Level Hips in Retiré: Why Students Hike (And the 3-Level Teaching Fix)

You've seen it a hundred times: a student brings their foot to retiré and their entire hip comes along for the ride. The working hip lifts, the pelvis tilts, and what should be a clean line becomes a crooked mess.

You correct it. They fix it momentarily. Next combination, it's back.

This is one of the most common technique problems in elementary-level ballet, and it's also one of the most important to address. Hip hiking in retiré doesn't just affect the aesthetic of the position—it creates compensation patterns that will limit pirouettes, make fouettés nearly impossible, and reinforce misalignment that becomes harder to correct with every passing year.

The good news? This problem is entirely fixable with just a few tweaks in your lesson plan.

Why Hip Hiking Happens

To understand the fix, we need to understand the problem.

When students lift their knee toward retiré, they're recruiting their hip flexor muscles. That's correct—the hip flexor is exactly what should be working. But here's where things go wrong: instead of the femur flexing IN the hip joint (the ball rotating in the socket while the pelvis stays stable), students often lift the entire hip. The pelvis tilts, the working side hikes up, and the standing side compensates.

Why do they do this? A few reasons.

First, it's easier. Lifting the whole hip requires less core stability and less isolated control of the hip joint. For students who haven't yet developed that deep stabilizing strength, hiking feels like the path of least resistance.

Second, they're thinking the knee height is the most important part of retiré. They don't realize that placement and pathway matter more, so they'll recruit whatever muscles help them achieve their goal—even if it means distorting their alignment.

Third, they simply don't know what "level hips" feels like in their body. Without somatic awareness of their pelvis position, they can't self-correct because they don't know anything is wrong.(And somatic awareness doesn't really develop until kids are 12, which makes proper habits even more important in the elementary levels.)

The solution isn't more corrections. It's an intentional progression that builds strength, awareness, and muscle memory BEFORE we ask for speed.

What "Level Hips" Actually Means

Before we can teach level hips, we need to understand what we're asking for.

The bony landmarks we're watching are the ASIS—the anterior superior iliac spine, or the two bony points at the front of the pelvis that you can feel if you put your hands on your hips and slide forward. When a student is standing in parallel or first position with level hips, these two points should be at the same height.

When a student hikes their hip in retiré, the ASIS on the working side lifts higher than the standing side. You can often see this clearly from the front, but students can also eventually learn to feel it.

A simple awareness exercise: have students place their hands on their ASIS points before bringing the foot to cou-de-pied or retiré. Their job is to keep their hands level throughout the movement. This external feedback helps them connect to what their body is actually doing by making the movement more concrete and observable.

The 3-Level Progression for Teaching Retiré with Level Hips

Here's the progression I use in my curriculum to build correct retiré placement. Each level adds complexity only after the previous foundation is solid.

Level 1: Cou-de-Pied Only

In Level 1, we don't use retiré at all—even in pirouettes. Everything stays at cou-de-pied.

The exercise: Demi-plié (count 1), spring to sous-sus (count 2), bring working foot to cou-de-pied devant (count 3), balance there.

Why this works: Cou-de-pied is lower, which requires less hip flexion and makes it easier to maintain a level pelvis. Students build the core stability and hip joint isolation needed for higher positions without the added challenge of lifting the knee to retiré height.

What to watch for: Even at cou-de-pied, some students will hike. Watch the ASIS line. If the working hip lifts, the student isn't ready for more complexity—they need more time at this level with focused correction.

Cueing that helps: "Grow taller through the standing side" (this encourages length rather than lift on the working side).

"Keep your hip bones headlights—both pointing straight forward at the same height."

Level 2: The Drag to Retiré

In Level 2, we finally introduce retiré—but with a crucial addition: the drag.

The exercise: Demi-plié (count 1), spring to sous-sus (count 2), cou-de-pied devant (count 3), then drag the toe up the standing leg to retiré (count 4).

Why this works: The dragging action keeps the toe connected to the midline of the body, which encourages the knee to open to the side rather than lifting forward. This maintains turnout and level hips simultaneously. It also slows down the movement enough that students can monitor their own alignment.

I often tell my students that there should be a dirt line on their lower legs from the toe dragging up and down. After all, dirt washes out but good technique lasts forever.

The long game: This toe-dragging action matters enormously for fouettés later. In a fouetté, the working leg must connect through the midline during the whip—students who learned retiré with a drag have this pathway built into their muscle memory.

What to watch for: Students rushing through cou-de-pied to "get to" retiré. The cou-de-pied isn't a pass-through; it's a position. Make sure they actually arrive there before the drag begins. This is often where the foot starts to sickle, so make sure students shape the foot correctly before they start the drag. Also watch for the knee dropping forward during the drag—the knee should open to the side as the toe slides up.

Cueing that helps: "Cou-de-pied is a real place—visit it before you travel."

"Drag your toe like you're drawing a line up your leg."

"Knee behind shoulder as the toe goes up."

Level 3: Compressed Timing

In Level 3, we keep every position but compress the timing.

The exercise: Demi-plié (count 1), spring to sous-sus (count &), cou-de-pied (count "a"), retiré (count 2).

Why this works: Students have now spent significant time building the correct pathway and the strength to maintain level hips. The compressed timing tests whether the muscle memory is solid enough to hold up under speed. If it is, they're ready for more complex work. If not, you've identified where to focus.

What to watch for: The most common breakdown at this level is skipping cou-de-pied entirely. When timing compresses, students want to take shortcuts. Watch to ensure all three positions (sous-sus, cou-de-pied, retiré) are still distinct, even if brief.

Cueing that helps: "Fast doesn't mean shortcut—every position still exists."

"I should still see your foot touch cou-de-pied even when we're quick."

Why This Progression Matters

The temptation is to skip right to using retiré. Retiré looks more impressive than cou-de-pied. Students feel more advanced. But this rush creates exactly the problems we then spend years trying to fix.

Students who learn retiré without proper hip stability will hike their hip in every pirouette. They'll struggle with fouettés because their leg doesn't know the midline pathway. They'll develop asymmetries as their body compensates around the misalignment.

Students who learn through intentional progression arrive at intermediate and advanced work with bodies that already know what level hips feel like. The corrections you won't have to give them in five years are the real payoff for the patience you invest now.

Applying This in Your Classes

If you're inheriting students who already have hip-hiking habits, here's how to work backward:

First, assess where the breakdown happens. Can they maintain level hips at cou-de-pied? If not, start there. If cou-de-pied is solid but retiré falls apart, focus on the dragging pathway at a slow tempo.

Second, be patient with the timeline. With consistent practice—meaning you address this in every class, not just occasionally—you'll see improved hip placement in 4-6 weeks. That's not instant, but it's faster than you might expect for a habitual movement pattern.

Third, use the awareness exercises. Hands on ASIS points, watching in the mirror, partnering students to give each other feedback—the more ways students can perceive their own alignment, the faster they'll develop the self-correction ability you're building toward.

The Systematic Approach

This retiré progression is one example of how intentional, leveled teaching prevents problems rather than chasing them. The same principle applies across both technique and artistry: when we build foundations systematically, adding complexity only when students are ready, we create dancers with sustainable technique, mastery of their art, and bodies that work with them rather than against them.

That's what comprehensive ballet education looks like—not rushing to the impressive version, but building the foundation that makes the impressive version possible.

This exact progression is part of my Elementary Division Unit 1 Lesson Plans for Levels 1, 2, and 3. If you're ready for a systematic approach to technique that builds these foundations into every class, explore the Elementary Division curriculum →