This combination is focused on core control and body placement overall with our leaps. When dancers leap, they often forget that core is a big part of leaping. Our core connects our upper body and our lower body. In order to prevent dancers from wanting to use their arms for momentum to get height in their leaps, this combination is going to take away the use of arms.
The combination will remain very basic in that we will focus on a straight leap. You will run or chassé into your leaps across the floor. Your hands will remain behind your head for the entire time. You will continue to do leaps across the floor with one step between each one. Be aware that you don’t swing your elbow when you step out of your leap, this is one of the most common mistakes made by dancers in this across the floor combination.
The goal is to keep your upper body lifted as you go across the floor. The upper half of your body should be calm and remain aligned. Your shoulders should be stacked right on top of your hips. Your shoulders should be pressed down. You also want to think about not swaying your upper body back and forth or side to side as you run into your leap. Your upper body should be like a brick, especially as you run or chasse into your leap.
Once you have successfully completed this exercise with a basic straight leap, you can then move on to try it with a more difficult leap. A more advanced leap to try this with would be an open leap or a surprise leap. Once you feel you can do those, you can really challenge yourself by trying this exercise with a switch leap.
This combination will help with landing your leaps in dance and for helping you find your center. It is best to start this combination with just the tilt jumps first so you can get used to that first. Once you are used to the jump and landing correctly in back coupe, then you can hold and develop into an extension.