Created by Lauren Curley

Hips – Seated

Lay down on your back with your feet planted near your sitting bones, hips width apart and your arms extended out in line with your shoulders. Drop your right leg out 1 and pull it in on 2, then repeat left 3-4, right 5-6, left 7-8. Pick your leg up (creasing at the hip) 1 and drop it down on 2, repeating left 3-4, right 5-6, and left 7-8. Drop your right leg out 1, pull it in on 2, pick it up 3, and drop it down on 4. Repeat it to the left 5-8. Repeat it to the right, lifting your hips up and you set your leg down on 4 and hold here 5-8. Roll down one vertebrae at a time and bring your arms into first position 1-4. Circle your pelvis from right to left 5-8, repeat half of a circle to end with your hips up 1-4, then roll down and open your arms 5-8. Drop swing your leg to the right 1-2, and come back in to the center 3-4. Repeat to the left 5-8. Repeat once more right and left 1-8 and then begin the whole combination again beginning on the left side.

The music Lauren used in this video is Barre – Leg Swings – 3/4, 128 bars, 194BPM by Michael Wall. You can purchase the track on Apple Music HERE or find it on Spotify HERE.

Hips – Standing

You can do this exercise holding on to the back of a chair or with a hand on the wall to help you balance. You can also leave the arms out altogether and just focus on the legs!

Begin with your feet in first position and your arms in second position. Leg swing in attitude front 1, back 2, front 3, back 4, and continue 5-8. Let your arms close when you swing to the back, and open when you swing to the front. Leg swing front 1, side 2, back 3, and side 4. Parallel leg swing on the left diagonal 5, turned out to the side 6, fan picking the arms all the way up 7, drop your leg down and let your arms wrap closed on 8. Start to the left side.

The music Lauren used in this video is Centre – Grande Allegro – 3/4, 256 bars, 169BPM by Michael Wall. You can purchase the track on Apple Music HERE or find it on Spotify HERE.

Feel free to share these videos, embed them for your students, or link to this page. New online educational resources are being developed every day. If you have suggestions for what you’d like to see let us know: rdt@rdtutah.org.

Be sure to check out Michael Wall and his amazing music! You can find much more at www.soundFORmovement.com

Lauren began her training in Lowell, Massachusetts at Walker’s Dance. She was a scholarship recipient at the University of Hartford’s The Hartt School, graduating Summa Cum Laude with her BFA in Dance Performance. In her time at Hartt, Lauren furthered her training at the Jose Limon Dance Foundation, Martha Graham School, Paul Taylor’s American Modern Dance, and Henny Jurrien Stichting (NL). Upon graduating she was offered a contract with Repertory Dance Theatre, where she has performed works by world-renowned choreographers such as Jose Limon, Elisa Monte, Donald McKayle, Danielle Agami, and Zvi Gotheiner. Lauren is a faculty member at Creative Arts Academy and teaches master classes at studios and University programs throughout the country. She has been a member of the company since 2014.