Welcome to Focus Warm Up 5 in the senior division guided by Jenna Roberts. Today is a full-body warm up with a particular focus on developing the connection and awareness needed for controlled balances. All of the exercises in today’s class will challenge your strength and alignment, helping you connect with your deep core and rotators.

We will begin with Fusion Weight Placement: a dynamic exercise that uses the Fusion Ball to activate the adductors and hamstrings for controlled weight placement. Dancers should aim to keep their weight on the balls of their feet and lift up and out of the supporting glute as they change legs

Keeping with the theme of weight placement, we will work on stability and control in Transference of Weight with Alignment and Port de Bras. Here, dancers will need to give special attention to the placement of their pelvis, making sure to keep their hips level as they pivot to a forward port de bras on the ProBall.

Another brilliant exercise for establishing the engagement needed to effectively transfer weight is Tombe Weight Distribution. This exercise, although it looks simple, will really challenge the dancer’s core control and supporting leg strength, helping them find the alignment and muscular engagement needed to support their classical and contemporary work.

Tips:

Hip placement is key — make sure dancers are not tilting or favouring one side.

Weight forwards — remind dancers to keep their weight over the balls of their feet

Engage the core — encourage dancers to use their deep abdominals to change position.