Standing Mat/Barre Flow

So welcome everybody to the magic circle class today. I'm going to use the magic circle first as a demonstration of the three dimensional core that we talk about so much in polarities. So let's place our feet first of all in sixth position parallel right under the pelvis. So no way a nowhere distance between them and hold the circle right across your hips first. And imagine where the handles are from hip bone to hip bone, that this space is narrowing.

So take a breath and you don't have to squeeze hard, but just imagine that space narrowing front to back, I'm sorry, side to side. And then also our Ron Fletcher. Bold from hip to hip. So we've got this side to side narrowing into center, carrying that down into the legs. Everyone else looks really good. I tend to be bold legged, so I want to put magnets between my legs all the way up as if I'm zippering and squeeze from side to side. So that's our first image in the three dimensions.

The second image is going to be from the base of the spine, right through the crown of the head. And instead of squeezing together, we can pull it apart and imagine from the floor right through the crown of the head, a marionette string lengthening. So when we're doing our PA's later, we're lengthening up as we've been the knees and pulling up tall. Okay. Now the last way, if I turn sideways here, you can see from front to back pressing together and I like to take a hand to the front of the belly and to the back and take a breath in and exhale and narrow that way. So we're going to be working all three dimensions as we get carried away with choreography. Just remember vertical line, horizontal line, Front, back. Okay. So let's place the feet again in six position and we're going to go through a little bit of breathing.

I just wanted to mention the shoulders tend to get very tense with the magic circle and we have several different grips. The classic grip is with the fingers pressed together and just the palms of the hands here. And if you get tired, especially when it's overhead, you don't want to drop it. So you may need to close your grip at certain points. Take a little rest. If at any point you're really tired, you can kind of hold the bottom of the handles down here rather than trying to squeeze in or holds. So regulated as you will. There's different types of circles. Some have two wines, somehow three of metal, somehow four, and some are made of plastic. They're also different whips.

So be aware the weight is different depending on how many wines and choose your weapon carefully. Okay. As far as upper body placement, let's take the circle back from hip to hip and just let the shoulder blades lift the shoulders, come up, inhale and exhale and drop them down and just feel a little gentle pressure squeezing the circle in. But don't squeeze hard. Elbows out to the side, shoulders drop down, chest lifted, and very important. Focus the eyes straight ahead. So we're not working hard yet. It's just kind of to help us place. All right, so we're going to begin with some percussive breathing, Ella, Ron Fletcher, working on our foot centers since we're standing for this. So let's inhale and lift all five toes. Inhale through the nose. Exhale, press down on five times. Inhale, exhale two and three and four ad five. Now just all four toes. Keep the big toe down. Inhale. Exhale. Five, four, three, two, not so easy.

And one. Keep the four toes down. Lift the big toe and five, four, three, two and one. All five again and one and two and three and four and five. Four toes and one and two. Keep your magnets on your legs and four and five. Last one. Picto bye.

And four and three and two and one. Good. Okay, so now we're going into our leg and foot work. Just like on the reformer. Draw up in in three your center, all three dimensions and holding the circle. Again, not moving yet. Let's just track the knees over the toes. Small knee bends or please squeezing those magnets. Ready. Inhale, bend, knees, track over the toes. Exhale one and two.

We're going to do eight, three and four. Five, six without locking back in those knees. Seven drive the heels down. Eight haul. Extend the arms. Inhale, exhale, pull the elbows wide one and right to the hips. Not too high yet. We're going to go high later. Three, elbows wide, four and five. Magnets in the legs, six and seven and a combined knee bend. Inhale, extend. Exhale, pull vap, war and two.

Inhale. Exhale, three and four and five and six. Seven. Hold a inhale, extend out. Exhale, lift and pull into your chest. Now opening the toes to politeness fee or first position. Inhale, open. Exhale, close. Inhale, open. Exhale, close. Inhale, open. Exhale. Close. Last time. Inhale, open hole.

Good. Okay, so now we repeat that little series. We did please. Eight times. I'm extensions. Eight times. Combining. Ready, XLR. All your air out and knee bends. Inhale. Exhale. School is unitized. Inhale, excellent. Three and four and five and six and seven and a.

Just the arms. Inhale. Exhale, Pollock, back to elbows. Why three, four and five is your sternum over your pubic bone and seven and a combine. Inhale x two and three and four and five and six and seven and eight and whole, and extend out. Inhale, exhale overhead. Now be careful here not to hike. The shoulders. We want to keep a little pressure in here. If you need to grip, that's just fine. Yes, we don't want too much tension in those shoulders. Rotating the heels open. Two parallel hip width. Ready. Inhale, ex. Inhale. Exhale.

This is three and four. Halt. Okay, so stretching those arms up. Knee Burns eight times. Then we'll be crowning ourself. It times, yes, and then the ending and extending. Exhale. All your air out nears track over the toes in acts two. Feel the spiral wrap at the top of the hips with those muscles and for and five and six and seven and a crown yourself.

In. Inhale, sanded too without hiking the upper. Shoulders. Three and four and five, six and seven. Hold it. A plea, a crown it down. Stretch it up to stretch it up. Three, stretch it up. Four, stretch it up and five, six and seven and aight, stretch it up. Inhale, bring it forward. Exhale, pull it in. Now use this to help you. We're going to rise to the toes, so imagine that marionette string narrow to your center. Elbows out, shoulders down. Ready. Inhale, rise and lower. Focus, focuses size two and three and four and six. Very nice. Everyone and a whole. Very nice.

Okay. Rotating. Open to second position. Ready. Inhale, open. Exhale, cleanse two and three. True. Parallel four and fi as six, two more. Seven. Hold a right, good. Please just hold the circle for the moment. No, actually let's extend the arms. All right. Right away. Ready? Inhale, knees over the toes. Pull it to call it elbows. Why and for.

Squeeze those inner thighs towards one another and six and seven and a rising up lift. Lower down. Stay as tall as you are on your toes as you lower and four. Exhale. Inhale, acts six and seven and eight. Good. Now clear. Inhale. Exhale. Lift your heels in a forest. Starch. Lift up, lower down to lower down.

Little squeeze on the circle will help you balance for an elegant next and six and seven. Hold a hole there. Now you don't have to squeeze the circle hard, but we're going to pulse in force arch. Ready too. Sure. Three sh relaxed everything. You don't need to hold yourself up and six, seven, eight pull up straight. Inhale, exhale. Pull up stray and, and three don't fall over and four and bed five.

Really feel that marionette string pulling up through the crown. Six and seven. Yeah, an eight. Hold it there. Extend your arms out. Inhale, extend your arms up. Hold. I'm falling. Lift, lift, lift, lift. Float the ribcage over the hips. Take a big breath and come down. Relax, and pull it into your hips. And let's rotate. Parallel. Inhale, exhale, rotate. First position. Inhale. Exhale. We're coming home.

Rotate all the way back to center and hold everyone. Okay, good. Okay, so relax the circle down. Just hold the bottom of the handles and let's do some shoulder rolls just to relax. So inhale up, exhale to the back and up and roll it around. Squeeze those inner magnets. And once reversed, actually four times reversed.

Inhale and exhale. Three just to relax everything. Good. Very nice. Okay, so let's go on. Now we're going to take the feature first position and turn the circle to it's vertical alignment. Take the arms all the way up, and we're going to do, this. Feels like a hamstring stretch number one on the wound chair. So we're learning to dive for the very first time.

We're going to go into a big high school. Take a breath in, lift high, exhale, curl over and place the top handle over the bottom one. Check here. Oh, we were going to turn sideways. We'll do it next one and press down from the scoop like you're doing a rollout one and two. Align those pads. Three and four and five. Stay down. Little Elbow Bend and fun. Four, three, two and one.

Take a big breath in. Scoop back up, rolling up. And let's turn in towards the center so we don't show our booties to the audience there. Okay, little Polonius v, take the arms high up. Now Be careful here folks at home. Don't push the hips behind your center as you go up and over. Big Breath in. Exhale, dive, scoop and place that top pad over the bottom hands are open and pressing down from the abdominals. One and two shoulders are wrapped away from the ears.

Three and four stay down on five little elbow band and five elbow band for three. Don't like that. Circle whoops. And one. Take a breath and roll slowly up circle in front of you. Now let's narrow that Little v, just narrow your Little v a little bit more to Polanyi. Zvi Not a first position because we're gonna do this one more time on relevant. So we've already fallen over. Nothing to be scared of, right? Bring the arms up overhead and walk your feet in towards each other.

Squeeze those magnets. Heels are pressed together. Lift very tall. Inhale and exhale up in over diving into the water. Place that top handle over the bottom line and staying lifted into your center. Press down. One, two, three, four, five little elbow band, five, four, three, two, one. Hardest parts.

If you can restack yourself up on those deep eaters and circle right in front of the hips and drop the shoulders into place and lower down. Very nice. They're smiling at each other. It must have gone well. Let's take the circle behind us. Now. You can stay facing one another. That's fine. This is a little tricep action here. So again, Pele's V we're going to squeeze this circle and this is a heavy tricep action. Even though it doesn't feel like much is going on. Lift the breastbone.

Look up to the ceiling and let's breathe. Percussively for 10 sets. Ready? Inhale, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine and 10 which the circle around to the front. Take a big breath and we're just gonna bend the knees. Little, little plea a and spine stretch over. And just place your circle on the floor in front of you. Roll back up. Inhale. Exhale, hands to the hips. Good.

So now we have a real center line that we're working on with magnets between the legs. Yes. And we're going to roll up onto the ball of one foot four times. Inhale, lift. Exhale, roll it down. Use the magnets. Inhale, lift Tommy's tie and three good and four other foot. Lift the heel, roll it down. So there's weight on both feet here. Feel the support on that standing leg tos first foot up. Push it up and change up.

Push it down. And once lift, press down, switch, lift, press down, lift, press down, lift, press down. Formed more for and inhale. Exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. Good. So now you know the pattern, we're going to go out onto it. So it's inhale, lift, push off, come back to the demi point half toe and roll down. So there's a little bit of pressure there. It's almost like the floor is hot up. Push back and down. Okay, fours, twos and ones.

Ready. Take a breath in. Exhale it all out. And Lift and press and back and down. Four times lift, same foot and three. Lift up and down and four, lift up other side and lift. Feel that standing leg work. Minimal shifts. Yes.

And inhale up. Exhale down. Good and twos. First foot up, back and down again. First foot up, back. Change sides. That's it. And down, up lift singles. Eight times a little lift and press up and down. Lift and press up and down.

Lift and press up and down. Lift and press up and down. Four more and two more. And last one, up. Lift up and down. Well, it wasn't the perfect quarter ballet, but it'll do. All right, so now we're going into what we call in dance. Todd, do shit tase. But these are also called foot brushes. So the rule with foot pressures, especially if your feet are sweaty, you have to be careful.

You want to work through the foot. So the foot goes through that half push off half and in those magnets really draw the leg back. So let's do the same pattern for one side, for the other two, two, and then eight singles. So on the singles just to go over there and it's going to be like one replacing the other. Yes, we really want to work the an count and one and two and three. So it's open on the and close with the magnets on the count. Yes. Okay. So the speed is going to be about like that. All right, ready?

So it's going to be open on the and for the first leg, four times ready and one and two and three and four other sides. Two, three, four. Repeat the fours. Two, three, four and repeat. Two minimum shift twos. One, two, and one. Two again. One, two, and one, two. Single one we place and three and four and five, six, seven and eight. Very good. Very good. Not so easy. All right, so now we're getting back to the circle eventually, but we want to get the legs straight first. Look where your first position is. It doesn't have to be a dancers first. It could be [inaudible] v, wherever that V is. We're going to brush the leg out on an and place it in a lunge knee tracking over the toes so the hips are open.

What we want to be careful of here is not leave the rear behind so that standing leg has to kind of thrust the pelvis open. This belt stays level and then we push off right back onto our center and squeeze in. Yes, everyone got it. So it's and one and close. Yes, fours, twos and singles. Ready? Take a breath for a moment. Drawn up in into your center. Find your magnets. You need to come back to these and one and close and again and close and again.

Hips level and four other side and and close smile girls two and I didn't close work that standing hip and two is on the first side and one and replace NT and replace other side and replace Oh and singles and one back to center and two back to center. Three and four. That's enough. Okay. Are we ready for the challenge? Okay. Grab your circle and we're going to first do one more little series here. Adding the arm movement in and some rotations eventually.

So we're in the first position. You want to face me? I think it might be easier for this. I think so. I know you were mirroring each other. Yes. Now let's all start with the left leg because I'm used to starting with my right and that way we can be less confusing. I think. So we're going to and out and in.

Yes. So let's work on keeping, remember we have to thrust from that back leg and come back in or I any adding the arm movement, take a nice breath, settle yourself, Elvis out, shoulders down, breastbone lifted and one and to center again out and to center. And and to center out other sides to center is your knee tracking over your toes. Good. Now twos and one. Back to center to back to said out, back to center. Out. Back to center, an one back. Change out, back change, push out, change.

And one more back change. So now let's go to the first side. Your left press out and we're going to rotate like a steering wheel. Open, close, open, close, open, close, push off and center. Press. Oh, open, open, back. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale, exhale, back to center. Repeat. Oh rotate back. Inhale, exhale.

Inhale, exhale, back and in out. Inhale. Exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, back and in. Good. That was pretty easy, right? Not too bad. All right, take a breath. Bring your circle down. Let's do the shoulder rolls again and release just to and reverse. All right, so now take the circle once again and this time over the head, we're going to get a little bit more complicated with the combination in minutes. So we're going to do these hip presses. These are from Ron. So thank you Ron, with the progressive breathing.

And what happens is you make a bow out of your body so you can reach in a real high lateral stretch the ribs away from the hips and you're pushing so far that you're almost removing the weight from that side foot. Okay, so we're gonna breathe. Inhale to exhale, two for set, one set to come center. So ready. Lift up on an ad and inhale to exhale to lift the ribs away from the hips. More off centered. Jen? Yes. Push. There you go. This is the last one. Sure.

Inhale. Exhale, center and lift. Inhale to exhale to really reach in a bow. Sure. Three sh four. Sure.

Inhale, shoulders down. Exhale. Twos lift. [inaudible] sure, sure. Inhale, exhale. M [inaudible] sh, lift the tummy. Sure. Inhale. Exhale. So now here's the challenge. We're going to do singles and we're not going to stop center, so it will look and sound like this.

Sure. Ah, okay. Eight times. Exhale all your air out. Drop the shoulders down. Ready? N Sure, sure. Your magnets for. Okay.

Had five shoulders down and six, two more and seven very nice and eight h and lift up and come down. So just for those of you at home and also here when we take that shape up and over, we don't want to close the frame. So if we've got a frame here, we want to displace by lifting up and the hips go out, but we don't close it down. Young January, kind of losing your, your frame. Think of a gorgeous painting, which is you and you want to keep that center in front. That makes sense. Okay everyone. All right, so now we get to combine it. So what happens is the arms are up, we're gonna lift so far off that it forces that leg out and there's our lunch.

Yes. So let's just give a little rehearsal with that. Ready arms are up and lift and place. Lift and center. Other side lift and place. Lift and center. Yes. Got It. So it's lift up so you, as much as you take your hips out, it forces that leg out and one and then back to center and, and one. And let's do fours.

Same side, four times four, two, two and singles again. Okay, everyone. All right, take a big breath. Exhale, let it out. And one and center. Same side and one and said and three and center and for changing sides and said, oh good Juliet. Nice. Three other side twos. One Center have to really find center and said and Shange and one and change centered change. Three. There you go Jen for six. And remember the foot brushes. Beautiful Feet. Yes. Good. And take it down. Rest. Very nice.

Is everyone sweating? Me Too. Okay, so now we just do a little more choreography. We really want to emphasize the distance between the ribs and the hips. Lengthening up both sides of the body. So when you go into that reach and we go from this lateral bowing back where we came from to a lateral this way and back and this way and back and this way up. So it's three sets and back. Same as we did with the rotation. Yes.

All right. And stretch off. Take a breath, exhale it all. Drop the shoulders down, open your legs. Little bit more in the V. Right? So remember it's that thrust from this side that's going to kick that leg out. Yes. Ready? And one, two, three, which five, six, push off, seven, eight and one and unfold and six push off, seven and eight and one, two, three, four, five, six push or seven a. And did I do it different on one side from the other? Fourth. Sorry, five, six, seven. Add.

Ha. Let's do a few shoulder rolls. Turn your circle again around and around and other way. All right, so we're gonna try one more combination. I'm not sure how it's going to come out. Take your circle back this way and we're gonna you just do market with me.

We're gonna rush the foot out and place it. And then we're going to go to a high circle to the low foot behind you and high and low and high and low. Now take it up and around and back to your chest. Try the other side. Out and down. High, low, high, low, high, low, up and around, through center and back to your chest. So you're ready to thrust it out again. God, well, I'm not sure what the counts are, but let's figure it out.

I think it's the same as all the other ones. Elbows out, shoulders down. Draw your magnets in. Ready an up and out, high to low. Feel your obliques working low, high to low, up and around and in. I don't think I did that right. High to low, high. Look through the ring, high to low, up and around and in. Once again out place, high to low, high to low, high to low, up in around an in lifetime place. High to low, high to low, high to low. Up and around and in.

Very nice. We are going to the ballet bar next. So we've reset at the ballet bar. If you don't have a ballet bar at home, no problem. You can hold onto the back of a chair or window sill. Your ladder barrel is a really good height and also the Cadillac. So we are going to begin facing the bar and it's important to place your circle right above the ankle bones. You do not want it touching your ankles.

You're going to be slightly laterally rotated. Again, it doesn't have to be ballerina style Jenn. No worries. Get a little closer to the bar. And for those of you who are not used to working at the bar, step back just a little, you're too close. You want to use the bar as your friend and partner. So you're going to press down on it and feel the shoulder blades dropping down in the back and the chest lifted.

So eyes are focused straight ahead just as when we were freestanding. And you can imagine that you're freestanding. You shouldn't be hanging on for dear life, but kind of testing your balance so the feet are slightly laterally rotated. Making sure if you're working this at home that the two pads of the circle are opposite one another, not teeter totter or the circle will fly across the room. We've downgraded ourselves to the lighter a circle here it's a little bit easier.

So we're going to do the same knee bend opening from the front of the hips. Knees shoot out over the toes on an inhale, hold that knee bend, tilt the pubic bone under just slightly so it's a posterior tilt. Squeeze and wrap the deep lateral hip rotators as you extend the knees. So we're going to do that 10 times. Inhale as you been talk under. Exhale, pull that marionette string up as you come straight. Inhale, tilt under. Exhale come up. And three, yes, it just your circle if you have to and come up and four so feel that little pelvic tilt, exaggerating the lateral hip rotation.

You have more hip rotation in the knee. Ben, is this about six? Inhale hands seven and inhale. Exhale A. I learned these exercises from Corolla tree air. By the way, she had a lot of ballerinas working out with her from the New York City Ballet. Now this is 10 let's stay straight, right spiral wrap the buttocks at the top of the hips. Now press down into the floor to rise to the balls of the feet and you're gonna drag one foot in just a little closer.

So we're in that forced arch position that we were at the beginning of class and we're going to again, bend the knees with the heels lifted, pelvic tilt under squeeze and wrap inner thighs and come straight up again. Inhale, pressing down on the bar, lifting the chest and exhale, come up. Nice Chen. Inhale and exhale. Don't Chew Your Lips. And four and XL, very nice. And five good placement. Ladies, go a little deeper there. Juliet. Six deep, deep, deep, and pelvis sender.

And I think this is seven. Everyone looks terrific and bring it up. Very nice placement and eight and press up two more. Nine. Don't flare your ribs and up and hold number 10 okay, so now you're all the way up at the top and you're going to transfer the weight over to one leg. Really feel the deep lateral hip rotators and shift the weight.

So one foot is up in the air and we're going to sniff, sniff, blow, blow squeezing in. She's too shy. Theresa, we're really spiral wrapping at the top of that supporting leg and five not a big shift over laterally. Yes. Stay over the center of that standing leg. This is a nine and 10. Squeeze it in and hold.

Transfer your weight with as little lateral shift as possible. Spiral wrap up into the top of that leg. Now if you're able, if the um, circle is not too low, you can squeeze in flex 2.2 if your circle is placed well ready. And I didn't say that on the other side, but that's just an option. You have to be careful where you place the pads in order to be able to flex and point. Move your hands so they're right in front of you. Yeah, you don't want to be like this right at the bar. It's easier at a bar because of these shifts than it is on a chair.

But the chair can work and if you're tall, you stack one chair on top of the other. Yes, shoulders. Good. That's 10. So now slowly transfer to both feet and lower the heels down. Now if you're trying this at home, you can repeat that whole sequence again. Play down and lift on the flat rise. Drag it in, play on the Forest Arch and the heel beats again. Yes.

If you're a glutton for punishment, we're going to move on. So you two girls are going to face towards the front and Youtube. Those are going to face towards the back. And what we're going to do, this is not very beautiful to look at. Rotate the circle so that we're in what we call fourth position, which is one leg slightly laterally. Rotate it in the front and one leg in the back. And again, you can't have that circle tipped or it's gonna fly out. All right?

You're going to be up on your toes holding the bar and when you hold the bar to the front, the hand is slightly in front of you. Not here. Yes. So that you can place and you're going to beat in with that front leg. Sniff, sniff, blow below. Yeah. Really working that supporting leg as well as the leg that's beating. Okay. Yeah. If you can't go up on your toes. Oh, that's okay. And then the other arm is floating out to the side like a half a hug. A tree, right elbow lifted. Yes.

And beat in squaring off the headlights of the pelvis. Three. That's it. Lotion. She sweating. Five shift up. Six. Good. Jan? Seven pull that left hip back. Yes. Beautiful. Nine. Nice. Juliet. 10 Jen. Very good.

Now listen carefully. You're squeezing in. You're going to transfer your way to the front foot and lift the back foot off. Slide your hand forward on the bar. You're a little close to the bar. Do you feel that? Yeah. And same thing with the back leg. Very good. Nice, good.

And be sure you ran out of bar. Let me partner you three here. Okay, four soften your arm. Five. There we go. Six. That looks beautiful. Lift that tummy. Seven. Good. Oh, Juliet has an aerobatic line. Very good. Nine and 10 good.

Plays that back foot down and now you're gonna turn around little house. Pure Alette changed sides. So girls facing front switch and girls facing out switch. I know it's not a very graceful switch, but this really gets you lifted. Yeah, and really works the deep lateral hip rotators and if you want the elegance of a dancer, this is the exercise for you. All right, ready? Yeah, that's all right. It all comes back. All right, so rotate it out at the top of the hips and we're transferring the weight to the back foot up on the toes, Katelyn. Good and lift that Elba. That's at the bar. Good. And transfer your way to the back foot.

The front foot is going to beat in and inhale. Two. Exhale. Two. Inhale two. You're a little out to the second position that bring this leg in front. That's it. Four. So you're working right here. Five. Pull this together. Six. Very good. Good girls.

Seven. You don't have to be a dancer to do this. Jan Isn't a dancer. She looks terrific. This is 10. Squeeze it in a hole and lift up through your center to transfer that foot beautifully to the back. Everyone. All right there are nice and slide the hand forward on the bar. Pressing down, not gripping for dear life. Ready and sniff. Sniff.

Blow. Blow. Two. You lost it. Yeah. Three good ladies. Four. Five. Very nice. Six. Lift up a little more. Seven. A very good ladies.

Nine and 10. All right. Beautiful. So now go back to where you were at the beginning. Facing the bar with the circle between your legs, just above the ankle. This is for the ballerinas. You're going to rise to the balls of your feet with that circle and do a little boray yes. Side to side. Yeah. Spiral. Lift into your center. Everyone can see you sideways on the camera.

So I want to see the bellies sucked up in it and ready. Just little bore A's to the side. One side, and then the other. Quick. Quick, quick, quick. Quick. Yes. Quick. Quick, quick, quick, quick. Other way. Good. And one more set. Nice. Good. All right, so contracts will be sent in the mail and that's the end of our bar work. Thank you ladies. I'm at a curtsy. Very good. Very good.