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What The Ailey School’s Melanie Person Knew When She Was Twelve

Nichelle (admin) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 14:28:02 +0000

In 1977, Ebony Jr. featured a photograph of a young girl at the ballet barre.

The caption reads, “Dancing means everything to twelve-year-old Melanie Person, who wants to become a prima ballerina.”

By this time, Melanie Person had already been training for about 6 years, starting first in Jackson, Mississippi and later in Columbia, South Carolina. But in the winter of 1976 she auditioned for the Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) Summer Intensive. She was offered a full scholarship, went on to an apprenticeship and, after graduating from Professional Children’s School, became a full member of the company. For twelve years Ms. Person was a ballerina with DTH. She later earned her B.A. from SUNY Empire State College.

Then in 1999, Denise Jefferson invited her to join the PPAS ballet faculty at The Ailey School, appointing her a year later as Co-Director of the Junior Division beside Tracy Inman. Fast forward 11 years, and Ms. Person is again serving with Inman, but this time as Co-Director of The Ailey School, a position she’s held since Ms. Jefferson’s passing in 2010.

Ms. Person is Chair of the ballet department as well as Co-Chair of The Ailey/Fordham B.F.A program, and has served as a judge for Seoul International Dance competition and Japan’s Grand Prix.

Of course, I had quite a few questions for this teacher and administrator but first, I couldn’t resist a quick look back at the young dancer in that photograph.

Dance Advantage: What’s one thing you know now about a dance career that may have surprised this young lady?(...)

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© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2011. | Permalink | Category: Ballet/Pointe, Beyond the Bubble, Blog, Career, College, Community, Dance Styles, Dancethropology, Dancing, Interviews, Training | Who's talking about this article?

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Sunday Snapshot: Port de Danseuse

Nichelle (admin) — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 13:10:09 +0000

Hannah is a young photographer and dancer who has been featured on the Dance Advantage Sunday Snapshot before. She has a knack for finding unique locations and using them to feature her favorite subject, dancers. “Dance is what I love to do so naturally, I am most inspired to photograph dancers,” she says. And in case you are doubting, yes, the boat really is named the Dancer.

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2010. | Permalink | Category: Blog, Dancethropology | Who's talking about this article?

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Developpé Dilemma: Deb Vogel Addresses a Reader Question

Guest Contributors — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 12:20:31 +0000

Photo by Giorgio Montersino via Flickr

I often get emails from dancers, students, and others asking for advice or help with a particular problem. I do try to answer inquiries from readers or do my best to point them in a direction where they may find answers. When I received Amy’s question about pain in developpé below, my instinct was to help yet, I was not confident that I was fully equipped to assess what might be happening with Amy. So, I did what I would have for any student who had a problem I could not work out – I took her question to someone more knowledgeable than I – Deb Vogel, a neuromuscular educator and movement analyst who has been working with dancers for years. She has an awesome blog within which she answers questions very much like Amy’s. I reference her work often in my articles about the body and while I have a teacher’s knowledge of anatomy and kinesiology (enough to write and research for my articles and work with students in person), I felt sure that Deb would provide a more educated response.

Deb has been kind enough to do just that right here on Dance Advantage.

Amy’s Question

Hello, my name is Amy. I recently stumbled upon your article regarding the psoas and it immediately sparked something inside. I am twenty years old and danced for majority of my life. I started ballet a little later than most around ten. I have been dancing with different ballet companies, but find myself still crying myself to sleep at night because I cannot get through a center exercise/adage with my terrible extension. I have had training growing up where there was no discussion or thorough understanding of HOW to lift one’s leg or what those muscles really do. I have turnout and can kick quite high, but ask me to develop my leg past my knee and I cringe and tear up. (Sounds so dramatic, but hurts so badly). As I begin to lift I immediately feel the top part of my leg tense and it feels like someone is pushing down upon my leg as I go higher. I know that is not how the leg should be lifted. I cannot find any teachers to help me fix this issue, I have asked around and perhaps their discussions or explanations make no sense. I feel like no matter how much I try, I cannot fix this issue. I am desperate to at least be able to hold my leg a little above 90 degrees with ease. I figured perhaps, you might have a little insight that could point me in the right direction. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, and I hope you can help!
Sincerely,
Amy

Here is what Deborah had to say to Amy:

Photo courtesy René Michaels Photo & Design - photosbyrene.com

Amy, you are on the right track with thinking that it might be a strength issue with the iliopsoas muscle. As Nichelle pointed out in her article on the iliopsoas – when the leg gets above 90 degrees the quadriceps lose their leverage and the iliopsoas becomes the prime mover of an extension. You would think that doing multiple grand battements and kicks in class would strengthen the iliopsoas – but they don’t.

Here’s a simple and easy way to start strengthening your iliopsoas. Sit on the front part of a chair with your back long and tall, both feet on the ground. You are going to monitor staying on top of your pelvis – don’t let yourself roll to the back side of the pelvis during this exercise. Start by lifting one knee up towards the ceiling, and then lower it just so your toe touches, and lift it again. Can you do 20 repetitions without fatiguing? That would be your first goal, and you’ll be delighted at how quickly you gain strength.

Do the same movement on the other leg. If you want to make this more challenging you can tie a theraband around both thighs to provide resistance to the leg that’s lifting.

Once that becomes easier to do you can lean back in your chair so your back is against the back of the chair (your lower back and pelvis may be slightly tucked under, that’s okay for this exercise – even though it isn’t for your standing alignment). Now have one knee bent with your foot on the floor and the other leg straight. Turn the straight leg out slightly before lifting it up as high as is comfortable to the front before lowering to the level of the other knee. Continue lifting and lowering the straight leg up to 20 times before doing the other leg.

Another variation is to lift the leg up as high as you can, bend it into a passé like position and then straighten it forward (parallel to the ground). Then reverse, bending the knee and lifting the thigh like a developpe to the front and then lower the leg to parallel to the floor. You can again use the theraband wrapped around the thighs to make it more challenging.

In the beginning your iliopsoas may tire very quickly…. but in a relatively short time you will see improvement. It goes without saying that after you have spent some time strengthening the iliopsoas you would then want to stretch it out with doing one of the many variations of lunge stretching. I’ve put a short video up on YouTube on iliopsoas stretching.

Hope that helps!
Deborah

Author, academic, and co-founder of The Center for Dance Medicine in NYC, Deborah Vogel has been involved in the medical field since 1978, helping hundreds of people – from dancers to athletes to office workers – get the most out of their bodies while minimizing injury risks. Her articles can frequently be found in Dance Teacher, Dance Spirit, and Pointe Magazines Deborah wrote Tune Up Your Turnout: A Dancer’s Guide, and has co-authored a 3-level guide for teaching functional anatomy in bite-size pieces within a class format. She offers a free newsletter for dancers on injury prevention and technique tips as well as running The Body Series, an online source of educational products for dancers and dance teachers. Currently, she is on faculty at Oberlin College and the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.

© Guest Contributors for Dance Advantage, 2010. | Permalink | Category: Blog, Dancing, Health and Wellness, Technique | Who's talking about this article?

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Lifting Your Leg From Underneath and Other Impossible Feats

Nichelle (admin) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 22:15:55 +0000

In a recent article on the iliopsoas muscles, I skirted discussion of the perpetuated myth that dancers can lift their legs “from underneath” or use their hamstrings to raise the leg in battement.

Synchronously, a related question appeared on the forum and Dianne over at the Ballet Shoes and Pointe Shoes blog kindly pointed dancers to my iliopsoas post in her article Still Trying to Lift Your Leg “From Underneath?” .

I’m not sure my post made the point blatantly enough, however, and I’d like to take a moment to clarify.

In classes, I’ve heard teachers talk about a grand battement “coming from underneath.” This can sometimes lead to confusion about which muscles do the work in grand battement.

Working muscles contract or shorten to create movement of the bones. Because the hamstrings are at the back of the leg, it is impossible for them to be doing the work of lifting the leg in a grand battement to the front or side. Instead your quads and iliopsoas, as hip flexors (or hip creasers), are responsible for this.

Now, it is possible to OVERwork or create unnecessary tension in the quads. This is not conducive to getting the leg higher in grand battement and can hinder the height of the leg.

Learning how to release and let go of excess tension is important. I believe most teachers talk about the grand battement “coming from underneath” to try to encourage less effort.

In my classes, I typically try to encourage this release by asking students to imagine energy or breath flowing down the spine, the back of the leg, and out from the toe in a “J” shape as the leg lifts in grand battement. When the focus is on this rather than pulling the leg upward, I find most students let go of some of that excess tension.

Note that the language in the phrase I’ve repeated above, “coming from underneath,” could easily be interpreted by students as implying that the muscles underneath the leg (the hamstrings) are responsible or must be used to lift the leg. It seems to me that this may be how the myth of lifting with the hamstrings gets passed along.

As for “extension,” or raising the leg above 90 degrees…

When the ilopsoas is engaged and allowed to do the work of creasing the hip and stabilizing the spine, there is a sense of release for the quads.

In addition, as the leg gets closer to the body (as it nears the head), the hip flexors or quads fight less against gravity – it’s the same reason that it is easier to hold a heavy box overhead than out in front of you – gravity always pulls straight down on whatever you are lifting.

Perhaps people who experience this sensation of release assume (based on what they’ve heard about these miraculous hamstrings) that they’ve found a way to let the underside of the leg take over?

Deb Vogel has an article on her blog that may also help bust this myth: click here

What are some other long-held myths or impossibilities you’ve heard passed on during the training of dancers?

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2009. | Permalink | Category: Blog, Technique | Who's talking about this article?

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Introducing the Iliopsoas

Nichelle (admin) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:10:18 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

Ladies and Gentlemen, children of all ages!

It is my particular pleasure to introduce to you, the iliopsoas, a thrilling group of three muscles which are exquisitely fundamental to the function of the hip joint. As an indispensable stabilizer of the lumbar spine and pelvis, and the one and only muscle group that has within it a sufficient power to flex the hip joint and lift the leg above, with appropriate amazement, 90 degrees, it seems a gloriously gigantic understatement to call this muscle merely important. It is clear this wondrously complex muscle group not only deserves but demands your supremely scrupulous attention. I am outstandingly overjoyed to dazzle your eminently esteemed self with the following…

Okay, sorry to get all Barnum & Bailey on you. I promise the rest of this article won’t be nearly as dramatic.

Some of you, I would bet, have never even heard the term iliopsoas (ill-ee-oh-so-az) before. Meanwhile others of you have teachers who are devoted advocates for these miracle muscles but perhaps you still have questions. I’m going to try to answer some of the basic ones.

Why is the iliopsoas important?

The iliopsoas has a profound influence on alignment of the pelvis. Because of this it has a great affect on posture and coordination in dance. A dancer that moves smoothly and efficiently is utilizing the strength and stability of their center or core, of which the iliopsoas is an essential component.

The iliopsoas is the primary hip flexor for the leg when it is above 90 degrees. The coveted “extension” of professional dancers is powered (in part) by these mighty muscles.

The iliopsoas can be a source of injury in dancers who repeatedly perform movements which flex (crease) the hip joint. Strains in the lower back, snapping hips, and leg pain are known outcomes to an imbalance of movement patterns which can be caused when a dancer compensates for a tight or weak iliopsoas.

Let’s get something straight, through. The muscles which make up the iliopsoas play an important role in a few crucial components of dance. While increasing your awareness, understanding, and proper use of these muscles can have enormous benefits, please note that the muscles of the hip, pelvis, spine and upper leg are complex. No single muscle group could possibly be the root of or solution to all of the issues that arise in these areas. With guidance from a teacher who has a firm grasp on the power and function of this muscle group, however, your increased awareness has the potential to lead to those wonderful “ah-ha” moments which can change your dancing.

What and Where is the Iliopsoas?

tilted pelvis in need of correction

The iliopsoas is the only muscle (well, technically group of muscles) that attaches to the spine, pelvis, and femur (or, thigh). There are three muscles which make up the iliopsoas. The iliacus, the psoas major, and the psoas minor.

Though it has some involvement in the “lifting” of the pubic bone to correct alignment, the psoas minor has been found to be absent in a large percentage of people (a bi-product it seems of our more sedentary lifestyles). The major players are the psoas major and iliacus. Psoas major is attached to multiple points along the lower spine. It then meets up with the iliacus, which is attached to the illiac fossa (For reference, when you put your hands on your

Image via Wikipedia

“hips” you are placing them on the crest or upper rim of the ilium. The iliacus attaches to the inner, concave surface of this large, bony structure). The muscles then cross the front rim of the pelvis and the hip joint to attach to the lesser trochanter of the femur (thigh bone).

Lengthening and Strengtening

When standing, a person with a chronically short, tight iliopsoas will stand with hollowed or swayed arch to the back (which in turn limits turnout and causes other inbalances). Therefore a lenthened iliopsoas in important to alignment of the pelvis and health of the lower back.

Sometimes dancers are trained to engage muscles which are not necessary to hip flexion (lifting the leg) and this leads to a weak ilopsoas. Sometimes the iliopsoas is weak and stronger muscles take over to compensate for this weakness. Either way, practicing techniques that simultaneously strengthen and lengthen the iliopsoas are of benefit to dancers. In addition, making the most of the iliopsoas in your dancing will require visualization and awarenss of how this muscle functions.

How Can I Build Awareness?

The iliopsoas is a deep muscle, running very near the spine and beneath other major muscle groups. Therefore, awareness of the iliopsoas must come through visualization. You will not necessarily “feel” the muscles working and no single image will spark understanding in every dancer. Therefore it is extremely helpful to have a knowledgeable instructor that can guide you through this exploration.

First steps include locating the attachment points of the iliopsoas, visualizing the muscle that runs between these points, and analyzing how the muscle affects the bones and structures to which they are attached. Picture the muscle contracting from the center, moving the attachment points toward each other along the path of the muscle. How would this affect the leg? the spine? the pelvis? Now picture the muscle lengthening with the attachment points moving away. What are the affects?

As you move (in a deep plié, or as you lift or swing your leg), use your mind’s eye to transfer your knowledge to the moving body. Again, a teacher can help you discover and experience images that will help you to use the muscle with ease, fluidity, and power. These visual images may involve water, sand, strings, mechanics – anything that will help you engage the appropriate muscles and release the unnecessary ones.

Further Reading

On Dance Advantage see also:

Lifting the Leg
“From Underneath”
and Other
Impossible Feats

I won’t pretend to be an expert on anatomy or kinesiology. College classes, books, resources, and experiences have shaped my knowledge of the subject. I welcome and encourage the sharing of your own experiences and ideas below in the comments.

© Nichelle Strzepek for Dance Advantage, 2009. | Permalink | Category: Blog, Dancing, Featured, Health and Wellness, Technique, Terminology | Who's talking about this article?

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