208 Dance Anatomy and Kinesiology
not present, stretching the hip adductors and ham-
strings as shown in table 4.7, C-F (pp. 225-226) can also
improve leg height and lessen the effort required to
lift the leg by decreasing the internal resistance from
the opposing muscles that must be overcome.Extensions to the Back
Proper execution of movements to the back such as
an extension, attitude, or arabesque is also key for
progression in technical level in various forms of
dance, and it offers a complex kinesiological chal-
lenge. The amount of movement possible at the hip
in a backward direction is much more limited than to
the front or side. In the average individual, hip hyper-extension is limited to 10° to 15° due to constraints
from the anterior ligaments, joint capsule, and in
some cases the hip flexors. Although elite dancers
may have two or three times this range, bringing the
gesture leg to a position where it is horizontal to the
ground will necessitate an anterior tilt of the pelvis and
compensatory hyperextension of the spine to bring
the upper torso back to the vertical position. Many
schools of dance also allow some pelvic rotation to
increase leg height, with rotation of the torso in the
opposite direction to keep the torso facing forward.
However, the extent and timing of these movements
of the pelvis and spine have important implications
for achieving the desired aesthetic and for the stresses
borne by the lumbar spine (see figure 4.39).Dropping the Greater Trochanter
Toward the Sitz Bones in the Side DéveloppéPerform the following exercises on both sides to try to develop a better awareness of the desired
movement of the greater trochanter that can markedly increase the height of the gesture leg, as well
as to help bring the leg more to the side.- Observing the excursion of the greater trochanter in a passé. With your partner lying on the
left side with the top leg in a parallel passé, place your fingertips on the right greater trochanter and
right ischial tuberosity (sitz bones), and note the movement of the greater trochanter as the leg is
brought into a turned-out passé (retiré). - Increasing the drop of the greater trochanter. When performing this turned-out passé, many
dancers primarily use horizontal abduction to bring the leg to the side and do not utilize sufficient
external rotation of the femur. To help your partner find this rotation, support the weight of the leg
and rotate the thigh internally and externally, emphasizing the external rotation and the drop of the
greater trochanter toward the ischial tuberosity. Remember that rotation occurs about the mechanical
axis of the femur, and so the knee should just pivot in place as the thigh rotates. With this addition
of rotation, the greater trochanter should come down much closer to the ischial tuberosity (figure
4.37C) than with pure horizontal abduction. After your partner has experienced the desired position
passively, he or she should try to produce the same drop of the trochanter by actively contracting
the lower muscles of the DOR. Dance teachers sometimes aptly describe this important distinction
of rotation by instructing students to imagine turning a door knob (rotation of the femur) versus just
opening the door (horizontal abduction of the thigh). - Utilizing the drop of the trochanter in a développé. As the knee is raised from retiré, help
your partner externally rotate the femur further so that the trochanter stays dropped and the knee
goes slightly backward (as if to bring it behind the shoulder) before the knee extends to complete
the développé. Then, have your partner lift the hip (laterally tilt the pelvis) and internally rotate the
leg, and note how the leg drops and comes forward. Now, have your partner bring the pelvis down to
almost a neutral position, externally rotate the femur, and with one hand on your partner’s hip and
the other hand just below their knee, help them rotate further by bringing the greater trochanter back
and down; note that this movement of the greater trochanter allows greater elevation of the leg and
a more open second position.