One of the first clients of Pilates were dancers

Shows like “So you think you can dance?” demonstrate just how much physical work, strength, endurance, coordination, balance, power, flexibility and more is required to dance effortlessly. Dancing is a sport. Like with any sport training is required, not just in the sport itself but also outside the sport, cross training including strength, stability and flexibility training. Toned muscles are needed in any sport. Toned muscles are muscles at rest. Poorly toned muscles imply that they are “flabby” and have a higher percentage of fat content. Conditioned muscles or muscle Groups that are used often stay “in shape‟ or are “conditioned‟. This means that when the muscles are called upon to perform the muscles or muscle group responds better to the demand made upon them than muscles that are not toned. The more a muscle is atrophied, usually from lack of use, the less able it is at responding when called upon to be used. In dance there are many quick and sudden movements requiring muscles to react quickly. The more toned and conditioned your muscles are the more efficiently and effortlessly those movements can be made.  We’ll take a look at Pilates for dancers.

Possible injuries from dancing

• Muscle strains from sudden movement without properly warming up. 
• Ankle or knee sprains. 
• Complicated dance steps may aggravate chronic knee, lower back or ankle injuries. 
• Primary muscles used: 
• Lower body: quadriceps, calves, hip abductors (outer thighs), hip adductors (inner thighs), abdominals, 
• Upper body: shoulders, upper back, arms 
• Abdominals 

Areas of fitness developed when dancing

• Cardiovascular 
• Flexibility
• Muscular strength
• Muscular endurance 
• coordination 
• weight loss
• Balance 
• coordination 

How can Pilates help dacners?

Pilates is an overall body workout. While the goals for people who take Pilates are varied, through Pilates areas such as posture, breathing and overall ease and efficiency of movement will always be the ultimate goals in your Pilates training.

Pilates work on the reformer in particular is good for muscle toning the upper body, arms and legs. There is a lot of work that may be done to strengthen the muscles in the legs: quadriceps, hamstrings, adductors (inner thighs), abductors (outer thighs) and calves. While dancing you’re always on your feet so strengthening muscles and keeping them toned and in good condition in this area will help prevent injuries. There is a lot of „core‟ strengthening and stabilizing in Pilates. This means strengthening the abdominals, back muscles, as well as the muscles around the pelvis and pelvic floor muscles. Being able to keep this area stable while dancing and holding your posture, will help allow for more efficiency and freedom of movement in the legs.

Matwork is great for conditioning the core and adding some reformer work helps add a dynamic aspect to that core conditioning in that now you must use the core muscles to stabilize your body while performing other exercises and movements. Many of the other aspects of fitness are also addressed through Pilates, flexibility, coordination, power (jumpboard work is good for power and plyometric exercise), balance, muscular endurance and strength. Pilates is also a low impact form of exercise making it great for the joints, such as the knees.