Hello all. Long time lurker, first time poster here. I’m wondering if I could ask you lovely and knowledgeable people for some advice.
I’ve been taking adult recreational ballet classes for about three years now, having done ballet as a child, but quit to focus on jazz and modern as a teenager. I've come back to dance after about fifteen years away, and am currently taking two ballet classes a week - one beginners class and one improvers class, plus a contemporary and a tap class. In the ballet improvers class, I’m finding I’m having real difficulty with cramps in my calf muscles. No problems with demi pointe in general, and rarely any trouble with relevé on two legs, but nearly every time I try to hold a retiré for any length of time, the calf of my working leg cramps up after a few seconds and I have to come down out of it. (very embarrassing when the rest of the class are holding their balance and I’m hunched over like some kind of hobbit, rubbing my leg and trying not to swear out loud) Is there anything I can do to help stop this from happening, aside from just more practice? I drink lots of water and eat bananas, so I don’t think it’s a lack of hydration or potassium, as my dear husband, who is well versed in physical fitness as a black belt in karate, has suggested. I avoid heels on days I have ballet class, and I make sure I stretch, so I’m not sure why I always seem to have this problem, and in this class in particular.
Any tips on avoiding this annoying and painful occurance would be welcomed and appreciated!
