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Introducing: The Bridge Dance Project

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by Jan Dunn

I’m pleased to be able to tell you about The Bridge Dance Project (BDP), a newly launched cooperative endeavor between leaders in the dance medicine and science field, and the competition / commercial dance field.

The Project began as an outgrowth of conversations between myself, and Kaycee Cope Jones, MS (COO of Apolla Performance Footwear,) in the fall of 2019, following the release of the Apolla Mia Michaels video series on injury prevention in dance. Michaels is an Emmy-award winning choreographer based in Los Angeles, CA, USA.

There has been a growing concern about the increasing number of injuries to young dancers — about the body potentially being “pushed too hard / too far”.  In Mia Michael’s video #3, she mentions as an example — a 16-year old dancer with a double hip replacement. The field of Dance Medicine and Science has been in existence for 40 years, and up to this point, has positively influenced primarily the professional ballet and the academic dance communities. Unfortunately, this has had very little crossover into the commercial and competition dance areas.

There have been some efforts to help integrate this work into this dance communities (such as the Artists and Athletes Initiative – AAI – which debuted at the June 2019 National Dance Honors convention in Las Vegas), and overall, there is a strong need for this type of effort to increase.

The goal of the Bridge Dance Project is to build a bridge between the current realm of dance medicine and science and the commercial / competition areas of dance — to bring more information, working collaboratively together, into the daily lives of dancers working in this area. 

Although this project was started as an outgrowth of the Mia Michaels / Apolla videos, it is not about endorsing any particular product / project / or endeavor. The BDP is about leaders in both fields coming together to address a specific need in a specific segment of the dance community, independent of any organizations or companies we may otherwise be involved with. Here is what BDP is all about:

Vision Statement – The Bridge Dance Project is a grassroots network supporting the whole-person health and wellness of competition and commercial dancers and teachers by providing current dance medicine and science information.

Mission Statement – The Bridge Dance Project builds bridges between the competition and commercial dance community and the dance medicine and science community by providing easily accessible, readily applicable, and personally empowering information. 

The Significance of Our Work – The knowledge we communicate and transfer can contribute to increasing the longevity of dancers’ careers and help them navigate the demands of dance with a 360-degree view of the dancer. We are passionate about our efforts because properly applied education is powerful and will lead to positive and healthy changes for the current and future generations of dancers.

A Board of dance and dance medicine professionals was created to begin the work which we are all envisioning:

  • Katie Schaar — Founder of Sugarfoot Therapy / co-founder of MOTI Physical Therapy in Los Angeles / commercial choreographer and convention teacher / AAI team
  • Gayanne Grossman, PT —Director of Dance Wellness, Muhlenberg College (PA) / PT for Lehigh Valley Network Performing Arts Wellness Program / BOD of IADMS / author of “Dance Science: Anatomy, Movement Analysis, and Conditioning”
  • Selina Shah, MD — Sports and Dance Medicine, BASS Medical Group, / Team Physician – Axis Dance Company, Diablo Ballet Company, Oakland Ballet, San Francisco Ballet School / Healthy Dancers’ Clinic, Mills College / Treasurer and Board of Directors, IADMS / Dance USA Taskforce on Dancer Heath / 4dancers.org Dance Wellness Panel
  • Jeff Russell, PhD, ATC, FIADMS –Associate Professor, Athletic Training and Director, Science and Health in Artistic Performance – Ohio University / dance medicine and science researcher / Research Advisory Group – Cirque de Soleil
  • Bonnie Robson, MD — Psychiatry / dance medicine in Toronto, CA — formerly with National Ballet School / currently on Dance Wellness Team – Ballet Jorgen / Dance USA Taskforce on Dancer Health
  • Robin Kish, MS, MFA — Chapman University Dance Faculty, in Orange, CA / strong background and connections in competition dance / dance science researcher / co -author of recently published second edition of “Dancing Longer Dancing Stronger”
  • Teri Rowe, MS – Executive Director, National Dance Coaches Association, based in LeClerc, ID
  • Jasmine Challis, BSc – Freelance Registered Dietitian and Eating Disorder Specialist, One Dance UK (London, UK)
  • Caroline Lewis-Jones:  Health Made Simple PRO, Certified Holistic Health Coach / Institute of Integrative Nutrition, Professional Dancer/Choreographer, Mom on a Mission, Adrenaline Dance Convention Senior Faculty, AAI Team – Columbia, SC
  • Heather Southwick, PT, MSPT – Director of Physical Therapy, Boston Ballet / Dance USA Taskforce on Dancer Health 
  • Jennifer DePaola – Founder, Doctors for Dancers
  • Steve Karageanes, DO, FAOSM – Medical Director, St. Mary Mercy Hospital Elite Sports Medicine and Sports Performance / Advisory Board – YPAD
  • Jan Dunn, MS / Kaycee Cope Jones, MS – Co-Chairs

Since the BDP was formed, we have created partnerships with dance organizations with whom we share similar goals:

BDP Research Projects, under the direction of Board member Dr. Jeff Russell, PHD, AT, FIDAMS are underway, on several topics related to competition / commercial dance.

There are now BDP chapters, both in the USA and EU, including:

  • Los Angeles, CA
  • Orange County, CA
  • San Francisco, CA
  • Portland, OR
  • Denver, CO
  • Detroit / Ann Arbor, MI
  • Chicago, IL
  • Central New Jersey
  • Cincinnati, OH
  • Tallahassee, FL
  • Philadelphia, PA
  • Washington, DC
  • UK
  • Barcelona, Spain

If you are interested in contacting one of these local chapters, contact the Team Leader (information available on the BDP website).

If you are interested in potentially forming a new group in the USA, contact Jan Dunn at jddanmed@aol.com.

If you are out of the USA, and interested in forming a new chapter, contact Nefeli Tsiouti, MSc, at projectbreakalign@gmail.com.

Current Projects:

  • The above-mentioned research, under the direction of Jeff Russell.
  • Helping NDCA (National Dance Coaches Asso.) develop national standards for dance team coaches.
  • A video on stress in competition dancers, being developed by the Cincinnati chapter.
  • Developing a Teachers Handbook in collaboration with I-Path (International Performing Arts and Theatre), for use in their training curriculum.
  • Partnering with YPAD (Youth Protection Advocates in Dance), to help increase awareness of sexual abuse issues in dance.
  • Developing a workshop in Los Angeles, in collaboration with IADMS (International Asso. for Dance Medicine and Science) and Ballet Beyond Borders, to be held in January (details TBA).

BDP Social Media Information:

Website: https://thebridgedanceproject.com/

Instagram: @thebridgedanceproject

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com / informationBDP/

Dance Spirit magazine article:  https://www.dancespirit.com/bridge-dance-project-dance-injury-2641177786.html

Sign up to be on our mailing list at:

https://forms.gle/wrBYdjZBjxLLQzES6

OR you can contact one of the chairs.:  Jan Dunn, jddanmed@aol.com / Kaycee Cope Jones, kaycee@apollaperformance.com

Dance Wellness Links And More…

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Jan Dunn
Jan Dunn, MS, Dance Wellness Editor

Aloha and Happy New Year !

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season, and you are back in full swing with your dance life. This month marks 4 years that I have been associated with 4dancers.org, and so I felt it was an appropriate time to comment – and to encourage you to keep “spreading the word” about dance medicine and science / aka Dance Wellness!

So, how did the Dance Wellness segment of 4dancers.org get here?

In the fall of 2011, Catherine Tully, editor of the site, approached me about writing an article about Dance Medicine and Science, to introduce that topic to the readership.  She and I had never met, or communicated, before that –i.e., it was a “cold contact”. I said “of course” and wrote that first post–which was supposed to be a one-time thing. But–the readership response was so positive that Catherine asked me to keep going…..and so our Dance Wellness segment became official.

Over time I started asking other colleagues in the field to also contribute, and things just kept growing.  This past year, we added our Dance Wellness Panel of experts–all long-time experienced professionals, each focusing on different aspects of dance medicine and science.

From a personal perspective, 4dancers.org has been one of the most fulfilling things that has ever happened in my professional dance life–and I say that coming from many years of very fulfilling experiences! Since the beginning of my work in the dance medicine field, 35 years ago, my #1 goal has always been to reach out to the thousands of dancers and teachers who don’t normally have a chance to access this kind of information. I was given different opportunities, in that respect, over the years–such as helping to form IADMS (International Association for Dance Medicine and Science), and starting Dance Wellness programs in university settings. And all of that was wonderful–but it still didn’t reach out on the “grassroots” level, which was my original goal.

4dancers.org, and Catherine Tully, changed all of that, and I will be eternally grateful both to her, and to you, the readership, for the opportunity I was given, and for the way you have embraced the information we have put out there for you, and “passed it on”!

Some of you reading this probably have been with 4dancers for a long time, maybe all of the past 4 years, but many of you may have not. So with this post, I am sharing our full list of dance wellness articles, so that if you missed any, you can read and catch up–and maybe learn one or two new things you didn’t know before…..and that’s the whole point, isn’t it?

Mahalo Nui Loa (thank you from the heart), and–
Pass it on!

Jan

Jan Dunn, MS
Dance Wellness Editor – 4dancers.org

4dancers.org – Dance Wellness posts 1/1/12 to present

2012

1/2/12 – Keeping Dancers Dancing: An Introduction to Dance Wellness in 2012 – Jan Dunn, MS

1/19/12 – “The Perfect Arch” – Frank Sinkoe, DPM

1/26/12 – Blisters And Corns Between The Toes (Interdigital Lesions) – Frank Sinkoe, DPM

2/1/12 – Dance Wellness: Causes of Injuries (Risk Factors) – Part 1 – Jan Dunn, MS

2/9/12 – Treatment Of Warts In The Dancer – Frank Sinkoe, DPM

2/12/12 – Dance Wellness: Causes of Injuries (Risk Factors)- Part II – Jan Dunn, MS

2/14/12 – Nutrition for the Dancer: Emily’s Apples and Pumpkin Oatcakes – Emily Harrison, MS

2/16/12 – Toenail Injuries in the Dancer: Bruised Nail – Frank Sinkoe, DPM

2/18/12 – Dancers and Hydration – Emily Harrison, MS

2/23/12 – Toenail Injuries of the Dancer: Ingrown Toenail / Infection – Frank Sinkoe, DPM

3/8/12 – Keeping Dancers Dancing: “Help! – I have an Injury- What Do I Do?” – Jan Dunn, MS

4/3/12 – Keeping Dancers Dancing: Conditioning – Jan Dunn, MS

5/4/12 – Keeping Dancers Dancing: Conditioning – Pilates – Jan Dunn, MS

5/13/12 – Keeping Dancers Dancing: Conditioning Gyrotonics and Gyrokinesis – Jan Dunn, MS

6/14/12 – Keeping Dancers Dancing: Conditioning – The Franklin Method, Part I – Jan Dunn, MS

6/15/12 – Keeping Dancers Dancing: Conditioning – The Franklin Method, Part II – Jan Dunn, MS

7/12/12 – Staying on Your Toes with a Physical Therapist – Sarah Graham, PT

8/9/12 – Competition Dance: Maximizing Peak Performance, Part I – Robin Kish, MA

8/21/12 – Competition Dance: Maximizing Peak Performance, Part II – Robin Kish, MS

9/6/12 – Dance Wellness Update – Jan Dunn, MS

10/25/12 – Nutrition for Your Dancer Body: Understanding the Fundamentals of Making Good Food Choices – Diana Clanin, MS

11/29/12 – Dance Wellness: Phases of Healing – Marika Baxter, PT

 2013

1/10/13 – Motor Learning in Dance – Donna Krasnow, PhD

1/24/13 – Dance Wellness: Preparing for the Summer Intensive – Jan Dunn, MS

3/21/13 – Dancing Through the Adolescent Growth Spurt – Jan Dunn, MS

5/7/13 – Ballet: How Hard Should It Be? – Janet Karin, OAM

5/9/13 – “Older Dancers” – Gigi Berardi, PhD

8/23/13 – Dance: The Importance of a Good Warm-Up – Jan Dunn, MS

10/2/13 – Book Review: Dance Medicine Head To Toe: A Dancer’s Guide To Health – Emily Kate Long

11/10/13 – Healthy Dance Practice Certification Course – Jan Dunn, MS

12/2/13 – Supplemental Fitness Training Can Improve the Artistic Element of Dance Performance – Matthew Wyon, PhD

12/26/13 – Dancing in the Dark: Dancers Need Vitamin D – Matthew Wyon, PhD

2014

1/22/14 – The Healthy Dance Practice Certificate – Jan Dunn, MS

2/14/14 – Stretching Healthy: A Primer for Dancers – Jan Dunn, MS

2/27/14 – Mirror Use in the Classroom: How Much is Too Much? – Sally Radell, MFA

3/10/14 – Mirror Mirror on the Wall: A Dance Teacher’s Perspective – Sally Radel, MFA

5/27/14 – Thoughts on Starting a Dance Screening Program – Jan Dunn, MS

6/9/14 – Integrating Best Practices From Dance Medicine And Science To The Faculty Of A Professional Dance Conservatorie – Rachel Rist, MA

7/4/14 – The Hypermobile Dancer – Moira McCormack, MSc

8/7/14 – A Somatic Update for Dancers – Nancy Wozny

11/19/14 – Turn-out and the Dancer: A Closer Look – Jan Dunn, MS

2015

1/2/15 – Dancers and Stretching: How Hard Should You Push? – Matthew Wyon, PhD

1/22/15 – Are You Ready For Pointe? – Selina Shah, MD

3/11/15 – A Franklin Method Foot Warm-Up for Dancers – Jan Dunn, MS

5/13/15 – Introducing Our Dance Wellness Panel – Catherine L. Tully

5/20/15 – Franklin Method Foot Warm-Up: Part II – Jan Dunn, MS

6/25/15 – An Easy Guide to Portion Sizes – Catherine L. Tully

8/5/15 – Let’s Talk “Core Control” – Jan Dunn, MS

8/31/15 – Let’s Talk “Core Control” II – Jan Dunn, MS

9/1/15 – Let’s Talk “Core Control” III – Jan Dunn, MS

10/1/15 – On the Marley Floor – Jessica Anspach McEliece

10/24/15 – IADMS 25th Annual Meeting – Catherine Tully

10/29/15 – Flash Feldenkrais for the Busy Dancer: Part I – Nancy Wozny

11/10/15 – Book: Anatomy, Movement Analysis, Conditioning – Gayanne Grossman, PT

12/6/15 – About That Ice Pack…… – Jan Dunn, MS

Dancers: Let’s Talk “Core Control” – Part III

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by Jan Dunn, MS

Welcome to part three of our “core control series”! If you’ve missed the others, you’ll find part one here, and part two here. Enjoy!

Core Exercises

Now we are ready to actually do some “core” exercises! This one actively involves the TA (transverse abdominal) that we discussed in Part 1 – but remember that “core” really means back stabilization, and these kinds of exercises utilize all of the muscles we discussed in Part 1, even if we’re consciously focusing on only one of them, as in this next exercise.

Lying on your back, in NP, place your hands on your lower belly, as in the photo here:

Core NP

As you inhale (remembering all your cues above for a nice full breath), feel your belly rise slightly. Now, as you exhale, let your belly fall inwards, away from your hands. Don’t lose your NP as you do this–the whole point of the exercise is to use the TA in a NP position, where it is working to best help stabilize your back. Many dancers (and non-dancers) want to flatten their back / lose NP when they first try this – so watch out for that!

Core NP2

It’s also important not to “suck your belly to your spine”. The TA doesn’t need to work on 100% contraction (which that cue tends to do) to be effective (in a healthy back, it’s working at only about 30% of it’s full capacity).

This simple exercise is just initial awareness / training for how to activate the TA in a neutral position. If it’s easy for you, great. If not, and you find yourself wanting to “tuck” / flatten your back, then this would be a good one to practice daily, until that habit of “tucking” is no longer there.

Now we’re going to do some back stabilization exercises that may be more challenging (or maybe not!):

But before we do, a few words on the breathing pattern that will best help you with these:

Generally speaking, we stabilize our back best when we exhale with exertion –in other words, the hard part of the exercise. So for example, on the first exercise below, you exhale as you lift your leg.

Another thing to realize about breath use is that a forced exhale actually overuses the oblique abdominals, and does not allow the TA to fully engage. I’ve actually seen this on diagnostic ultrasound, and it was fascinating–when the dancer forcibly exhaled, you could actually see, on the screen, how the TA was not working, but the oblique abdominals were working way too hard (“hypertrophying” in scientific language). So just taking a normal inhale / exhale will serve you best.

Leg Lift Core Exercise

[Read more…]

Dancers: Let’s Talk “Core Control” – Part II

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by Jan Dunn, MS

Aloha everyone!

A couple weeks ago we posted Dancers: Let’s Talk “Core Control” – Part 1, and I promised you a second part with some specific suggestions on exercises, to help you work on this important aspect of your dancing and everyday lives. Most of what I want to share in this (and the next) segment are exercises you would do outside of class (although if you’re a teacher, you can work them into the class you teach, as I’ve always done), along with the alignment tips and cues I’ve already given you – plus a few more here!

FYI, much of what I’m sharing in this segment I learned over the years working in physical therapy clinics, as well as in the Pilates world – plus a few that I came up with myself!

Special thanks to my “two Sarahs” – Sarah Carrasco, my Pilates colleague and former Broadway gypsy, who did the modeling, and Sarah Graham, PT, from Denver Dance Medicine Associates, who provided input on the medical / research pieces.

Neutral pelvis (NP) / Neutral spine (NS) – Sitting / Standing

I gave you the image / cue of the pelvis / rib cage / head balanced one on top of another, and the “sternum (breastbone) to pubic bone” cue. An easy way to make sure these ideas make sense before you stand up is to sit on a firm seat (not a cushy couch), feet flat on the floor. Sit firmly on your two “sit-bones” (ischial tuberosities in anatomical language). If you are firmly grounded on those two bony points, you are in a neutral pelvis.

Sarah sitting

Another way to find sitting NP, is to sit tall and slowly rock in between arching your back (lumbar spine hyperextension) and slouching forward (flexion in the lumbar spine) — and stop somewhere in the middle, where there is a moderate natural curve in the low back.

Suggested images to think of here could be:

  • Your pelvis is a full bowl of water that doesn’t tilt / splash either forward (meaning you would be arching your back – “swayback”) or backward (meaning you would be slouching).
  • Put a finger on your two hip bones in front (your ASIS – anterior superior iliac spine) and your pubic bone. Those 3 bony points should form a triangle that is perpendicular to the floor, with the public bone pointing straight down.

Once you feel firmly anchored on those sit-bones, use some images that lengthen your spine upwards. Some of my favorites are:

A spiral of energy going upward

Spiral

A water fountain from the base of the pelvis, going up and out the top of the head.

Courtesy of Eric Franklin.
Courtesy of Eric Franklin.

The Eric Franklin drawing of the “bobble boy”, that I used in Part 1

Bobble body
Drawing courtesy of Eric Franklin

A magnet on the top of the head reaching up to a magnet on the ceiling (that particular one seems to appeal more to men – more mechanical, I guess!).

And last but not least, that image we used in Part 1, of the sternum directly vertical with the pubic bone. That applies to sitting as well as standing!

sternum to pubic boneOnce you have gone through those various cues sitting, you can apply the same images / thoughts to standing. All of those are going to help kick in the back stabilization muscles that we’ve been discussing

One last important thing to remember when sitting – most couches / chairs / car seats almost force you to “slouch”, to rock the pelvis under. Can you see where that compresses the discs and vertebrae in your lumbar spine (low back)? Always try to sit so that you can really be upright, in a NS.

Neutral pelvis (NP) / Neutral spine (NS) – Supine (on your back)

OK, so we’ve got NP / NS sitting and standing. Let’s now talk about lying down (supine – meaning on your back, in medical /anatomical terms)….because most of the exercises I’m discussing here are done in a lying down position. That’s because when you’re upright, gravity is pulling on you and you are more likely to go into your old / maybe-not-so-healthy-alignment patterns. When we lie down to do this kind of “neuromuscular repatterning” (because that’s what it is), to introduce new concepts into our body, it takes us out of our normal relationship with gravity and makes it easier for these new patterns to get started. Make sense?

Many times people say, when they are lying down, “how do I know for sure if I’m in NP or not?”. You would be surprised at how even dancers don’t quite get this when first lying down / trying to find a NP! They are almost always flattening their back unconsciously.

I use a physical therapy trick that I was taught long ago, working in Pilates rehab programs in PT environments. It’ called “the Plop”. Seriously! That’s what the PT’s I worked with called it, and I still use the term. It works like this:

Lying down, with your legs bent / feet on the floor, lift your hips just slightly off the floor – like this:

Plop 1

Drop your hips down. Don’t carefully place them down, literally let them “plop” (but never do that if it causes pain in the lumbar spine).

Plop 2

The plop gets you into your own neutral pelvis–it allows muscular holding patterns (like unconsciously wanting to flatten your back) to release for just a few seconds, before those patterns might want to take over again. Think of the plop as your “set point” or “home base” – i.e, “Am I in neutral? I’ll plop and see”.

Another way to get into NP lying down is to slowly rock your pelvis back and forth, from an arched back to a flat back, and then find the place in the middle where you have a natural lumbar curve.

As soon as you do find a neutral pelvis, whether you use the Plop or the rocking method–notice immediately how much pressure is on your sacrum (the broad flat part of your lower back). If you stay in NP, that pressure should stay the same – i.e., if you either arch or flatten your back, it will change.

Your “pelvic triangle” that we talked about earlier, in sitting / standing, is now parallel with the floor / ceiling, with the pubic bone neither pointed up or down.

You can use the water bowl image as well, only this time the water bowl is resting on your belly, and completely level / not spilling either way.

An image I learned recently that I had never heard, and I love, is to imagine a plate on your belly with a marble in the center–and the marble can’t move. That image really refines working in neutral, at least for me. That comes courtesy of my Pilates / dancer colleague here on Kauai, Sarah Carrasco, the model for our photos!

Breath

We haven’t really talked about breath, and as with many of these topics, it’s one that could have an article all to itself–but for now, let’s just go over a few important points:

When we take a breath, we want a full expansion of our rib cage, not only to the front, but also to the sides and back. Many of us are “frontal breathers”, not really expanding the rib cage in all directions. That’s not healthy, because:

  • Where each rib meets the spinal vertebrae, in back, is a joint, and joints are designed to move – to remain healthy and avoid arthritis as we get older. A breathing pattern that only expands to the front, not to the sides and back as well, does not involve much movement at that joint – so we want to fully expand our rib cage each time we take a breath.
  • In-between each rib are small muscles called the intercostals, and like all muscles, they are designed to move – but with a rib cage that is more “held”, not moving much except to the front, they don’t move a lot. Again, not a good thing.
  • And last but not least, if the rib cage is expanding in all directions, as it is designed to, we can more easily access that important abdominal muscle, the TA (transverse abdominus).

So for all those reasons, learning to fully expand the ribs is really good for you. I’ve met many dancers who do great with that, but others who don’t. Here are a couple imagery cues to think of:

imagine that your ribs on the sides and back are beautiful sails on a sailboat, and with each breath they are billowing outward.

  • Imagine that your lungs are balloons that are expanding in all directions with each breath. (Make the balloons colored or with beautiful patterns if that works better for you.)
  • Use a theraband to help get the idea of a full ribcage breath. Tie it around your chest, and with every breath, feel the ribs expanding side and back.

I often use a toy to demonstrate full use of the breath / rib cage – it starts out compact and small, and then it expands wide in all directions (just as your rib cage should).

ball

ball 2

OK! In the interest of keeping things to a reasonable length, we’re going to stop here for today and pick things up tomorrow with specific core exercises. Don’t miss our Part III then!

Jan Dunn
Jan Dunn

Editor Jan Dunn is a dance medicine specialist currently based on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, where she is owner of Pilates Plus Kauai Wellness Center and co-founder of Kauai Dance Medicine. She is also a Pilates rehabilitation specialist and Franklin Educator. A lifelong dancer / choreographer, she spent many years as university dance faculty, most recently as Adjunct Faculty, University of Colorado Dept. of Theatre and Dance.  Her 28 year background in dance medicine includes 23 years with the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science (IADMS) – as Board member / President / Executive Director – founding Denver Dance Medicine Associates, and establishing two university Dance Wellness Programs

Jan served as organizer and Co-Chair, International Dance Medicine Conference, Taiwan 2004, and was founding chair of the National Dance Association’s (USA) Committee on Dance Science and Medicine, 1989-1993. She originated The Dance Medicine/Science Resource Guide; and was co-founder of the Journal of Dance Medicine & Science.  She has taught dance medicine, Pilates, and Franklin workshops for medical / dance and academic institutions in the USA / Europe / Middle East / and Asia, authored numerous articles in the field, and presented at many national and international conferences.

Ms. Dunn writes about dance wellness for 4dancers and also brings in voices from the dance wellness/dance medicine field to share their expertise with readers.

Dancers: Let’s Talk “Core Control”

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Henry Vandyke Carter [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Henry Vandyke Carter [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
by Jan Dunn, MS

Aloha! — Happy August! The posting below is one I’ve wanted to bring you for a long time–discussing “core control” (alias “center” in dance).  It’s something that’s very important, yet not that many people – dancers included – really understand what it’s all about.  (And thanks to Denver Dance Medicine
Associate Sarah Graham, PT, provider for Colorado Ballet and many Broadway touring companies, for her help in clarifying the information from a medical perspective).

I hope that after reading it (along with Part Two, coming in a few weeks!), you’ll have a better idea of what all this “core” talk is, and how to best incorporate it into your dance life.  My best to all –
Jan

For some time I’ve been wanting to bring you an article on “core control”. I put it in quotation marks because it’s a term that conveys different things to different people, and not everyone really understands what it means. In the dance world, we often refer to “center”, as in “find your center”–but many dancers do not really understand what that means, either.

The term “core control” is everywhere in the media / fitness world, and many people think it means “abs”. And abdominal muscles (one in particular) are very much involved in “core”– but there’s much more to it than that. From reading this post, I hope you come away with a better understanding of exactly what it means, and hopefully get some hints and cues on how better to incorporate it into your life–both in dance and in everyday movement, because it is important in everything our body does!

So much has been written / so much could be said–it could be the topic of several different posts. But over the years, teaching dance / Pilates / Franklin, I’ve evolved a specific way of teaching it to people, using a fairly short version that makes sense to everyone.

In the medical field, it is the same as back stabilization–in other words, when your back and torso are strong and able to provide support for your entire spine and limbs—because your arms and legs are going to be more fully able to move and be supported by your torso, to do all of those gorgeous extensions and powerful movements we love to do and see in dance, when your “core” musculature is strong.

So with that said, from here on out, I’m going to use the term “back stabilization”, which you now know means “core”.

This post is going to be in two-parts: In this first segment, I’ll do a lot of explaining. For the second one, I want to show to you some specific exercises and things you can do at home or in the studio to help increase the strength of all the muscles we’re talking about here–i.e, ways to help improve your back stabilization / “Core Control” / “center”.

The Four-Legged Stool

There are a good number of muscles / muscle groups involved in back stabilization, but we’re going to simplify it and talk about the 4 primary ones. When teaching, I like to use the analogy of a 4-legged stool.

Think of it this way:

You have a 4-legged stool made up of 4 main parts, all of which are necessary to keep the stool (your torso) upright and strong, and in balance.

1–One leg of the stool is the Transverse Abdominal muscle, or TA for short.

This is the deepest of the 4 abdominal muscles–on top of it is the Rectus Abdominus (RA), or the “6-pack” muscle (whose main function is to flex – bend forward – the torso, not to provide back stabilization). Under the RA are the obliques, running in two different directions. They help stabilize the torso, but they are often over-used, and then the really important one, the TA, is not working in the most beneficial way.

By modified by Uwe Gille (Gray397.png) [Public domain, Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
By modified by Uwe Gille (Gray397.png) [Public domain, Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
The TA is right next to the abdominal cavity (and one of its jobs is to help keep the abdominal organs in place). Its fibers run horizontally, across the torso, all the way from the lower ribs down to the pubic area. It wraps around the body and integrates into a large fascia (connective tissue) in the back (see illustration above). So it’s literally almost like a corset around the torso. Researchers have identified the lower portions of the TA, the ones in the low belly / just above the pubic area, as the crucial ones active in back stabilization.

2 – the 2nd leg of the stool is the Pelvic Floor.

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