What Is My Core or Center?
Article by Nichelle (admin)
Filed under Blog, For Career Dancers, For Everyone Else, For Students, For Teachers/Studio Owners, Technique, Terminology, Toolbox
What is my centre?
An article called Dancing from the Centre, talks about this sometimes confusing term and offers several tips for “finding” your center. This bit that gives some insight about what a teacher usually means when he/she talks of the centre.
I have discovered there are several terms used to talk about this mysterious ‘centre’. Amongst them are: ‘the core’, ‘centre of gravity’ and ‘centre of weight’. When teachers talk about ‘the core’ or ‘the centre’ it has been my finding that they are after an engagement of the abdominal muscles in their students; a muscular engagement that is evidenced both visually and aesthetically in their students’ dancing.
So when your teacher wants you to use your core or center, he/she often means for you to engage your abdominal muscles.”
But what exactly does it mean to engage your abdominals? I’ve used the phrase many times with my own students only to receive blank stares, so let’s talk about it.
How the abdominals engage
Deborah Vogel from The Body Series explains that when you engage the core (or “pull up” another way you might be asked to engage your abdominals in class), your abdominals contract isometrically. This means that rather than a shortening or lengthening contraction of the muscles, the muscles contract but stay the same length.
Like Deb, I use the idea of “lacing up” the abdominals with my own students because it is an image that clicked for me the first time I heard it. Go ahead, try this image now… Really imagine it, use your minds eye to feel the laces crossed over your torso and slowly cinch them inward (not too tight, you should be able to breathe), bringing the abdomen and organs closer to your spine which runs down the center of your body. It may take some practice but eventually this activation of the muscles can become second nature.
By the way, Deborah has some other great resources at her site – check out the Core Stability DVD, and Deborah’s Dancing Smart ebook for more exercises, technique and tips.
How to strengthen the core
The abdominal muscles are very important in dance. More than just the abdominal muscles is involved in truly strengthening “the core” for dance though.
A brief description of the muscle groups (left) that, from an anatomical perspective, form the core can be found here. All of these muscles must be strengthened to enhance your dance technique. Special equipment is not necessarily required, but an understanding of how the body works is key to working more intelligently while you’re in class. The regular use of these muscles during your dance practice should strengthen and train these muscles.
But it doesn’t hurt to work outside of class on this very important muscle group.
- Practice engaging your abdominals as you do daily activities to strengthen and form a habit of supporting movement using your core. Then you can focus on other things as you dance.
- Try these suggestions from Dianne at Ballet Shoes and Pointe Shoes for core exercise. Make sure your retiré position is properly turned-out and aligned as you do this work (have a teacher check it out if you’re not sure).
- Condition with Pilates. The focus of this method is very much on the core which is why you’ll find dancers of all levels in Pilates classes.
Why is engaging my center or core so important?
What’s the big deal about this magical part of the body? Why is it so important to my dancing? The answer is freedom. Freedom in the arms and legs, the spine, and torso is created when a dancer has control of the space where all of these extremities attach – the center of the body. Freedom comes from strengthening, engaging, and stabilizing the core.
Amber is a blogger and swing dance teacher that recently provided an image to explain the freedom that comes with a strong core, which you might want to think about. I encourage you to read her post for yourself (don’t miss the spaghetti and brick imagery), but she points out that a feather has a solid core which allows it’s feathery arms to move with ease as it glides through space. This isn’t a perfect image (a feather’s core can be a bit stiff), but it does reinforce the idea that your arms, legs, shoulders, hips, neck, and head all have the freedom to do what you will as long as your core is solid. Once you’ve discovered this freedom, your technique will soar.
What do you do to strengthen your core?
What are some other images that helped you find your centre?
Originally posted April 8, 2008
Nichelle Strzepek is the writer/editor of Dance Advantage. Equipped with little more than passion for movement education, she embraced her inner computer nerd and began this blog in 2008. She holds a BA in dance and is an instructor with over 16 years experience. Nichelle continues to perform as a contemporary dance artist, covers dance in the Houston area as a freelance writer and critic, and balances daily life as a full-time mom.
I’m glad you agree with my take on the feather imagery! Those that argue against it in my comments have good points too, though, so I would recommend readers not miss the comments either.
Being pregnant while dancing (my current situation) poses special challenges. “Finding your center” has a whole new meaning every time I enter the dance floor. Strengthening isn’t really on my agenda right now, and won’t be until after the baby is born, but that doesn’t mean I ignore it. If I find my center, I can still move as freely as if I weren’t pregnant.
Yes, pregnancy certainly changes things. My center of gravity was very different while I was pregnant and the already established strength in my core muscles definitely helped as my body changed throughout the pregnancy. I was able to do everything I would normally do in classes that I was teaching until swelling in my legs and ankles got really bad (fortunately classes took a break for summer during my last trimester).