Tendu Trouble, please help!

[ArucariaBallerina]

So basically, I was in class and told my tendus were looking pretty good. I repeated the exercise using the left leg, and my teacher gasped in horror. For weeks now, I can feel my hip jerking and horribly misaligning but I have no idea how to solve it, and neither does my teacher. It is a recent thing, and it drives me mad! Could anybody please give me a helping hand? 

 

[sophie_rebecca]

This is a tad hard for me to explain but if you tilt your hip back and keep your core tight does it make a difference? when I say tilt your hip back if you lie on the floor and try to straighten the curve of your lower back against the floor it's those muscles, at your age there are some changes happening in the hip that can cause this the Psoas Major muscle is a likely candidate, I had a similar issue & for me it cleared in 3-6 months of working through it.

 

I'd be remiss though if I didn't recommend getting it looked at by a physio preferably one with experience in dance related issues, my physio used to "reset" mine each month until I didn't need it anymore.

[Kate_N]

OK, Arucaria, until a qualified teacher comes along, my advice is to think about a few things:

 

Your knees are quite turned out, which suggests you have reasonable turn out, but I don't see it so much in your hip joint or in your foot. You've got well-proportioned, well-muscled legs which look as though they could become very strong & lean, but I don't see you using that potential. Thin about turning out as an action, that starts in the hip joint - where the head of the femur slots into the hip joint - and the process of turning out ends in the foot, & helps you show the heel, and stretch your ankle.

 

your pelvic girdle - your hips & pelvis - are moving rather a lot. You need to think a bit more about lower abdominal stability: my main teacher from years ago always used to say "Navel to backbone." 

 

When you're tenduing forward, you're letting your whole hip go with your leg. Ballet works by Newton's law of "Equal and opposite actions" (!) so to help you get the lovely long lean line that your legs are capable of, you need to think of resisting through the hip of the working leg, and keeping the hips square and level. 

 

It also strikes me that you're coming off your supporting leg. Keep that strong & in control - it's control of your supporting side that enables you to work the working leg freely. My right side is stronger than my left, and although my right leg is "looser" than my left, because my right side is so strong, my grand battements on my left are a good few inches higher than on my right leg -nearer to shoulder height , when right leg is just above waist height. It's because of the strength of my supporting side!

 

I find that British teachers rarely focus on "getting onto your leg" - but in classes I've done in the US, the teaching is always about getting onto your supporting leg.

 

Think about trying to separate the bottom of your ribs from your hips by pulling up (but don't splay the ribs or raise the shoulders). You need your hips to be a lot quieter. 

 

Your knee on your working leg bends a bit, but I think that's to do with the working of your foot on the floor. I realise that your demo vid is on carpet, which has very unfriendly resistance, but I think you could work your feet along the floor a bit more. Think about toes leading, and peeling off the floor, and licking the floor coming back in (I find the return to 5th the hardest bit of a tendu).

 

Your legs overall look as though the backs of your thighs aren't fully engaged - your whole body looks a bit loose & relaxed. Now, relaxed is good! Dancing with tension is not great, but muscles need to be engaged. 

 

Can you think about your breath more? breathe in before you start a tendu, and tendu out on the exhale. That might help direct your energy, which in the video, looks a bit unengaged. 

 

But you have lovely long legs and obvious flexibility & a good bit of turn out. These just all need to be activated.

Edited May 1, 2017 by Kate_N

[Ellie]

I am very hesitant to comment as you are obviously still young and seeing a short video clip as a one off isn't the ideal way for one to make corrections. In fact, unless there is an underlying physical problem, from what I saw I'm sure that your teacher could help you. Kate_N has basically covered everything and explained very well. From the start of the video you seem to be trying to turn out from your knees and feet (wiggling) Turn out from the top of your legs and keep rotating downwards. Then I'd say think of lifting your tummy button up and let your tailbone fall down to the floor. Keep your shoulders over your hips. You are lifting your left hip every time you tendu devant. The leg should work independently. In tendu devant heel leads on the opening toes lead on the closing. And yes, keep your weight on the supporting leg. Engage all of those little muscles and tendons above your knee (think 'up', not 'back'). Lengthen your spine each time you open and close. Good luck and keep dancing  

[drdance]

I would agree with the advice here. From the outset, your hips do not appear to be 'square' but it might be the video angle. Try to use your lower tummy muscles to control your pelvis and hips. Kate_N's advice about 'getting on your leg' is spot on too - ensure you transfer your centre over the toes of the supporting foot. A nice easy way of doing that is looking in the mirror and making sure that your tummy button is directly above the middle of your standing leg, all while keeping your hip-bones level. In order to do this, you'll need to pull up your supporting side and lengthen the gesture leg away from you in a 2-way pull. Try to work on really isolating the leg from your body. Floor barre or PBT exercises are good to help you feel this.

[ArucariaBallerina]

Thank you so much for such lovely helpful comments- I can feel my hips are definitely not right. On the other side, I am fine, but somehow my tendus are pretty rubbish using my left leg. I'm trying to train my body to obey my brain! I have a private lesson with my dance teacher tomorrow so will ask her too. I have an audition on Saturday, so I am really trying to work hard, especially as I was ill this weekend (horrible bug going round which makes you incredibly cold and exhausted and nauseous all the time). I had just nailed a triple pirouette, and the next day, my hips go crazy! I will really try to think about your corrections, thank you again. Please keep them coming! 

[Kate_N]

1 hour ago, drdance said:

making sure that your tummy button is directly above the middle of your standing leg, all while keeping your hip-bones level. 

 

 

oooo that is an excellent tip, which I shall use in my next class tomorrow! Thank you Dr Dance. I always learn something in here.

[drdance]

I should've said "standing foot" really but you get the idea!!