There isn't much difference between men and women lengthening positions.  It is best to do stretches for the purpose of lengthening when the body is warmed up (IE: after exercise or dance class).  It is also good to do prior to practice but it is when the body is warm that the best results may be obtained.

That being said.

YOGA positions are great for lengthening your body.  They teach you a lot about looking inside to find your tight spots.

Swan Dive = good for the hamstring and calf lengthening.Warrior 1,2,3 = great for strengthening and lengthening the legs with little idiosyncrasies to isolate different spots of the legs.Frog pose = great for getting better turnout of the legs without stressing the knees or ankles.Trikansana = good for the inside of the legs, from the knee to the hipChild pose = great release of the body.Dancer pose = great for the front of the legs, thighs.Tree pose = great for strengthening the "little" stabilizer muscles in you legs as you stand on one leg.

There are some real great spine limbering moves as well.  Most "basic" or "beginner" yoga classes will go through a series of poses along with breathing exercises to help get the most out of the positions.  IT is all about compression and tension, flexation and relaxation, ying and yang stuff.

A lot of times with ballet classes it is up to the individual to warm up and stretch prior to class and after.  I have seen some studios never show the class how to prepare for class.  YOGA is a great place to start; after about 4 sessions you will get a real good idea of where you need work and how the poses are to be done.  Yoga and Ballet live in a parallel universe.  The combination of these exercises (plus a little boxing and martial arts) is Pilates.  Pilates has the tendancy to work the body in Turned in (martial arts), Turned out (ballet), and normal joint (jazz) positions.

• Re: Mancer you're great - megan at - 05.06. 09:45:19