Welcome to Focus Warm-Up 1, directed by Emily Seymour. This warm-up targets the upper body and core and is one of a series of full-body activation classes designed to help dancers safely and effectively prepare their bodies for a class, rehearsal or performance. Dancers will work through a series of exercises that focus on improving their spinal mobility whilst preserving postural integrity.

In Curl with Leg Extensions and Port de Bras, dancers will work on elongating their arabesque line, supporting the movement with their deep core muscles and posterior chain. During this exercise, the ProBall provides live feedback, promoting correct alignment while challenging the dancer’s stability. In Advanced Upper Body, dancers will work on spinal mobility through different planes of motion including lateral flexion and extension, focusing on initiating the port de bras from the deep back muscles rather than from the shoulders.

Tips:

Encourage dancers to use their gaze to improve the fluidity of their movement, following the line of their middle finger without tensing the neck.

Remind dancers to think about their port de bras initiating from the back.

Promote core activation through corrective cues such as: imagine a string pulling the deep core muscles towards the spine.