Welcome to Focus Class 3 guided by Coni Belgareto. This session is designed to prepare dancers' bodies and minds for adage in the centre. We will be using the Fusion Ball to activate and bring awareness to the key stabilising muscles needed for controlled and fluid extensions.

We will begin the class with a full body warm-up, Fusion Glow, boosting stamina while strengthening coordination and transference of weight. We will be jumping during this exercise, so dancers are welcome to fold their mat in half for more cushioning. 

A great exercise for strengthening the hip flexors and adductors for a la seconde extensions featured in this class is Retiré Activation. This exercise uses the Fusion Ball to improve the dancer’s alignment, encouraging them to keep the pelvis aligned and core strong as they lift their leg. Dancers who are struggling to keep their hips level or hold their turnout, may benefit from holding their hip to prevent it from rocking forwards.

Keeping with the theme of adage, we will move to Attitude Devant Alignment, which is a brilliant exercise for controlling turnout in extensions. Watch out for hunching in the back and gripping in the hip flexors. To address this issue, encourage dancers to keep a long straight spine and place a towel underneath their sit bones to reduce pressure on their hips.

Tips

Promote long toes on the ball – no crunching!

Encourage dancers to keep their hips still and level as they raise their leg.

Quality over height — remind dancers that placement is more important than flexibility.