Theresa D'Alessandro: Hi, I am Theresa D'Alessandro, the Director of the School of Theatrical Dance. We're going to share with you some of the basic technique of contemporary dance and today's lesson is a side stretch and circle and a hip straddle press. The exercise for stretching helps increase flexibility and body expansion. Joanie is standing in second position, she is going to start with her arms in second and stretch to the side and into her diagonal flat back, you can see how she is getting nice stretch of the back of her leg down across the center to the opposite leg. back up through the diagonal and center and then reverse. To the side, flat back, down to the knee, across the center to the opposite side, flat back, side and center, very nice.

Dana will do the same exercise that'll work slightly differently with her seated in first position, stretching to the side, diagonal, forward, diagonal, side and center and again side, diagonal, forward, diagonal, side and center, very nice Dana.

Stormie is going to take a more radical position that gives you even more of a stretch through the inner thigh. Arms in second and side over, diagonal across the center, diagonal and she's going to take it into a straddle press and reverse, across the front, side and into a straddle press and recover. Thank you Stormy.

In our next contemporary dance exercise you'll be learning about Retirs which is the knee being pulled up from the hip, toe pointed.