT you never know what's going to work for some people. Most students, I've found, have trouble relating to really internal imagery. Getting them to visualize muscles, bones, etc is tricky enough. Organs, etc. might be pushing it but Franklin's books offer a wide variety. I "steal" his images for my classes a lot. Dianne, just recently wrote a response to someone on the "leg from underneath" myth and may try to post that here just to clear it up further!! [[<a href="http://danceadvantage.net/2009/10/21/leg-from-underneath/" rel="nofollow">link</a>]] Thanks very much for your comments!

Some of Franklin’s imagery can feel a little out there. BUT you never know what’s going to work for some people. Most students, I’ve found, have trouble relating to really internal imagery. Getting them to visualize muscles, bones, etc is tricky enough. Organs, etc. might be pushing it but Franklin’s books offer a wide variety. I “steal” his images for my classes a lot.

Dianne, just recently wrote a response to someone on the “leg from underneath” myth and may try to post that here just to clear it up further!! [[link]]

]]> By: Dianne http://danceadvantage.net/2009/10/13/introducing-the-iliopsoas/comment-page-1/#comment-1628 Dianne Fri, 16 Oct 2009 23:54:50 +0000 http://danceadvantage.net/?p=3747#comment-1628 Nichelle thanks for stepping into the ring and writing about the iliopsoas and the whole pelvic area! I think it takes quite an effort to describe it all for dancers, in the detail you provided. It certainly straightens out that "lift your leg from underneath" (haha) that many were (and still are) trained with. Nichelle thanks for stepping into the ring and writing about the iliopsoas and the whole pelvic area! I think it takes quite an effort to describe it all for dancers, in the detail you provided. It certainly straightens out that “lift your leg from underneath” (haha) that many were (and still are) trained with.

]]> By: youdancefunny http://danceadvantage.net/2009/10/13/introducing-the-iliopsoas/comment-page-1/#comment-1627 youdancefunny Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:35:05 +0000 http://danceadvantage.net/?p=3747#comment-1627 I'm so glad you posted about this...I don't think enough people know! I have the Franklin book myself. Some of it was a little too far out there (like how heavy is your liver? And I was like "I don't know?"). But I've done some of the psoas imagery techniques, and there's definitely been improvement...in my right hip. The left one hasn't quite figured it out yet. I’m so glad you posted about this…I don’t think enough people know! I have the Franklin book myself. Some of it was a little too far out there (like how heavy is your liver? And I was like “I don’t know?”). But I’ve done some of the psoas imagery techniques, and there’s definitely been improvement…in my right hip. The left one hasn’t quite figured it out yet.

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