186 Dance Anatomy and Kinesiology
and torso with movements of the limbs is one of
the distinguishing factors in dance skill acquisition
(Bronner et al., 2000).Muscular Analysis of Fundamental Hip Movements
As previously described, the hip joint is capable of
flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, external
rotation, and internal rotation. A summary of the
key muscles capable of producing these fundamental
movements of the hip can be seen in table 4.4. For
purposes of simplicity, initially think of movements
in a parallel position. Much of the research related to
the actions of muscles has been done with the limbs
in parallel (neutral) or almost neutral positions.
However, in dance many movements are performed
in a turned-out position and so represent combined
movements in which the appropriate hip external
rotators work with the hip flexors in movements to
the front, probably with a combination of hip flexors
and hip abductors in movements to the side, and
with the hip extensors in movements to the back.
Using a turned-out position would likely influence“Use the Back of Your Leg”
T
he instruction to “use more of the back of your leg” is sometimes employed by teachers to encour-
age greater use of the hamstring muscles when the feet are weight bearing, particularly when the
teacher feels that the student is overusing the “front of the legs” (quadriceps femoris). From an ana-
tomical perspective, this directive could be interpreted as encouraging greater use of the abdominal–
hamstring force couple. If more stability is established from above, through use of this force couple to
help maintain a neutral pelvis and to position the weight of the body appropriately over the support
foot/feet (vs. too far back), a dancer could theoretically use less quadriceps contraction to maintain
“balance.” Another interpretation of this cue relates to emphasizing greater use of the hip extensors
versus knee extensors in movements such as pliés, and this emphasis will be discussed in chapter 5.
The problem with this cue is that some dancers do not know how to use “more of the back of the
leg”; so substituting more specific cues or performing an exercise to help dancers find these muscles
can make the cue more meaningful. For example, thinking of pulling the bottom of the pelvis (ischial
tuberosities) down toward the floor until the pelvis is vertically aligned (ASIS and pubic symphysis in
same frontal plane) can help some dancers recruit the hamstrings in their force-couple role with the
abdominal muscles. Similarly, on the up-phase of the plié, focusing on pressing into the floor with
the feet and pulling the sitz bones down and forward to extend the hip joint, before thinking about
straightening the knees, can sometimes help dancers feel greater use of the hip extensors. Once a
dancer knows how to achieve greater hip extensor activation, the initial cue to use the “back of the
leg” or “more hamstrings” can be an effective reminder.DANCE CUES 4.2
FIGURE 4.22 The abdominal–hamstring force couple.
The abdominal muscles pull up on the front of the pelvis
while the hamstrings pull down on the back of the pelvis
to produce backward rotation of the pelvis (posterior
pelvic tilt).