All dancers should know that stretching before and after class/performance is vital. However, in my class, there are still a few dancers who do not realise that strenuous stretching when the muscles are cold can result to injuries such as pulling a ligament.
I am one who fancy a good stretch. Call me weird, but I somewhat enjoy the pain when stretching in splits, well, occasionally.
Today I came across a video channel of a ballet dancer. She's got a lot of tips as a ballerina, including pre- and post-barre warm ups, and ways to perfect/strengthen that arch - mine still suck. Blah!
Anyway, here are the videos:
Pre-barre
After-barre
So, a little update on my splits. I could do a full left split *victory* still working on my right, which is a pain - literally and figuratively speaking. My saddle/side split do not have much improvement. I need to put more work on that too. Gah! I have been stretching daily this week, took a break yesterday to give those muscles a rest. I need to make it a habit to stretch daily as I will be away from class (travelling again!) for two weeks and want to avoid feeling all stiff when I get back.
Remember this photo I took last year?
Yea, not very impressive. I'm the one on the right by the way.
Well, after a year of ballet, I see some results. The following photos were taken last week
I could go further - I think I have to turn my body? because that lump of extra side flab is restraining me from doing so. Hmm.. I'll attempt that during my next ballet class. Also, to flex my right foot. I am better on the left leg.
Here's one on my right:
Obviously a lot of room for improvement. Gets me motivated to work harder!
