High kicks?

Question:I suffered from a knee injury, but now I'm patched up enough that I can start my stretching again.
I'm 15 and I'm kind of stiff, but i can touch my nose to both knees while they are straight. I have not been working on my splits because my injury is keeping me from bending my knee for another few weeks.
I started tap dancing when I was 10 and now i would like to try jazz and ballet (i'll still be doing tap so don't worry :) ). My dad watched an advanced Jazz class and he said that those girls can kick way high, and everybody's seen ballerinas bring their knee up to their head.

I'm pretty flexible, i could say, but my kicks are pathetic. Unless I really throw my leg up there, i can't kick any higher than my hip, occasionally, my toe will be eye level, but in Jazz and Ballet, you don't throw kicks up there, you raise the leg elegantly.. =/

HOW DO THEY DO THAT?!??!?!?!? And how can I?

?

Also, just wondering, if you know, what do tap and jazz dance companies look for in dancer?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I suffered from a knee injury, but now I'm patched up enough that I can start my stretching again.
I'm 15 and I'm kind of stiff, but i can touch my nose to both knees while they are straight. I have not been working on my splits because my injury is keeping me from bending my knee for another few weeks.
I started tap dancing when I was 10 and now i would like to try jazz and ballet (i'll still be doing tap so don't worry :) ). My dad watched an advanced Jazz class and he said that those girls can kick way high, and everybody's seen ballerinas bring their knee up to their head.

I'm pretty flexible, i could say, but my kicks are pathetic. Unless I really throw my leg up there, i can't kick any higher than my hip, occasionally, my toe will be eye level, but in Jazz and Ballet, you don't throw kicks up there, you raise the leg elegantly.. =/

HOW DO THEY DO THAT?!??!?!?!? And how can I?

?

Also, just wondering, if you know, what do tap and jazz dance companies look for in dancer?

You have to be able to do the splits, and "over splits." You have some work ahead of you. You only have half of the flexibility that you need. You have the forward flexibility in the front leg, but not the hip flexibility required in the standing leg. When you are practicing your splits, and you are as low as you can go, tuck your hips under and feel that stretch. That is the flexibility required to get your leg to your nose. When you kick, lifting the front leg is the easy part. If you try to lift with your thigh muscle it will bunch up and your kick will stop at hip height. What you are really want to do is toss your leg up in the air, by pushing the STRAIGHT standing leg downward and backward into the floor. This transfers the momentum into your kicking leg. If you are in a drill team, it is also important to get the leg back down in time with the music, which also requires hamstring strength.
Jazz companies are different, but you must be able to pick up choreography quickly. Tap companies generally require knowledge of all times steps, riff walks, all pull-back combinations, all tap turns and a mastery of the turns, and single-legged wings. That is for classical tap. Modern tap would require all of the above and the ability to pick up the choreography quickly.

yes you could
all youhave to do is recover from your knee

My extensions improved a LOT by doing stretches where I put my leg up on the barre in either front, side, or back positions, and leaning down (or back) to stretch it. Then, I lifted my leg as high off the barre as it would go and held it there for at least 10 seconds. This will both stretch and strengthen the muscles used in developes and fundues.

you have to work on your spilts and stretch a lot, first of all. but do it gradually. muscles are kind of like leather; if you pull really hard all at once it will snap but if you pull kind of gently, stop, start, stop... then it will eventually stretch out.

you also have to build up your strength. not only in your legs, but also in your abs, back, shoulders, butt... pretty much everywhere. you have to be completely held to make a "kick" look elegant.