4 Exercises All Dancers Should Be Doing By Andrew Cook DPT, OCS
As a former professional dancer, I know the stress we put on our bodies to meet the physical demands of modern dance, contemporary, ballet and tap. Now more than ever, expectations on the dancer are increasing. Young dancers are taking more classes and rehearsals, attempting more challenging movements and performing at a higher level. As a result, compensation, muscle fatigue, muscle imbalance, and ultimately injury are more prevalent.
While injury rates are increasing, injury does not have to be an inevitability. Yes, proper technique, alignment and posture are the most important components of injury prevention but I would argue that cross training and additional strength and stability training has equal merit for the developing artist.
More is required of the young dancers to keep them healthy, strong, and more resilient to injury. Here at my top four exercises you should be doing daily:
Foot Doming: A strong arch is paramount for reducing stress on the ankle, shins and knees. This one you can do all the time!
Setup: Begin sitting upright in a chair with your feet flat on the ground.
Movement: Gently push the forefoot and toes into the floor to lift up the arch of your foot. Keep your toes and heels in contact with the ground. Hold for 3-5 seconds; repeat twenty times. Do not curl the toes. Make sure to avoid gripping with your toes and do not press your ankles outward.
Squat: For all dancers (especially ballet dancers), performing exercises in parallel is important for muscle balance and symmetry. Squats strengthen the hips and leg. When performed correctly and slowly squats help reduce patellofemoral, or kneecap, tracking problems, one of the most common causes of adolescent knee pain.
Setup: Begin standing tall with your feet shoulder width apart.
Movement: Bend your knees, sitting your hips back with your chest upright. Return to standing and repeat. Perform twenty times.Do not let your knees come together during the exercise. Keep your knees in line with the middle of the foot. Focus on squeezing the glute muscles as you stand up.
Clam shells: One study found hip external rotator muscles (our turnout muscles) in novice dancers to be weaker than age-matched controls. A dancer’s hip MUST be strong to hold turnout, maintain alignment, jump high, land softly and make movement appear effortless. Clam shells have some of the highest muscle activation rating for hip external rotation strengthening.
Setup:Begin lying on your side with your knees bent and feet in line with your trunk.
Movement: Activate your stomach and hip muscles and lift your top knee upward, keeping your feet together. Return to the starting position and repeat. Perform three rounds of 10-15 repetitions. Make sure to keep your stomach muscles active and do not let your hips roll forward or backward during the exercise.
Standing single leg trunk/hip rotation: Just as a dancer’s hip must be strong, a dancer’s hip must show control. This is a great exercise for hip stability and controlling hip/knee/foot alignment.
Setup: Begin in a standing upright position.
Movement: Lift one foot off the floor and raise both arms clasped in front of your body. Rotate your arms and trunk to one side, then to the other. Continue this motion. Repeat ten times per side. You can also perform the exercise by rotating the hip instead of the torso as shown below. Remember the rotating hip is the same as the leg you’re standing on.
Try these four exercises to help reduce your risk for injury and improve your dance performance. For more tips as well as articles on other sports and health related topics be sure to visit our website CompleteGamePT.com. Also if you are having trouble with any particular body part check out our free reports or give us a call at 978-710-7204. If you are ready to start your PT at Complete Game Physical Therapy, click here to make an appointment.