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5- Emma’s Lyrical

Rehearsal log 5: 

Emma’s Lyrical

Session Summary:

In this session, we spent a lot of time cleaning the choreography and adding transitions, which made it a long and tiring rehearsal. We managed to finish the routine, with a particular focus on refining the final section. The work on transitions was crucial for making the flow of the piece more seamless and ensuring everything was crisp by the end.

Personal Observation:

I found it difficult to hear my entrance, so I’ve had to adjust by walking on stage first in character and then waiting for the lyrical cue of “I’m glad” before continuing. There’s one particular turn that starts high in a releve and then lowers into a roll on the floor, which is especially challenging for me. Timing it with the other dancers is tough, and I’ve realized that my balance and ankle strength need improvement. To execute this move more confidently, I need to focus on building more stability and control in my ankles.

Research:

As a dancer, I know how crucial it is to keep my ankles strong and resilient, especially given the demands of jumps, turns, and balancing on pointe. Over the years, I’ve had my fair share of ankle sprains and ligament injuries, so I’ve made strengthening my ankles a priority. Incorporating exercises like toe raises, ankle circles, and using resistance bands has really helped improve my strength and stability.

Balance exercises, such as standing on one leg or using a wobble board, have significantly improved my control and proprioception. This has been key for staying injury-free. I’ve also realized that wearing properly fitted shoes and practicing on supportive surfaces is just as important to prevent injuries.

Rebekah from The Ballet Doctor online emphasizes the importance of understanding the body’s anatomy and targeting specific muscle groups for injury prevention. I’ve been focusing on strengthening key areas like the tibialis anterior, which plays a critical role in maintaining balance and preventing shin splints. Strengthening this muscle allows me to push off more powerfully during jumps and provides shock absorption when landing, reducing the risk of injury.

One of my favorite exercises to strengthen the tibialis anterior is dorsiflexion. Here’s how I do it:

  1. Sit on the floor with my legs extended straight out in front of me.

  2. Loop a resistance band around a chair leg and around the top of my foot.

  3. Slowly flex my foot, bringing my toes toward my shin, resisting the band’s pull.

  4. Relax my foot back to the starting position in a controlled, deliberate motion.

I’ve also been working on strengthening the tibialis posterior, which helps prevent pronation (the inward rolling of the foot). This muscle stabilizes the arches of the feet and provides more control during jumps and landings. A great exercise for this is the resisted relevé:

  1. Stand on one leg with a resistance band looped around my ankle and anchored behind me.

  2. Slowly rise onto demi-pointe, resisting the pull of the band.

  3. Once at demi-pointe, slowly lower back down and repeat.

By consistently targeting these muscle groups, I’m building better ankle strength and stability, which will help me perform with more control and reduce the risk of injury in the long term.


What can I do to progress for next lesson: 


  • Follow these exercises 
  • Keep rehearsing the material to make sure I’ve retained all the correct details like head placements in the last section and cannon counts


References:

-theballetdoctor (2023). Building ankle strength for ballet. [online] The Ballet Doctor. Available at: https://theballetdoctor.com/building-ankle-strength-for-ballet/.


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