October 18th
I had the pleasure of meeting up with Anneliese Burns Wilson at The Dance Shop in Fort Worth, Texas. The next series of video clips are from that very informative time I spent at The Dance Shop. This first clip is about how the foot should be prepared before putting on a pointe shoe. Things [...]
October 12th
I’ve returned from TCU where I annually teach an intensive course for their freshman dance majors. What a pleasure it is – (and what an amazing new facility they have after massive renovations last year!) My good friend, Elizabeth Gillaspy is a professor of ballet at TCU consented to sit down and allow me to [...]
September 28th
This week’s newsletter tackles the very sensitive and tricky topic of overweight dancers. A reader writes… You may have already discussed this issue in the body series but I just wondered if you had anything specific on over-weight dancers. It is so tricky discussing weight issues with students and parents that I thought if there [...]
September 22nd
The question today came from Bethany who writes… I could really use some advice about my arches. Over the last year or so they have begun to cramp terribly mostly on pointe but often on flat also. Sometimes it hurts so bad that I can barely handle it and start to feel nauseous. I feel [...]
September 15th
This week’s posting is on the tried and true clamshell strengthener for the turnout muscles. Watching a dancer do the clamshell exercise also gives you an idea of their functional strength and range of turnout. Since the hip is flexed – which allows for more range of turnout at the hip as we talked about [...]
Read more of Isolating and Strengthening the Turnout Muscles…
September 10th
Today’s video blog shows you my new favorite way of stretching the turnout muscles. No floor needed… just a chair:) Makes it easy for a dancer to get a quick stretch in while at school or sitting at the desk. Last week’s post on testing turnout got some great comments from dance teachers that you’ll want [...]
August 31st
I’d like to ask you a question about improving turn-out beyond what is evidenced in the “prone, 90 degree knee flexion, rotate the leg in and out test”. I am sure you’ve been asked this a thousand times, but I am just curious if the results from that test ever change, or is it purely [...]
June 27th
My daughter is nine and this year has started to complain of heel pain and sometimes knee pain. So I researched and have come to the conclusion that she has fallen arches. I did a water foot test and her arches are not flat or low but when you just look at her feet they [...]
April 21st
I am a dance teacher and have been experiencing pain in my sacro-iliac joint on my left side. I figure it may be due to my demonstrating most exercises with my right leg and being supported on the left. I have been to a chiropractor who helped me isolate the problem, but none of the treatments [...]
January 3rd
Reminder…. the New Year’s special ends in less than 48 hours! (Through Jan. 5th) Just put TBS2011 into the coupon box to get the $45 off. Onto the questions of the week…. I have just started dancing! I’m 18 years old and a freshman in college! Today during tap class I was brushing my left [...]