Dear Gabrielle,Thank you for your question. Using imagery often assists students who flare their ribs, cues like ‘imaging the the shoulders and ribs melting away from the ears’ and ‘softening the ribs’. It is also very important to cue the breathing for this exercise, a strong exhale helps relax the ribs, you can cue this as ‘blow out the candles’ which encourages the students to audibly exhale letting the core engage and the ribs relax. Any other questions please don’t hesitate to ask.&nbsp;Kind Regards,The PBT Team

How can help a student who's ribs flare in this exercise ?<a href="https://www.pbt.dance/en/library/pbt/pbt-junior/tutorials/upper-body/ripple-through-the-spine" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.pbt.dance/en/library/pbt/pbt-junior/tutorials/upper-body/ripple-through-the-spine</a>

Gabrielle Geremia

Dear Yohanna,Thank you for your question. The combination of imagery and correct breathing should help alleviate the strain in the neck. The use of a strong exhale can be cued as ‘blow out the candles’ which encourages the students to audibly exhale letting the core engage which should take the tension away from the neck. You can also cue the neck to release by either reminding them to relax the neck and shoulders, or by cueing the student to engage somewhere else (back or core). If this doesn’t help, go through the exercise slowly step by step, without the music, and stop the student as soon as they start to feel the tension and see what muscle or muscle group isn’t engaging. This slow identification should assist the student as usually tension in the neck is a result of somewhere else relaxing.Any other questions please don’t hesitate to ask.&nbsp;Kind Regards,The PBT Team

How can I help students who feel tension on their neck during the process laying to the back ?

Ripple through the spine

Foundation Upper Body

Upper body

Upper body with fusion balls

Preparation Cambré

Torso Strength

Swim & Twist

Elongated Spine Training

Upper Body – Extension

Dolphin Preparation

Music Used

This exercise focuses on stabilising the shoulders and relaxing the rib cage to prepare students for cambré movement. This simple early movement pattern helps dancers develop fluidity and control in the upper body.

Preparation: Place a fit ball against the wall and have students sit in front of it, with their legs crossed.

Steps:

1. When the music starts, guide students to gently release their body forward as far as possible, keeping their arms relaxed on the floor. Make sure students don't force the movement. They should stay within a comfortable range of motion.

2. Instruct them to sit back up, rippling through the spine and moving into port de bras 1st position.

3. Arms open into 2nd position and the head turns to the right side.

4. Students should gently lay their head and shoulder girdle against the fit ball. Again, without forcing the movement.

5. Recover with port de bras into 1st position.

6. Relax the body forward again, sliding hands on the floor.

7. Repeat steps 3 to 6 turning the head towards the left side.

8. Start again from the beginning.

Focus: Ensure shoulder stability and rib cage relaxation throughout the movement. Remind students to pay attention to the fluidity of the spine.

Frequently asked questions

Comments and Questions