Hi, I am Theresa D'Alessandro, the Director of the School of Theatrical Dance. We are going to share with you some of the basic concepts of contemporary dance technique. This lesson is about leg extensions both to 45 degrees and 90 degrees. This allows the dancer to increase her range of motion and expand her dance performance.
Alright, standing in parallel first position, brushing the right foot to 45 degrees and brush it out and close and out and close. Left foot out and close and out and close, to the side brush and in, and to control it from the foot as well as the abdominals in and out, shoulders are pressed down, right foot back and in and press and all of this is about balance, left foot out and in, left foot out and in, repeat with pli, brush and pli and brush and close, left foot brush and close and brush and a right foot side brush and close and brush and close, left foot side brush and close and brush and right foot back, brush and close and brush and close and left and close and left and close and with turned out alignment, with your first position, so that they are using slightly different muscle groups in this next exercise, same idea of brushing forward, out with the right foot and close and out and close, left foot out and close.
Still holding your spine nice and strong, right foot out and close, brushing along the floor, close and you see how nicely their feet reach out and beyond and close, right foot back and close and the back, stay strong and close beautiful posture, left leg back and left and close all with pli brush and pli again changing the levels with control, left foot and pli and brush and pli, right foot side, pli and brush pli, left foot side pli and out, right foot goes back, brush pli and brush pli, left foot back, pli and brush pli.
And now they are going to rotate back to parallel and take the leg extension to the height of the hip 90 degrees and brush the right foot out and in and out and left foot goes out and in and out and in. Outward rotation at first going to the side and out and you notice the hips don't come up, the leg comes out from the hip socket and left and close and left, to the back and brush, reaching out through the toes and controlling the foot on the floor, left foot back and close and back and one more set to front brush and close and brush and close and, left foot brush and close and brush and close. Thank you girls. In our next contemporary dance segment we will be learning triplets and side falls.