Lisa Howell

Focusing on the correct execution of this fundamental step can also lead to dramatic improvements of all areas of a dancers technique and will lead to fewer injuries, higher jumps and better pointe work! It is very important for dance teachers to focus on teaching this essential articulation of the foot in very young students, to constantly revisit and refine this as they develop. The ankle should be pointed by the big calf muscles; the smaller ‘extrinsic’ foot muscles control the alignment of the ankle, while the toes are pointed by the small ‘intrinsic’ foot muscles. Including this specific articulation of the forefoot into all work en pointe, from simple rises to advanced level training is extremely important in developing sensitivity in pointe work.

As the fascia around the muscles around the spine stiffen up, this causes all the muscles to consequently stiffen up in sympathy. Limited range of motion throughout these muscles and fascia is going to cause others to stiffen up and soon you’ll find that you’re actually losing flexibility. You’ll find that there are lots of area where you have a large range of motion but in other directions, you’ll be tighter than you thought. Doing this enough will embed this patterning into your subconscious so you won’t have to think so hard about your technique when dancing and can focus on performing.

These fascial mobilisers are great for anyone who is looking to improve their flexibility around their hips and create extra space to allow for a greater range of motion. Common causes of this tightness can be from people who tend to overuse their quadriceps, people who have hyperextended legs and tend to sit into their knees or over-trained hip flexor muscles. A good example would be in arabesque, having tight hips means that your upper body and leg can't achieve their full range and one ends up compensating; either your back is as upright as you want or you have to settle for a low arabesque. Give your hips a good release to increase your arabesque height plus other benefits like increased turnout.

Probably, a lot, but many dancers get frustrated because no matter how much they stretch, their hamstrings never seem to get more mobile. If you ask dancers to “stretch their hamstrings”, 99% of the time they will sit with their legs straight out in front of them and then stretch in turnout. Very very rarely will dancers ever to think to stretch their hamstrings in parallel or in internal rotation. Mobilising the fascia of the whole leg is incredibly beneficial as it will open up the whole Superficial Back Line.