Modern Dance Warm-Ups: Leg Swings

Video Transcript

"Hi! My name is Chell Garcia-Trias and I am a modern dance instructor in Austin, Texas. I am going to show you how to do some legs swings to warm up your hips and legs the way that I would do it in modern dance. I am going to start with my feet turned out just a little bit and about hips width apart. So, it is a nice simple, relaxed way of standing. And then, I am going to push my standing foot into the ground firmly. And then, my swinging leg, I am going to push it into the ground and out, out, out, through, and up. And, I will push it down, down, down, down, out, through, and up to the back. But, I am going to add some momentum. So that, it really just swings gently. And, I really feel my foot pushing on the floor. Pushing on the floor. You can swing your upper body in opposition with it to help you with your balance. If you need to, you can hold onto a wall or a chair and just open up that hip. I am really thinking of dropping my side down and I am thinking of pushing my foot down. Down and out. Down and out. Down and out. So, that I am not hiking my hip up. We really do not want to hike our hip up. It is not going to be good for our hip or our back. It is all about pushing down. Down and out. And, you do not have to point your foot. You can flex it or point it. Whatever is more comfortable for you. It should really just be relaxed and your leg should just be swinging gently and easily. So, that is how I would do some modern dance leg swings."