So many girls have good flexibility when stretching, but find it hard to use this when dancing, especially with getting legs higher in a développé.

If you simply practise the step over and over, often the result is bulky thighs, with not a lot of increase in range. This will happen if you are trying to use the front of the leg to lift, rather than controlling the leg from the hip.

This exercise is also fantastic to practice if you have a serious foot injury and are not able to stand in class, or put load through the foot. You can even do this if you are not able to point the ankle, by keeping your ankle flexed throughout. This means that you can continue to strengthen your body and improve your technique, even when “not dancing” due to injury.

To work out all the true muscles needed to work the leg devant, lie on your back, with your legs out straight and your hands on your hips.

• Slowly pull the foot up into a retire position (feel your inner thighs working!)
• Make sure to keep the foot flexed if you have any issues at the back of the ankle (i.e. Achilles Tendinopathy or Os Trigonum Pain)
• Make sure that the hips stay square, and don’t hitch or twist!
• Slowly unfold the leg as for a développé working on controlling the turnout from the hip, and lengthening the leg.
• Focus on not cheating height by tucking the pelvis in this position, but focus instead on correct placement of the leg
• Slowly lower the leg back to the wall, making sure you use your abdominals so that your back doesn’t arch!

If you can control the leg and pelvis well with a développé to 90 degrees (or above) without moving the hips, you will be able to achieve a much greater height of leg when you let the pelvis become involved (it has to begin to shift a little above this). However, if you are hitching and struggling to get to 90 degrees, you will find it very hard to improve beyond this point unless you really focus on your stability!

If you practice your développé in this position, your muscles will learn how to control the leg much easier, and you will find that your range improves quite quickly! Then, when you practice in standing, everything feels a lot more familiar!

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