Happy New Year! Hoping the holidays were restful for everyone! First question of the year comes from Katie who writes:
Like most of the western dancers, I was taught that one should be aiming to hold the hips square when standing in 4th and 5th positions. (e.g. demi-pliés, or echappé sauté landing 4th).
In a recent professional development course with other teachers I have been asked to consider the following concept: “The hips can not anatomically be square in 4th or 5th. Also, the dancer must not try to hold them square – that is neither possible nor desirable. For plies and all other movements in 4th, the pelvis will thus be rotated toward the back leg. The instruction is then to allow the swing of the hips to the back leg and to square up the shoulders from the thoracic spine (just under the shoulder blades).”
I would really appreciate your input on this from an anatomical perspective.
I look forward to your reply at your earliest convenience – thank you! Katie
Rules and declarative statements about dance training are always tricky! So much depends on the dancer’s body type, hip structure and form they are studying. Then we have the problems with translating words and what the author really meant.
So my short answer is… it depends. Let’s look at some guidelines…
What is their available turnout? The ideal 4th and 5th positions need an above average amount of rotation at the hip. When the dancer has less than ideal turnout they will cheat to get into 5th by pronating the feet, (rolling in) especially the front one, and often standing with more weight on the back leg and slightly bending the front knee. To keep the hips square when you don’t have above average turnout means you have to allow the feet to be on the diagonal line and to not cross the legs over as much. Meaning the 5th position would probably be heel of front foot lined up with base of big toe of back leg, making it more of a 3rd position and your 4th position would be an open 4th, lining up the heels rather than crossing toe to heel.
Try this: Stand in 1st position and then tendu your right foot to the side. Slowly draw the right foot back to 3rd position maintaining the turnout of your right leg. Notice how your pelvis begins to rotate towards the left as you continue to cross into a closed 5th position. (works the same way if you are slowly moving into 4th position) If you have a greater range of turnout in that standing leg you’ll have less of a tendency to rotate the pelvis. If you have less turnout you’ll have to fight to keep the pelvis square and may potentially create a twisting strain at both knees as you settle your weight into first position.
So from an anatomical basis the less range of motion at the hips, the greater the tendency to rotate the pelvis. And yet… I teach my students to think of their pelvis squaring off because I believe it sets up better muscle patterning as they are guided to imagine their pelvis and torso working in balanced synchrony.
In order to keep them working safely within their individual body types I do not ask them to cross over their 4th or 5th positions. Yes.. gasp… I never teach a closed 4th position and I work with closing their 5th position by having the dancer monitor the weight on the 2 feet, keeping it even on the 3 points of the foot and then even between the 2 feet. I have them learn where their functional turnout is and make sure the whole leg is working correctly so they won’t turnout more from the knee down. You can improve your turnout and the look of these positions in time. In general the better the use of your turnout the easier the position will cross.
It sounds like I’m contradicting myself doesn’t it? I’m saying that the pelvis has a tendency to rotate towards the back leg and yet I tell my dancers to think of keeping a square pelvis. One compensation that happens normally is to maintain the squareness of the torso and shoulders it will ‘look’ like everything is pretty square. And that is true and very common for many dancers. Most dancers don’t have anatomically square hips and yet they look pretty good.
It’s all in the set up from the teachers point of view. What are you going to have them focus on? I like the image or idea of squareness. Not forcing squareness. Two very different results happen when you ‘make’ a position versus moving into a position.
I like to teach barre at the earlier ages without the barre. That way they very quickly learn how to stand on their legs instead of using their hands to hold positions that are anatomically impossible. The feet will adjust to the amount of turnout they are using from their hips if they don’t have the counter force of the hand on the barre. They need to monitor the weight on their feet and keep it even between the 2 legs and out of pronation.
As teachers we want to use imagery and corrections towards center and the ideal position and then allow their bodies to slowly work towards that square pelvis and ideal turnout.
Hmm.. I just reread your question and I’m not sure that I answered in the way you wanted. I don’t think it is a black and white situation. Square or not square. My short answer would be to maintain squareness as much as their individual turnout will allow. It’s learning to use their turnout that is key.
I’m reminded of a very influential experience in my own dance history. I was taking ballet from Maggie Black in NYC some (okay… many…) years ago. There was a male soloist from the Joffrey Ballet who often took the same class I did. I would stand near him at the barre and observed that he stood in approximately 45 degrees of turnout each leg in first position. When he went out into center he moved so beautifully I never noticed that his turnout was average. He could land an échappé and look more turned out because his pelvis dropped ever so slightly behind his legs on the landing. You didn’t notice that because his carriage and performance engaged you.
I will be forever grateful to that dancer who gave me permission to have less than optimal turnout and train to my body’s structure and improve slowly, safely, and surely.
Maintain and intend as much squareness as their turnout will allow. I’m good with that… even though it is a middle ground answer.
Thanks, Katie, for a great question!
To your success!
Deborah
“Education is the key to injury prevention”