I recently gained a couple teens in my dance classes. Stretching is a big component in my classes no matter what the age (of course done appropriately for particular age groups). During my first class last week I had them go into their right, left, and middle splits. One particular student stands out to me. She's coming to me with over 10 years of dance training and dances fairly well with fairly good technique. Yet, she's no where close to having any of her splits. Granted everyone has their own levels of flexibility but it looks like she never worked on them a day in her life! This really surprises me since she's danced for so long and has been on high school dance teams, etc.

I know, I know, not every teacher does a lot of stretching or shows the importance of it, but seriously? Major lack of flexibility after this long in dance?

What are your thoughts of students who've had 10+ years of dance training (whether it be recreational or pre-professional) and still are no where near having flat splits?

It could be lack of training (lazy or because the teacher never told her), or something physical. Lack of magnesium can cause huge 'stiffness', and it is very not-motivating to train against this kind of pain.
I had it myself. I'm flexible, but when I got a magnesium deficiancy my fingers didn't even pass my knees. And the pain was so much more worse than usual stretching pain.
That was acute. Maybe it is chronical with this girl.

Every one is different. Some muscles, no matter how much you stretch them, will not go beyond a certain point. When she sits with her legs in front of her, is she sitting up straight or curved. I have found that alot of children, even after alot of dancing, still have a tightness in their hamstrings. And it is not from laziness, it is because of the way they are built.

Years of training are not necessarily a gauge to measure dance technique and skill. I have kids who have taken at local studios for years and have awful technique, I also have kids who have only taken a short while but are learning quickly. Things I look for when a child has had alot of dance training: proper turnout(from the hips,not the ankles).Proper alignment. A balance of strength AND flexibility. Some kids are very flexible but have no control. As dance teachers, if we learn our student's strengths and weaknesses we can help them become stronger, better dancers. I've been reading Debra Vogel's website and blog and it's great info on how to do that:)

Here is an interesting article on stretching from the NY times that was brought to my attention by another teacher:

www.nytimes.com . . .

Dynamic stretching may benefit this student (?)

How old is this girl? Did she recently go through a growth sprut? I've had some that have great flexiblity but when the reach puberty in their pre-teen/teen years they lose it and have to work that much harder to get it back.

Don't dwell on what she can't do- go over proper stretching techniques and encourage her to work on it.

^^^^Yes, I have seen flexibility disappear during/ or after a growth spurt. I would be patient, and show her the proper way of going into her splits, and encouraging stretching at home during down time in an appropriate manner.

This particular student is 17. I don't know if she went through a recent growth spurt, but kind of doubt it.

Yes, everyone has valid points that she may have some medical conditions preventing her from having flexibility. My post was just intended to look at students who have trained for quite a bit of time that don't necessarily have medical issues and their flexibility. There are all types of training available, good, bad and ugly, and the student's own committment. It just suprised me to see her lack of flexibility at first having danced since she was 4.

I do enjoy times like this because it makes me think about being in the other teacher's shoes. If my students went to take dance elsewhere, what would the teacher see was lacking overall or doing good overall?? A nice but different view point. It helps me continue to re-examine my curriculum and lesson plans and periodically review skills I've taught to see if I need to reteach them or not.

Here are my thoughts on a serious dance student who has had over 30 years of professional level Vaganova ballet training, and still can't do flat splits. It wasn't for lack of trying: she stretched on the barre from childhood, took Pilates, tried Yoga, read books about the various stretching techniques, used DVD's, and even had her chiropractor apply physical force, after using an electrical stim machine. All the while, her ligaments felt like steel bands with no give in the joints whatsoever. You can imagine her frustration when she was told by some of her dance teachers that she just needed to work harder, when she could see that most of her classmates could do splits with no work, and obvious ease. One of her dance teachers (aged 70+) could even drop into a full split without any warm-up prep.

Yes, I am that dance student (and now a teacher too) and I don't emphasize splits like a badge of honor, because it's cruel for the rare student who just can't ever do them. I was told it's a function of bone, ligaments, and muscle - and I had all three against me. I will always have me and my class do some Pilates stretches after barre, so we're adequately limber. But I think the over-emphasis on splits just to do tricks to wow the judges at competitions gives those born flexible an unfair advantage.

And I have been told by more than one ex-professional dancer that they had to retire early due to needing a hip replacement. Like Suzanne Farrell, they were born limber, but over-stretched causing early onset arthritis from bone rubbing against bone.

Is she a "serious" dancer? The reason I ask is because I give almost the same warm-up in regard to stretching in all of my jazz levels over the age of 12. I have a recreational teen class in which some of them, after 5 years with me, still look like they couls fit a squirrel on a skateboard under their legs when we do splits. My classes with dancers who are a little more serious about dancing all have their splits down. I use the same encouragement, then same motivation, and even do "stretch" classes various times throughout the year.

Some children are just more motivated than others is my only thought. Of course there are other factors within their individual bodies, but that is just my two cents.

I've also found that some kids that can't necessarily get down in their splits can still do beautiful split leaps with straights legs and stretched feet, as well as nice battements. Not to their eyebrows, but still pretty darn high. And vice versa! It just depends ont he student, but maybe there is tto much emphasis placed on achieving the splits, which could be what is frustrating her the most.

miss_s wrote:

Some children are just more motivated than others is my only thought. It just depends on the student, but maybe there is too much emphasis placed on achieving the splits, which could be what is frustrating her the most.

I don't think it's always lack of motivation. If there's too much emphasis placed on perfect splits, you may be driving from dance all those who can't ever split. If they quit in frustration, those remaining, of course, appear to be the success stories in the 100% "can split" class. I know this happened to my niece, who quit dance lessons at eight, when the teacher tried to force her into a split. Forcing muscles can cause muscle tears, that heal with scar tissue, causing even less flexibility.

People who are born flexible can't imagine the pain and terror they are causing those with internal physical limitations that can't be seen. Your brain is wired to automatically resist forcible stretching. It's fine to work on flexibility, but assuming those who can't split need to be picked on for laziness is not the answer. Just don't "push it" - work with the students who need your understanding of physical anatomy. I suggest you google Deborah Vogel's website where she posts teachers' questions and her informed answers, to issues such as this. She even has published an excellent book for students: "Tune Up Your Turnout."

I have had wonderful students over the years who, no matter how much I worked on flexibility, always struggled with it and many never had a great stretch. It was just as frustrating for them as me.

Why do you think in places like China/Russia they take full medical history, physical, x-rays before being accepted into state ballet programs. SOME OF US have physical limits.

I was always very flexible and can still do splits with little warm up, but I had friends, who were otherwise good dancers, who never could do it. Give her what you can in assistance but honestly, she may never get it.

I'll be honest. I'm 24 and I've been dancing for 20 years (teaching for 6) and I never had, nor do I have, any of my splits. And it's not from lack of stretching or laziness. Some people just aren't flexible.

I danced for several years with a girl who could not get into flat splits. This girl was incredible, her timing and technique superb. She just couldn't get flat splits. She went to the doctor and after many xrays, mri's and other tests they told her that this was just the way her muscles, bones and ligaments worked together and that she had to deal with the fact that she wasn't going any lower. When we were in high school dance team together she had to present a note stating such, but she still got on because of everything else she had going for her as a dancer even though everyone else was required to do jump splits after running 3 miles (horrid i know)

ncdancegirl wrote:

Here is an interesting article on stretching from the NY times that was brought to my attention by another teacher:

www.nytimes.com . . .

Dynamic stretching may benefit this student (?)

Thank you for this article link, I am reading it and plan to pass it on to everyone I know. Maybe this will help others. I want to thank everyone for this post because It is a problem for some students. I used to be able, after a long class to do my splits, now , I cringe. I have seenstudents that after a growth spurt loose all the flexibility they had. On the note about magnesium, I have found that when i exercise and drink smart water ( which has electrolytes in it) I am able to function better. I am more flexible. Maybe this will help this student. Thanks all for all the great input...

Good article!