Knee drops!?

[Can'tdokneedrops]

Today at a summer course, I have been told knee drops are an important skill for contemporary etc. But I don't really understand them, is there actually a safe way to do them? All I seem to do is bruise my knees? Any tips would be appreciated.

[Anon2]

You need to ask who ever is teaching to show you a safe way to do them otherwise you could end up with long term knee damage. And aquire a set of decent knee pads whilst you are learning. 

[drdance]

 

[Pas de Quatre]

Thanks for posting this - it is so helpful.  

[Lisa O`Brien]

Before I went to Paris, I got a job as a dancer with a choreographer called Mohammed Boghdadi Junior and we were going to Italy for 6 months. He told me I was too classical and had no technique whatsoever, but that after 6 months with him I would become a superb jazz dancer. [ If that's what it was called]. Rehearsals were in or near Warrington every day. I didn't last the end of the first week. I was in a routine called Aquarius and there were what he called knee chenees [ don't think that's how it's spelled]. Anyway my knees were bruised to hell, and we had to spend all day going over and over them. I was in agony. By the fourth day he "had words " with me and told me he was concerned about the slow progress I was making. He told me I needed to up my game or I wouldn't be ready in time for going out to Italy [ can't even remember where in Italy we were going to be]. I went home and burst into tears. I was in so much pain I could't straighten my knees properly. They were a right state and we were not allowed to wear knee pads. How was I supposed to get through the rest of the rehearsals, let alone six months of dancing like this? I went to rehearsals the following morning and told him I was very sorry to be letting him down [ I hadn't signed a contract yet] but I was leaving with immediate effect. He seemed a bit put out, saying how much he wanted me to stay and everything would work out all right, and what a fantastic jazz dancer I was going to become eventually, but the pain I was in cancelled out everything else for me. So we shook hands and I walked out, massively, massively relieved.  Often forget about that episode. A friend's mother, her daughter also danced, when I told them about it and showed them my knees, was horrified. She said why would I want to dance "grovelling round on the floor". LOL. She called the choreographer "Tin Pot Willy", which I thought was hysterical. [ He was actually really highly rated, apparently, which I found out later].

Edited July 22, 2017 by Lisa O`Brien

[Can'tdokneedrops]

Thanks for the advice, it's all very helpful xx

[annaliesey]

My dd always wear knee pads for training with this stuff, in fact teachers insist on it.

 

I hope this teacher is credible as sounds a bit irresponsible in this day and age to just throw that comment out there without teaching the correct technique  

[ScottishDancerMum]

I ran across this on Facebook this week and thought immediately of this thread.   There's got to be a better way of moving to protect precious knees!

(sorry that I can't find the video off FB yet)

 

[TYR]

Oh God I needed this thread last week.

[Pixiewoo]

On 18/08/2017 at 16:38, ScottishDancerMum said:

I ran across this on Facebook this week and thought immediately of this thread.   There's got to be a better way of moving to protect precious knees!

(sorry that I can't find the video off FB yet)

 

 

Me too! 

Have shown DD!