| Hips: Hip half-circle |
| Also called: Crescent, Hip crescent |
Begin in basic
stance:
Your feet
are positioned directly under your hip bones, parallel to each other, and your
weight is centered and distributed evenly over both soles. Your knees are slightly bent (soft),
and your pelvis is tucked slightly under (pubic bone toward the navel) in the neutral
position. Your ribcage is pulled up out of your waist; your shoulder
blades are pulled together and slightly down the spine. Your neck is long, in
extension of your spine.
To the front: think of a horizontal line across your hipbones (for example, a tabletop).
Keeping your upper body lined up above your feet and ankles, slide
your hips across this horizontal line to the right. Next, bend your knees and push
your pelvis slightly forward and to the center (over your toes), being careful to keep your pelvis
in the neutral position. Slide
your hips around to the left. Reverse direction, smoothing the three points into
a half-circle. Your
upper body should remain as still and separated as possible.
You can also do the half-circle to the back: slide
your hips to the right, then pull
your pelvis to the center back, contracting your abdominal muscles to help keep the
neutral
position of your pelvis. Slide
your hips around to the left and reverse direction.
Hip
half-circle walk:
Make one half-circle to the right (hips swoop from left to front to right) while
stepping onto your right foot and one half-circle back to the left (hips swoop from
right to front to left) while stepping with your left foot. Keep your upper
body as still and separated as possible, and keep the half-circles horizontal (parallel to the floor).