I've been having a lot of trouble with extensions, especially in second and arabesque. My issues seem to stem more from lack of strength than lack of flexibility. If I'm using a barre or another person to help me stretch, my leg can comfortably go above 90, but when I have to hold it there I have trouble even getting to 90. I'm closer to 60.

For second, I find that it feels like my quad and hip flexor are doing all the work. For arabesque I get a pinch in my back that makes it harder to get where I want to be.

Which muscles do I need to focus on? What helps you figure out how to get the right muscles to engage instead of putting excess strain on the wrong ones? Any specific exercises I can try besides developpes and holding my leg as long as I can?

Here are a few exercises I've picked up from several teachers over the years. You only need a barre or something at a similar height (chair, counter etc)

1. Very slow grande battements en cloche - at least half speed, if not slower. Do seven, then hold the last one at the top for as long as possible. Before lowering, try to lift it up higher. On the derriere one, squeeze your lower back to keep it up - a lot of what goes in to holding the arabesque up is the lower back strength.

2. Very slow developpes - then hold the extension and before you lower it, try to lift it up higher as before. Same notes about the back here.

3. For extensions to second: Put your leg in retire only as far as your natural turnout allows. lift your leg as high as you can, bent right over at the knee. To do this, hold your thigh (from behind) and lift it. This'll mean your thigh is up as if you are at the maximum extension your flexibility will allow, but the lower half of your leg will be bent over. From here, try to straighten your leg without moving your thigh. You'll still be holding it with your hand to help with this. At first, you won't be able to straighten it very far, but if you work at it you'll be able to get your leg straighter. I'm not sure how clear my instructions are, so I've done some terrible how-to sketches: i42.tinypic.com . . .

4. There's one more but it's the most physically strenuous thing I've ever done in all my years of dancing - I can't really describe it, so in a couple of weeks (I'm not quite back to full strength yet) I'll be making a video of how to do it and I'll come back here to post a link when I do.

Very slow grande battements en cloche

It's called a releve lent and I usually assign them en croix.

Get some ankle weights. Start with very light ones. And do NOT kick with them on.

panic wrote:

Very slow grande battements en cloche

It's called a releve lent and I usually assign them en croix.

Ah, thanks! I thought it was something like that.

Get some ankle weights. Start with very light ones. And do NOT kick with them on.

This didn't even occur to me actually - I bulk up insanely quickly even without weights so I don't dare use them, so I tend to forget about them.

Ankle weights can be great but me mindful, if you get out of position and you're using ankle weights (raising hip, not holding turnout, gripping with quads, etc) and you'll reinforce an incorrect movement pattern even more strongly than if you're doing it normally.

Practicing while laying down is good because it's easy to keep the hips in the correct position. If you have a partner they can hold your leg so you can push down and up while keeping the correct position.

The best thing to do will be talk to your instructor, have them make sure you're not having any technical issues before you start really pushing it outside of the studio.