Muscles 101: Comparing muscles to a rubber band might be stretching it….

Teachers often use the image of a rubber band to describe muscles.  When you stretch a rubber band, it usually returns to its normal size; if you continuously pull it beyond the maximum that it can be stretched, the rubber band stays stretched out.  Using this metaphor, if you continuously stretch your muscles beyond their maximum range of motion (ROM), eventually they will stay stretched out…..

Sort of.

Muscles have two main jobs: generating power and responding to “perturbations”.

The rubber band/muscle metaphor is great in describing the body’s response to perturbations (such as the bus moving forward when you’re not ready for it, someone handing you something that you think is heavy but is actually light, being bumped into, etc).  In these instances, a reaction called the stretch reflex recoils muscles that have been stretched as a result of a perturbation.  In the example of standing on a bus that moves when you’re not expecting it, you’ll notice that you lean forward and then right yourself.  If the muscle is stretched too far, the muscle can’t recoil and instead you are forced to take a step forward to prevent from falling.

Try this: Stand up with your feet under your hips and eyes closed.  You’ll notice that you sway forward and back slightly.  In order to help you maintain balance, your brain triggers muscle action in the calf and ankle when you start to pitch forward, righting your stance .  This is the stretch reflex in action (in combination with structures in the inner ear that control balance).

While the image of a rubber band is useful in demonstrating the elastic nature of muscles in the stretch reflex, it’s not always as simple as the stretch/recoil and stretch-farther/less-recoil that we gain from thinking of muscles simply as rubber bands.

I’ll explain, but first, a brief anatomy and physiology lesson:

How do muscles work?

A muscle is built of bundles of lots and lots and lots of muscle fibers bundled together by a sheath called the sarcolemma.  One muscle fiber contains lots and lots and lots of myofibrils, and one myofibril contains two types of myofilaments (thick and thin). This is where the magic happens.

The brain sends a signal (a neural impulse called an action potential) to the muscle that says “Hey muscle! Contract!”  Through a complex series of chemical reactions, proteins on the thick and thin filaments bond to one another and create energy in a chemical form.  The chemical energy is converted into a mechanical (tensile) force that generates power to move bone.   Every time you point, jump, bend, etc. your body goes through the same brain-muscle-bone loop called Excitation-Contraction Coupling (in case you want to look it up on Wikipedia) and it all happens faster than you can snap your fingers.

Wow. That’s amazing. And not at all like a rubber band.

Apart from this complex process, there are a number of variables that impact muscle behavior, such as temperature.  Warming-up increases the body’s core temperature and also helps breaks any leftover bonds (what I refer to as “crunchiness”) that might be hanging around.  As mentioned in my previous post, Is It Okay To Stretch Before Class?, stretching before activity has a short-lasting (acute) effect on range of motion, but the effect of stretching is maximized if you are warmed-up. Warming up also increases the amount of power a muscle can produce, making movements more efficient.

Think about this: What would it feel like to do grand allegro first in a ballet class? I don’t care to find out, but you can imagine that your ability to produce power, and therefore height, in your jumps is much better at the end of class when your muscles are warm.  Muscles also react differently when they are sore, strained or fatigued and all of these topics are complicated enough to deserve their own posts, so I won’t delve into them here…

More than anything else, I want to emphasize that rubber bands don’t have brains. The key point in all of this is that you have a brain, and that your brain drives everything that happens in your muscles.  It senses unexpected events and recoils muscles back into place.  It sends neurological impulses to muscles, causing a series of chemical reactions, producing energy that is converted into force that makes you move.  I said it once, and I’ll say it again:

That is amazing.

Reference: Enoka, R. M. Neuromechanics of Human Movement, 3rd. edition

Guest Post: Body Image — Are You Looking For Perfection In Your Reflection?

Today’s guest post is from Tiffany Braniff, who you’ve “met” before when I covered her blog Dancing Branflakes. Though we didn’t go into it much in our interview, Tiffany has spoken quite openly on her blog about body issues, her experiences growing up, the influence others had on her body image, and her continuing struggles. I asked Tiffany if she would be willing to provide an article for Dance Advantage that might encourage and support young dancers who are struggling. I know you’ll take away something from this article whether you are a student, a parent, or a teacher.

What will I look like if…?

There is a website that allows you to see what you will look like if you lose or gain weight.  It is quite simple: you upload your picture and move a knob on a  scale up and down depending on what you want to see.  What will you look like if you lose those last 5 pounds?  Voila!  And what about if that scale goes up after a few weeks without exercise?  Your new, heavier look is right in front of you. It is smart marketing for a diet and exercise website but bad for the self-esteem.

I am ashamed to say that not only did I try this tool but I also obsessed over it for a while.  When I moved the scale down 5 pounds I looked the same.  When I moved it down another five pounds I found the same body but with a slightly larger head.  Even at a 20 pound weight loss the only thing that seemed to change was my outrageously large head and randomly skinny elbows.  This was not exactly the beautiful, new image I was hoping for.

My next step was to see what every person fears.  I moved the scale higher so that I “gained” five pounds.  Bad idea.  I moved it again to ten pounds and I became physically ill at how heavy I looked.  I could not handle seeing myself that large and quickly moved the scale back to my real weight.  I fear few things in life but gaining weight is at the top of my list.

I began to wonder why I looked the same when I “lost” weight yet when I gained a mere 5 pounds I suddenly became overweight and a horrific sight to be seen.  Was this how I would really look or was the website defective?  After much consideration I realized that maybe it was neither.  Maybe my fear of gaining weight prevented me from seeing reality.

Objects in mirror may be….

Psychologists call my episode with this website many things, namely body dysmorphic disorder and according to the Mayo Clinic of Health [link] it is also referred to as “imagined ugliness.”  A person may not have a firm grasp of reality due to a false perception that is already established in the mind.  Basically, this disorder prevents people from seeing who they really are.

As dancers we face our reflection so much that you would think we know what we look like. We spend hours every day in front of a mirror in nothing more than skin tight clothing and a skirt if we are lucky. But I have found that the opposite is true. Most of us have a distorted idea of our image.

There are dancers striving to lose a “last 5 pounds,“  that does not exist.  There are perfectly healthy dancers obsessing over thighs that touch or a stomach that rolls when sitting. They do all they can to lose weight but, much like the scale, nothing happens.  Some dancers then label themselves as fat out of frustration and desperation.  The fact is that they do not need to lose weight and that is why nothing happens.  The body reaches a point where it fights to hang on to everything it needs to be healthy.  At this point the truly desperate turn to unhealthy measures that inevitably shorten their dancing careers and drastically reduce their quality and quantity of life.

How do we improve our body image and prevent or combat “imagined ugliness“?

Let us take a few steps back and deal with the real issue at hand.  There is a hesitancy among some dancers to accept and love their bodies because they are not perfect.  From an early age we are taught that perfection is the goal and anything short of perfection is unacceptable and needs to be worked on.  I want to tell dancers everywhere that although this might be true about technique it is certainly not true about our bodies.

The fact is that your body, your great and marvelous gift, is what got you to where you are today in your dancing career.  Give it a high five and a pat on its back.  It deserves to be praised.  And loved.  And accepted.  Celebrating your body will not hurt your career but it may in fact help it.

Say 5 Positive Things

A few months ago I began complimenting myself as a way to not dissolve into a puddle of tears as I lamented over my body during a particularly difficult rehearsal.  Any time I thought a negative thought about my body I forced myself to say five positive things.  I began this during tech week and it was much more difficult than I anticipated.  From costume fittings to criticisms from the directors I did my best to find five things I loved about my body any time I thought negatively about it.

This exercise was simultaneously humbling and helpful.  I began to appreciate things about my body that I never noticed before because I never took the time to look in the mirror in an honest way.  I realized that my attitude toward my body was already so negative that by the time I looked in a mirror I had prematurely made up my mind not to accept it.  I had essentially set myself up for failure.

Do I think my body is perfect because I have started to finally try to love it?  Absolutely not.  I clearly see my imperfections and everyday I work on my tight hips, not so hard belly, and slightly curved back.  But as I aim for perfection my body and I have an understanding that it will never be perfect and I have to accept that.  I also have to treat it well.  In return, my body has promised to take me to my fullest potential as a dancer and to help me reach my highest goals.

To those that care for dancers:

Not all dancers have negative body images but if you know any who do please help them.  Please show them that there is a difference between staying in shape and punishing themselves.  They need to know that there is a difference between being hard on themselves and beating themselves up. One is productive and shows dedication to the art form while the other is destructive and stems from self loathing.

To those who are struggling:

My plea to you is simple: love your body.  Do not let a negative body image take away from the joy that is dance.  You have gotten to where you are today not despite your body but because of it.  Treat it well and learn how to compliment it without hesitation.  I promise you that you will have a happier, better, and more fulfilling dancing career.

Tiffany Braniff is a dancer, teacher, and choreographer based in Sacramento, California.  She began her dance training at Pamela Hayes Classical Ballet Training in Sacramento.  She has also studied with Ruth Rosenberg, Loretta Livingstone, Tanya Lockyer, and Nolan T’Sani.  She received her B.A. in Dance with a composite emphasis in ballet and modern dance from Brigham Young University in 2007.  At BYU she studied under certified movement analysts the Laban and Bartenieff techniques.  She performed with both the ballet and modern dance companies at BYU and presented three of her choreographic works in concert.

Some highlights of her career have been working with the incredible Dr. Linda Goodrich, Nzinga Camera, and Tanya Lockyer.  This past summer she also had the wonderful opportunity to learn works by Anna Sokolov and Zvi Gotheiner under the direction of Repertory Dance Theater and Linda C. Smith.

She is currently in her fourth season as a company member of Dangerous Lorraines Dance Theater.  She is excited to perform at the San Francisco Fringe Festival with DLDT this coming Fall.  Tiffany is also on faculty at Northern California Dance Conservatory where she teaches ballet and contemporary dance.

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I (Nichelle) feel it is important to see that you are not alone in the fight to see yourself as you are and see yourself in a positive light. I want to thank Tiffany for sharing her own fears and frustrations and for encouraging dancers to love their bodies. We could all stand to do much more of this. I touched on my own struggle in a recent interview at the Nutrabeautiful blog.

I would love to hear your thoughts on body image and the quest for “perfection.”

What do you have to say about the line between pushing and punishing yourself or your body?

I challenge you to say 5 positive things about your body or yourself on a daily basis!

Dr Katharine Phillips, a psychiatrist based at Butler Hospital in Rhode Island, USA, estimates that as many as one in 50 people may have the disorder, most of them men and women in their 30s (from a BBC report in 2000).

Eating disorders affect up to 24 million people in America, anorexia is the 3rd most common chronic illness among adolescents, and many more individuals display disordered attitudes and behaviors toward eating. (Eating Disorders 101 Guide: A Summary of Issues, Statistics and Resources (doc), published September 2002, revised October 2003, www.renfrew.org).

Why And How To Teach Anatomy Concepts To Children

Have you ever taught anatomy to young dance students?

You might be thinking, “Why teach anatomy?”  “What will they learn and how will I teach it?”

Let’s answer these questions one at a time.

Why Teach Anatomy?

Since dance is the art of motion, in order to become a proficient dancer one must understand how the body moves from the inside; how the muscles and bones work to leap, turn, kick, stretch and fold. A pretty sophisticated idea for a young dancer. Since learning is a layered experience, introducing  the concepts of anatomy now will allow them to build upon this foundation in the future. As a dancer learns how to plié before he can jump, so to must he understand that the knee and ankle joints allow him to bend his legs.

The more a child understands how her body functions, the more she can develop a sense of her whole body. This ties directly to performance. We have all seen dancers who perform steps but have no connection to what they are doing. Sometimes people say these  performers have no stage presence.  I say they have no body presence. They have no connection to their bodies.

How To Teach Anatomy

This is the fun part. Taking basic facts about bones and muscles, you can turn your dance studio/space into a dance exploratorium!

Simple Facts:

• There are 206 bones in the human body
• Muscles, by contracting and relaxing, are what allows bones to move
• The lungs supply the body with oxygen, and gets rid of carbon dioxide

Activity 1 – 206 Bones

What does 206 look like? A lot of public schools celebrate the 100th day of school. Sometimes kids are asked to bring in 100 paperclips, rubber bands, popsicle sticks, etc. so they can see what 100 looks like. Well, what does 206 look like? Have your students bring in 206 of something or have each child bring in a certain amount of cotton balls so the total will equal 206. The point is for the children to visualize how many bones they have in their body.

See if you can have the students do 206 of a certain movement, like a skip. Have the first student skip 20 times and tag the next student and so on until the class has skipped 206 times. Having them do 206 skips helps them connect to what 206 feels like.

Activity 2- Make a Muscle

Sitting on the floor in a circle, ask your students to show you their strong arm muscles. (They should all look like Popeye flexing their arms and squeezing their fists.) Have them tap their bicep muscles. Let them know the job of the bicep muscle is to move their arm bones. Have them shake out their arms and flex them again.

Now have them flex and extend their knees. Ask them to tap their quadriceps muscles. This is the muscle moving their leg bones. Repeat this several times. Now see if they can flex both their biceps and quadriceps muscles together.

Muscles move bones. Ask the students if they can move other bones with their muscles.

Lastly, have them squeeze every muscle in their bodies! l Let them know the more they use their muscles the stronger their muscles will  get and the faster and longer they will be able to move their bones!

Activity 3- I’ll Huff and I’ll Puff and I’ll Blow Your House Down

Sometimes it is hard to feel what your body is doing but you can see it. Hand out tissues or scarves to your students. Have them hold the tissue/scarf a few inches from their mouths and breathe in and then blow out. Notice what happens to the tissue. Why? You are taking in wonderful oxygen that enables you to breathe and you are sending out carbon dioxide that your body doesn’t need (but plants do!) Do it gently. Now blow hard.

Now dance the story of the 3 little pigs.  The three pigs dance together and build 3 houses. The first one is made of hay, very light and quick to build. They scoop the hay, toss, spin and skip, it is so easy to build.

The second one is made of sticks, its a little heavier and takes a little longer to build. They pass the sticks to each other, climb, connect, reach and fall and reach again.

The third house is made of bricks.  It takes lots of strength to build.  They take lots of deep breathes as they lift, push, pull, twist, reach, balance and climb.

Now the wolf comes. He takes one big breath inhaling in the oxygen and breathing out all the carbon dioxide and the house tumbles down. He goes to the next house and has to take two deep breathes and then the house falls down one stick at a time. Finally, he comes to the house of bricks. He takes a big breath and blows on the house. Again, and again he tries but nothing happens. His lungs are working really hard but the brick house is too strong.

He stomps away and the pigs celebrate with a dance!

What Do Students Take Away?

This is a great question to ask them.

I love to ask my students questions because this is how I learn about them, about myself and how to tailor my classes to reach them as effectively as possible. My guess, however, is that they will learn that there is more to their bodies then what they see in the mirror.  And that is an awesome thing!

Can you think of more ways to explore anatomy concepts with children?

Is It Okay To Stretch Before Class?

Is stretching part of your ritual?

While I was a dance major, I had a very strict routine that consisted of getting up at 6:00am, making coffee in my leotard, driving to school by 7:30am (to grab my super secret parking space in downtown Chicago), and entering the studio for morning ballet class before anyone else had arrived. The sun would peak through the windows creating a beautiful, peaceful place for me to be alone without the distraction of other dancers, teachers or fluorescent lights. Five days out the week I followed this routine, and without fail the first thing I would do is lay down on the ground, stick my feet over my head and stretch.

I never gave much thought at that time as to whether or not stretching before class was beneficial. It is just something we dancers do. We arrive early (never on time) and stretch.  Many ballet teachers give a warm-up or stretching exercises to the class before even beginning the barre. I remember being told as a young dancer “you must be fully warm before you ever do your first plie.” You feel that morning crunchiness in your joints, the little tug in your hamstrings, and just “stretch it out.”

To stretch or not to stretch?

The idea of stretching before physical activity is not unique to dance.  I recall those days of P.E. where we would all stand and stretch together before going to play whatever sport was featured that day. In fact, studies performed as recently as 1989 have declared stretching to be “essential” in preventing injury and enhancing performance by increasing the elasticity and range of motion (ROM) of the muscle (1). It is by this presumption that we came to believe that you must stretch before completing any sort of vigorous physical activity, and this opinion is still held by a great many P.E. and dance teachers, not to mention personal trainers, physical therapists, sports physicians and athletic coaches (2).

More recent research has questioned the commonly held belief that stretching before activity is beneficial to performance and prevents injury. In fact, there is some evidence to suggest that stretching can have detrimental effects on performance, and may even INCREASE the risk of injury…

But aren’t there different ways to stretch?

There are five major types of stretching: static, dynamic, proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation, ballistic stretching, and eccentric lengthening.  For the purpose of this article, we can work with the two most common forms of stretching (static and dynamic). You may see both types in your dance classes or do them on your own. The other types of stretching are usually employed in a therapeutic setting with the help of a clinician. Here’s a summary of the difference between the two types:

STATIC STRETCHING

Now, let’s assume that you aren’t lucky enough to be one of those hyper-flexible Gumbi-type dancers that can walk into a studio cold and plop down into the splits. That is a whole other issue that carries its own set of benefits and challenges. Instead, you are a dancer of average flexibility. You have no problem extending to 90-degrees, and once you are warm you can easily accomplish the splits and higher extensions. However, when you first enter the studio, you feel that pinch and that crunch. In the traditional thinking, you are like me: the dancer who comes in early to sit on the floor in a straddle, or plow, or forward bend until the pinch slowly begins to ease and feel less pinch-y. This type of stretch is called static—where you choose a position at the end of your ROM (range of motion) that targets a particular muscle, and hold it.

DYNAMIC STRETCHING

Dynamic stretching is a series of or active motions that increase joint ROM and stretch the muscles more passively than static stretches. Examples include leg swings (or balancoire), grand battement, and arm swings.  Some people believe that this is a more natural way to stretch and increase your range of motion, and it simultaneously warms the body. Dynamic stretching is rather trendy right now because it somehow fulfills our moral obligation to stretch and isn’t uncomfortable like static stretching.

So, can I stretch before class, or can’t I?

That depends on the goal…

If you are stretching with the goal of long-term changes in your flexibility (for example, you can’t do the splits and would like to), save your stretching routine for after class or between barre and center when your muscles are “warm.” See more about this in Nichelle’s post about Stretching Safely For Splits.

Generally speaking, both of the stretching techniques above have acute (short-lasting) effects on your range of motion before activity, but don’t really increase your overall flexibility.

If you are stretching to chase away the “crunchiness,” there isn’t really any reason to believe that stretching before class can hurt you, but then again, it doesn’t necessarily help you either. Stretching doesn’t inevitably mean that you will not be sore or will be less sore (3).  Some researches have found that pre-stretching might result in a small decrease in muscular strength and power, and this may be of importance to elite dancers requiring exceptional strength and endurance, but there is no current evidence suggesting that stretching while cold leads to injury (3,4).

Image by stevendepolo via Flickr

Bottom line:

Ultimately, if stretching feels good, then stretch. If it’s part of your morning routine or class-time ritual, then do it. Just take care…

• Stretching should never hurt.
• Don’t reach past your natural range of motion unless your body is completely warm.
• If you find that static stretching is very uncomfortable for you, try some dynamic stretches.

Your body is a complex series of chemical and mechanical processes, and while we imagine that muscles are as simple as stretching a rubber band, there is a lot going on in there that is still not fully understood by scientists. But for more on muscles, you’ll have to wait!

Next month: How do muscles work?

References:

1. Safran, M.R., A.V. Seaber, and W.E. Garrett, Jr., Warm-up and muscular injury prevention. An update. Sports Med, 1989. 8(4): p. 239-49.
2. 

   More Art Intercepts...

   Shehab, R., et al., Pre-exercise stretching and sports related injuries: knowledge, attitudes and practices. Clin J Sport Med, 2006. 16(3): p. 228-31.

3. Herbert, R.D. and M. Gabriel, Effects of stretching before and after exercising on muscle soreness and risk of injury: systematic review. Bmj, 2002. 325(7362): p. 468.
4. Thacker, S.B., et al., The impact of stretching on sports injury risk: a systematic review of the literature. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 2004. 36(3): p. 371-8.

What You Mean, What You Say: Get Up On Your Leg

Correcting Teacher Corrections

As teachers, we have the challenge of framing our corrections in a way that is concise, accurate, and effective. Certain catch phrases, quibbles and mantras have been told to us by our teachers, and, as we became teachers we use them in our turn.  I’ve been thinking a lot about correcting students and how effective some of the standard dance teacher vernacular really is.  One such correction is “Get up on your leg”

“Get up on your leg”…

Teachers have a habit of saying this when students are “sinking” into their supporting leg while balanced on one leg. A lot of dancers do, in fact, demonstrate this, but is “get up on your leg” the best way to correct it?

When a dancer is supporting the body weight on one leg, either standing or en relevé, there is a tendency to release the gluteal muscles (maximus, medius and minimus) and abductors (tensor fasciae latae, piriformis, obturators, gemelli and sartorius). Whether this is due to laziness or lack of strength isn’t quite the point, but ultimately lax muscles that are meant to support the hip allow it to fall away from the midline and sink.

The big problem I have with saying “get up on your leg” is that students often overcompensate by raising their working hip.  Then you tell them to drop their hip, and they overcompensate by sinking into their supporting hip again.  Then you tell them to get up on their leg…. it’s a vicious cycle.

What To Do

Sinking in the hip is an error many student dancers (and, let’s face it, some professionals) experience that takes a while to correct, as it is likely the result of weak muscles in the ankle and hip (3) (specifically gluteus medius and minimus; tensor fascilae latae; and posterior tibialis, flexor digitorum longus, and flexor hallucis longus).

While some corrections are given due to negligence or laziness on the part of the dancer, if a student is continually being asked to get on their leg and simply can’t seem to maintain the proper alignment, try encouraging them to strengthen their abductors.  Though other muscle groups are implicated in a sinking hip, the abductors are not especially targeted by ballet technique, which makes them a likely culprit.  Working with the feet in a parallel position (by taking a jazz or modern class) can strengthen these muscles-especially exercises that extend the leg to the side in parallel.

Use a theraband wrapped around the legs, for dancers who can’t “get up on their leg”.  Although it is a trademark of dancers to walk through their daily lives in turnout, simply making it a point to walk in parallel can help keep these muscles active.  For dancers interested in Pilates, the hip abductor series is a great tool for this problem.

Related Injury

Weak hip abductors can also be implicated in a couple of common dance injuries. Runners with weak abductors experience increased knee abduction during the stance phase (which is essentially equivalent to dance positions placing the body weight on the supporting leg) (4).  In this case the femur is not stabilizing the hip and is not fully supported at the knee joint, causing abduction of the knee and the potential for the femur to rub against the patella (5). Patellofemoral stress syndrome has been also correlated with weak hip abductors as a result of this movement within the knee joint (2).

What To Say

So if “get on your leg” doesn’t work, what do you say to a dancer who sinks in her supporting hip?

As I’m sure you already know, it depends on the student.

Some students respond better to metaphors that will encourage them to activate the muscles of the hip and ankle:

“Drive your leg into the ground like you are mounted in cement…”

or to engage the gluts and lower abdominals:

“Lift the upper body and perch it on to of the legs like a bird resting on a thin branch…”

Some students might respond better to physical manipulation. Back up your adjustments with verbal cues:

“Lift the lower tummy; feel a pinch under your bottom; engage your hip and feel it wrap around to your back…”

What do YOU say to a student who sinks in her hip?

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References:

1. Calais-Gemain, B. (1993). Anatomy of Movement. Seattle: Eastland Press.
2. Dierks, T. A., Manal, K. T., Hamill, I. S. (2008). Proximal and distal influences on hip and knee kinematics in runners with patellofemoral pain during a prolonged run. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 38, 448-456.
3. Grieg, V. (1994). Inside Ballet Technique: Separating Anatomical Fact from Fiction in the Ballet Class. Hightstown, NJ: Princeton Book Company.
4. Heinert, B. L., Kernozek, T. W., Greany, J. F. & Fater, D. C. (2008). Hip abductor weakness and lower extremity kinematics during running. J Sports Rehabil 17, 243-256.
5. Schamberger, W. (2002). The malalignment syndrome. Oxford: Churchill Livingstone, 344-346.

Developpé Dilemma: Deb Vogel Addresses a Reader Question

I often get emails from dancers, students, and others asking for advice or help with a particular problem. I do try to answer inquiries from readers or do my best to point them in a direction where they may find answers. When I received Amy’s question about pain in developpé below, my instinct was to help yet, I was not confident that I was fully equipped to assess what might be happening with Amy. So, I did what I would have for any student who had a problem I could not work out – I took her question to someone more knowledgeable than I – Deb Vogel, a neuromuscular educator and movement analyst who has been working with dancers for years. She has an awesome blog within which she answers questions very much like Amy’s. I reference her work often in my articles about the body and while I have a teacher’s knowledge of anatomy and kinesiology (enough to write and research for my articles and work with students in person), I felt sure that Deb would provide a more educated response.

Deb has been kind enough to do just that right here on Dance Advantage.

Amy’s Question

Hello, my name is Amy. I recently stumbled upon your article regarding the psoas and it immediately sparked something inside. I am twenty years old and danced for majority of my life. I started ballet a little later than most around ten. I have been dancing with different ballet companies, but find myself still crying myself to sleep at night because I cannot get through a center exercise/adage with my terrible extension. I have had training growing up where there was no discussion or thorough understanding of HOW to lift one’s leg or what those muscles really do. I have turnout and can kick quite high, but ask me to develop my leg past my knee and I cringe and tear up. (Sounds so dramatic, but hurts so badly). As I begin to lift I immediately feel the top part of my leg tense and it feels like someone is pushing down upon my leg as I go higher. I know that is not how the leg should be lifted. I cannot find any teachers to help me fix this issue, I have asked around and perhaps their discussions or explanations make no sense. I feel like no matter how much I try, I cannot fix this issue. I am desperate to at least be able to hold my leg a little above 90 degrees with ease. I figured perhaps, you might have a little insight that could point me in the right direction. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, and I hope you can help!
Sincerely,
Amy

Amy, you are on the right track with thinking that it might be a strength issue with the iliopsoas muscle. As Nichelle pointed out in her article on the iliopsoas – when the leg gets above 90 degrees the quadriceps lose their leverage and the iliopsoas becomes the prime mover of an extension. You would think that doing multiple grand battements and kicks in class would strengthen the iliopsoas – but they don’t.

Here’s a simple and easy way to start strengthening your iliopsoas. Sit on the front part of a chair with your back long and tall, both feet on the ground. You are going to monitor staying on top of your pelvis – don’t let yourself roll to the back side of the pelvis during this exercise. Start by lifting one knee up towards the ceiling, and then lower it just so your toe touches, and lift it again. Can you do 20 repetitions without fatiguing? That would be your first goal, and you’ll be delighted  at how quickly you gain strength.

Do the same movement on the other leg. If you want to make this more challenging you can tie a theraband around both thighs to provide resistance to the leg that’s lifting.

Once that becomes easier to do you can lean back in your chair so your back is against the back of the chair (your lower back and pelvis may be slightly tucked under, that’s okay for this exercise – even though it isn’t for your standing alignment). Now have one knee bent with your foot on the floor and the other leg straight. Turn the straight leg out slightly before lifting it up as high as is comfortable to the front before lowering to the level of the other knee. Continue lifting and lowering the straight leg up to 20 times before doing the other leg.

Another variation is to lift the leg up as high as you can, bend it into a passé like position and then straighten it forward (parallel to the ground). Then reverse, bending the knee and lifting the thigh like a developpe to the front and then lower the leg to parallel to the floor. You can again use the theraband wrapped around the thighs to make it more challenging.

In the beginning your iliopsoas may tire very quickly…. but in a relatively short time you will see improvement. It goes without saying that after you have spent some time strengthening the iliopsoas you would then want to stretch it out with doing one of the many variations of lunge stretching. I’ve put a short video up on YouTube on iliopsoas stretching.

Hope that helps!
Deborah

Author, academic, and co-founder of The Center for Dance Medicine in NYC, Deborah Vogel has been involved in the medical field since 1978, helping hundreds of people – from dancers to athletes to office workers – get the most out of their bodies while minimizing injury risks. Her articles can frequently be found in Dance Teacher, Dance Spirit, and Pointe Magazines Deborah wrote Tune Up Your Turnout: A Dancer’s Guide, and has co-authored a 3-level guide for teaching functional anatomy in bite-size pieces within a class format. She offers a free newsletter for dancers on injury prevention and technique tips as well as running The Body Series, an online source of educational products for dancers and dance teachers. Currently, she is on faculty at Oberlin College and the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.

Stretching Safely for Splits

Can you do “the splits?”

Splits are a topic on most young dancers’ minds. I know when I was a student the ability to sit in a split seemed pretty important. Of course, flexibility and range of motion are certainly fundamental elements in dance. However, when it comes to stretching and splits some dancers place intense emphasis on achieving the ideal static position, forgetting that this type of flexibility is only part of the picture. They compromise the health of their instrument – the body – as they push to extremes to get results, and get results fast.

How fast is fast?

When it comes to stretching, “fast” is a very relative term. Online I’ve seen students inquiring how they might achieve a split over one weekend. Those offering branded stretching regimens that promise or imply fast results are usually talking weeks or months, but most correctly point out that results will vary depending on a number of factors. What are these variables?

Image via Wikipedia

• Joint anatomy and physiology
• Elasticity of ligaments and tendons
• Gender – While a male has the same potential for flexibility as any female, differences in bone structure, muscle mass, and chemical make-up, often mean that women generally encounter fewer obstacles in achieving a certain level of flexibility or range of motion.
• Age – As with gender, the potential to perform a split is there no matter your age but flexibility declines in adulthood, meaning that maintaining or increasing the degree of pliancy requires more effort for an adult than a child.
• State of mind – Don’t write off the degree to which your mindset plays a part – science doesn’t. Discoveries and investigation continues to determine the brain’s role in stretching, and several flexibility programs directly address the issue.

As enticing as improving your flexibility over a period of a few days or weeks sounds, research tells us extreme stretching methods and overstretching can be counterproductive to gaining flexibility.

How?

A mechanism called the stretch reflex sends signals to a stretched muscle, causing it to contract in order to limit lengthening and protect the muscle from tears. Entering a split too swiftly or aggressively strengthens the contraction, working against gains in flexibility (this is one reason ballistic stretching or bouncing is discouraged). Instead, easing into and holding a stretch is recommended. This maintains the length in the muscle to a point that it “gets used to” the increased length and respond by reducing the level of the reflexive contraction.

So the longer, I hold it the better, right? Actually, holding a stretch for very long periods of time (several minutes or longer) can cause damage to connective tissues, as does stretching without warming up the body. This damage requires time to repair and will actually slow progress in improving flexibility.

Are oversplits safe? Nothing is inherently wrong with working toward oversplits… gradually, progressively, just as you would work at achieving other splits. However, I would suggest proceeding with even more awareness and care. See more on this in Oversplits… Overdoing It?

When Is the Right Time to Stretch?

I think it is pretty common knowledge among dancers these days that one should not stretch “cold.” However that habit of walking into a studio or green room and settling into our favorite stretch or straddle is a hard one to break. I’m guilty myself.

What you may not know is that there are different kinds or ways of stretching. A split is considered a static passive stretch, meaning you are holding a stretch using your body weight or some other external force (as opposed to a static active stretch, like lifting your leg in arabesque, during which the stretch is held using the agonist muscles). Rather than warming up with static passive stretching, I would recommended that you begin with dynamic stretching, performing movements that address a joint’s full range of motion. Some basic examples of dynamic stretching can be found here. These are a good starting point for a warmup but as dancer, your dynamic stretches may look more like leg swings or even variations of Bartenieff’s “X” series.

The best time for splits or other static passive stretches are after the body has been completely warmed up. After a class, for example.

What are some signals that I’m overstretching?

1. If you’ve warmed up thoroughly and there is still pain, or
2. If you experience muscle cramps or spasms, you may be stretching too aggressively.
3. If you have pain during or immediately after the stretch, you may have a serious tear (you will usually feel some soreness from a minor tear the next day – if this occurs try to improve your warmup method). Tears usually result in some loss of flexibility. Light stretching can counteract this following a minor tear but be very careful not to overdo it.
4. It may go without saying that if you hear a sound, like a pop, while stretching this is not a good sign. Stop immediately, follow the RICE method, and see a medical professional.

How Can I Get My Splits?

The answer isn’t exactly cut and dry. Everyone seems to have their own method and below I’ll point you to just some of the freely available and anatomically aware advice online. There are paid programs too but I can’t vouch for any of these because I’ve not tried them. Plus there are plenty of books on the subject. I welcome your thoughts on any programs or resources you’ve tried!

Splits and Flexibility Resources

• How to Improve Your Flexibility Safely Into the Splits – Lisa Howell (Lisa also has a Front Splits Fast program)
• Stretching and Flexibility – Brad Appleton
• Working Toward The Splits – Atlanta Martial Arts
• The Beginner’s Guide to Flexibility – Martial Arts Planet forum

Safe stretching is a huge topic with sometimes conflicting research. I couldn’t possibly cover it all in one or even two posts. The advice above, I hope, will help you determine if your current method or one you are exploring is a reasonably safe and healthy way to increase flexibility. Be wary of “too good to be true” claims and YouTube demonstrations from fellow students, please!

Introducing the Iliopsoas

Ladies and Gentlemen, children of all ages!

It is my particular pleasure to introduce to you, the iliopsoas, a thrilling group of three muscles which are exquisitely fundamental to the function of the hip joint. As an indispensable stabilizer of the lumbar spine and pelvis, and the one and only muscle group that has within it a sufficient power to flex the hip joint and lift the leg above, with appropriate amazement, 90 degrees, it seems a gloriously gigantic understatement to call this muscle merely important. It is clear this wondrously complex muscle group not only deserves but demands your supremely scrupulous attention. I am outstandingly overjoyed to dazzle your eminently esteemed self with the following…

Okay, sorry to get all Barnum & Bailey on you. I promise the rest of this article won’t be nearly as dramatic.

Some of you, I would bet, have never even heard the term iliopsoas (ill-ee-oh-so-az) before. Meanwhile others of you have teachers who are devoted advocates for these miracle muscles but perhaps you still have questions. I’m going to try to answer some of the basic ones.

Why is the iliopsoas important?

1. The iliopsoas has a profound influence on alignment of the pelvis. Because of this it has a great affect on posture and coordination in dance. A dancer that moves smoothly and efficiently is utilizing the strength  and stability of their center or core, of which the iliopsoas is an essential component.
2. The iliopsoas is the primary hip flexor for the leg when it is above 90 degrees. The coveted “extension” of professional dancers is powered (in part) by these mighty muscles.
3. The iliopsoas can be a source of injury in dancers who repeatedly perform movements which flex (crease) the hip joint. Strains in the lower back, snapping hips, and leg pain are known outcomes to an imbalance of movement patterns which can be caused when a dancer compensates for a tight or weak iliopsoas.

Let’s get something straight, through. The muscles which make up the iliopsoas play an important role in a few crucial components of dance. While increasing your awareness, understanding, and proper use of these muscles can have enormous benefits, please note that the muscles of the hip, pelvis, spine and upper leg are complex. No single muscle group could possibly be the root of or solution to all of the issues that arise in these areas. With guidance from a teacher who has a firm grasp on the power and function of this muscle group, however, your increased awareness has the potential to lead to those wonderful “ah-ha” moments which can change your dancing.

What and Where is the Iliopsoas?

The iliopsoas is the only muscle (well, technically group of muscles) that attaches to the spine, pelvis, and femur (or, thigh). There are three muscles which make up the iliopsoas. The iliacus, the psoas major, and the psoas minor.

Though it has some involvement in the “lifting” of the pubic bone to correct alignment, the psoas minor has been found to be absent in a large percentage of people (a bi-product it seems of our more sedentary lifestyles). The major players are the psoas major and iliacus. Psoas major is attached to multiple points along the lower spine. It then meets up with the iliacus, which is attached to the illiac fossa (For reference, when you put your hands on your

“hips” you are placing them on the crest or upper rim of the ilium. The iliacus attaches to the inner, concave surface of this large, bony structure). The muscles then cross the front rim of the pelvis and the hip joint to attach to the lesser trochanter of the femur (thigh bone).

Lengthening and Strengtening

When standing, a person with a chronically short, tight iliopsoas will stand with hollowed or swayed arch to the back (which in turn limits turnout and causes other inbalances). Therefore a lenthened iliopsoas in important to alignment of the pelvis and health of the lower back.

Sometimes dancers are trained to engage muscles which are not necessary to hip flexion (lifting the leg) and this leads to a weak ilopsoas. Sometimes the iliopsoas is weak and stronger muscles take over to compensate for this weakness. Either way, practicing techniques that simultaneously strengthen and lengthen the iliopsoas are of benefit to dancers. In addition, making the most of the iliopsoas in your dancing will require visualization and awarenss of how this muscle functions.

How Can I Build Awareness?

The iliopsoas is a deep muscle, running very near the spine and beneath other major muscle groups. Therefore, awareness of the iliopsoas must come through visualization. You will not necessarily “feel” the muscles working and no single image will spark understanding in every dancer. Therefore it is extremely helpful to have a knowledgeable instructor that can guide you through this exploration.

First steps include locating the attachment points of the iliopsoas, visualizing the muscle that runs between these points, and analyzing how the muscle affects the bones and structures to which they are attached. Picture the muscle contracting from the center, moving the attachment points toward each other along the path of the muscle. How would this affect the leg? the spine? the pelvis? Now picture the muscle lengthening with the attachment points moving away. What are the affects?

As you move (in a deep plié, or as you lift or swing your leg), use your mind’s eye to transfer your knowledge to the moving body. Again, a teacher can help you discover and experience images that will help you to use the muscle with ease, fluidity, and power. These visual images may involve water, sand, strings, mechanics – anything that will help you engage the appropriate muscles and release the unnecessary ones.

Further Reading

		On Dance Advantage see also: Lifting the Leg “From Underneath” and Other Impossible Feats

I won’t pretend to be an expert on anatomy or kinesiology. College classes, books, resources, and experiences have shaped my knowledge of the subject. I welcome and encourage the sharing of your own experiences and ideas below in the comments.

Excavating the Archives – Don’t Miss These Posts!

I hereby declare Fridays links day on Dance Advantage!

One of my goals at Dance Advantage is to connect readers to other places and spaces online so that you don’t have to search high and low for great resources yourself! Generally Fridays will be a day to point you elsewhere in this world wide web. However, because it is the nature of blogs to feature the latest posts and entries, older posts can get buried. So, I thought I’d kick things off by “kinecting” you to some older posts within Dance Advantage that you may have missed!

(Bonus! All of these posts contain links to other sites! — Talk about Kinected!)

1. Costume Crisis – What to do when dance costume companies fail you at recital time
2. Fostering Artistry in Young or Beginning Dancers - First steps: Ask a child to be creative.
   
3. DanceMom.com – A forum for dance parents
   
4. Dancing With Conscience – Dancers and dance organizations that are making a difference
   
5. Art or Not? Musings on Dance, Art, and Entertainment
6. Eye of the Beholder – This one is just for fun! Do you know which way the dancer is spinning?
7. Two Heads Are Better Than One - More wonderful online resources! Deb Vogel and Lisa Howell join forces.
8. Reflection and Journaling for Dancers – Types of journals and the usefulness of keeping a “dance diary”
9. Classic Confusion – Sorting out labels in dance like classical, modern, and contemporary.
   
10. Bullying in Dance Class - Do girls bully? You bet! Don’t miss the resources and info in this one!

Guest Post: Body Image and Dance

Dancers of all disciplines struggle with body image. It is a reality that is sometimes exploited or aggrandized in the media yet ignored or aggravated by those that have a direct impact in the lives of dancers. Elena Ciccotelli is a new blogger but long-time dancer. In addition to her experience as a personal trainer and desire to encourage cross-training in dance, she has a passion for facilitating discussion about the role that body image plays in dance. She recently wrote Getting Past the Mirror: Body Image and Dance, and received numerous emails from young dancers, expressing gratitude for her willingness to approach this issue. In her guest post for today, she includes and addresses some of these responses, and speaks about her own experiences which have helped her to reduce negative self-talk.

Body Image and Dance: Part Deux

Since posting my last blog entry “Getting Past the Mirror: Body Image and Dance,” I have received numerous emails from young dancers who expressed an overwhelming gratefulness for the content of this entry. Here is one dancer’s response:

“Thank you, thank you, thank you for posting this blog!!!!!!!!!

I know many dancers who possess unimaginable strength but do not have the “ballerina body” -even though I think that they are some of the most beautiful girls that I know.  This is the one thing about ballet that angers me – all of the unfairness.  I know what it’s like to constantly think one’s body is inadequate – it is the worst feeling in the world.  Last year, I felt invisible like I blended into the wall, and I thought that losing weight would change that….

…Even though I lost all that weight, I still felt invisible, which goes to show that being emaciated will never get one anything in the long run, except a ton of health problems and a really hard time trying to get healthy again.  I wish so much that I can accept myself as I am – which is something (despite my inability to do so) that every ballerina needs to do.

Thanks for being so uplifting and inspiring…keep doing what you are doing.”

Another email that I received was also very poignant because it targeted some common fears that every dancer faces. Here is an excerpt from the email as well as the advice I suggested:

“…I think it is very important to feel good about your body and how you look. But lately, I have actually been feeling a little uncomfortable about how I look. I’m trying not to worry about it, but I still do sometimes.  I think it is because I am comparing myself to everyone else in my dance classes….I really want to feel good about how I look, but it’s hard.  And one of my friends is always saying that it is good for dancers to be small and she is glad she’s so small because it will make it easier for her to be a professional dancer someday.  I try not to believe her but she sometimes makes me feel bad about how I look.  Can you help me at all?  I want to feel comfortable when I dance and not worry about how I look.”

First, I just want to say, you are not alone! Please do not think that you are the only dancer who faces this! Body image, especially among dancers is probably the least talked about issue, but it affects us all in so many ways. For years, I have struggled with body image because I was constantly comparing myself to others and I always felt that my body was inadequate. Of course it doesn’t help when all you see publicized in the dance community is emaciated girls leaping through the air and a lack of advocates for a healthy body image. Sadly, this “body ideal” just perpetuates body dissatisfaction and low self-esteem from generation to generation. But, why do we allow this to continue? Perhaps it is because we are all naturally demanding of ourselves and just accept that this “body ideal” is just the nature of dance. Or, is it an unspoken rule that directors, instructors, casting agents, and choreographers enforce but are afraid to admit due to political incorrectness? All of these questions come to mind when you voiced your concern and that is why I thought it was appropriate to post a blog based on this issue.

In terms of dealing with body image, there are so many ways we can become derailed in our quest to be happy with our bodies. It is hard to pinpoint exactly what steps you need to take. However, I can tell you what has helped me a great deal. As I mentioned in my previous blog, seeking an alternative training method in addition to dance, like strength and cardiovascular training, has allowed me to discover another way to take control of my body. Believe it or not, I realized that I was less obsessed with “what I looked like” when I trained and I found this to be extremely liberating. Training helped me to take away the constant critique and judgment I placed upon myself whenever I took class. For me the goal of training was more about achieving overall well-being, which diverted the focus from an appearance oriented mindset to a healthier one. Plus, training simply made me feel good about myself because I was challenging the way I was used to working my body. In turn, this actually helped change the perceptions I had about myself.

A simple technique you can try is to pick at least one physical attribute that you think is special and unique. The next time you take class, think about this attribute and how it contributes to your individuality when you dance. Do not dwell on the negatives! We can all generate a laundry list of defects that we see in our bodies without much hesitation. This is counter-productive! I know it may sound redundant, but a little positive thinking can really go a long way.

One final thought, when it comes down to it, dance is really all about what you can bring to the table. Do not let body image stop you from becoming the best dancer YOU can be….no one else, just you. By developing your own personal sense of artistry, people will notice. Do not be discouraged and think positive!

Visit www.trainerdiva.com to read more on body image and cross training for dancers by Elena Ciccotelli

Two Heads Are Better Than One

In the art and practice of dance, one’s instrument and medium is the body. A painter, sculptor, or musician must know intimately the tools of his craft, and so it is with dancers as well. However, the human body is an intricate organism and science is continually learning new things about the way in which it functions. Therefore, it is important for the dance community to have members that have one foot in the dance world and the other in the world of physiological and kinesiological science and medicine. Two members fitting this description have a foot (well…) hand in yet another world – the internet. For quite some time these two women have been offering their knowledge and expertise to a wide range of the dance community via the world wide web. If you don’t already know their names, you should!

Meeting of the Minds

They are Deborah Vogel and Lisa Howell, two women from opposite sides of the world who have a similar vision and purpose- that is to educate dancers and teachers, arming them with information to improve the quality of health and understanding of the body in dance education and practice. In each other it seems they have recently found a kindred spirit and have decided to join forces on some projects that will further their mission.

I’m sure these two have several exiting things in store for us, but it seems their first collaboration will be monthly podcasts that seek to answer questions from dancers and teachers like yourselves. In the video below Lisa Howell describes a bit about the project and lets you know where you can go to submit your question:

Who Are These Partners in Crime?

Just in case you are not familiar with these two women, I thought I’d share some information about who they are and what they do.

Deborah Vogel

Deborah is Neuromuscular Educator and author of several books who studied under Irene Dowd (author of Taking Root to Fly). She was a co-founder of the now defunct Center for Dance Medicine in New York City. Deb currently resides on the faculty at Oberlin College and Oberlin College Conservatory of Music. Her website The Body Series offers articles, products, and a blog (a transmutation of her Dancing Smart Newsletter), the purpose of which is to answer readers’ questions regarding body health and training issues in dance.

Lisa Howell

Lisa is a physiotherapist specializing in educating and treating dancers and founder of Perfect Form Physiotherapy, a clinic in North Sydney, Australia that, according to Lisa’s website, “focuses on educating dancers and providing one-on-one rehabilitation and technique correction in a caring and holistic environment.” She has also generated a series of resources, including the Perfect Pointe System, designed to help dancers safely and conscientiously improve their dancing and prepare for pointe work. Lisa’s website, The Ballet Blog, offers articles, products, newsletter updates, workshop information, and answers to your questions, and her video podcasts can be seen on the site or at her YouTube channel.

All Things to All People

While, of course, here at Dance Advantage, I strive to provide a comprehensive resource of articles and information for those involved in dance education, I realize that it is impossible for one place to be all things to all people. I am one person and there are limitations to what I, personally, can provide. It is for this reason, that I feel compelled to share other great resources on the web. If I’ve saved you time by linking you to another site that provides truly useful news, guidance, products, or services, I feel I am closer to meeting all of your needs as you participate in dance.

In addition to my college coursework in teaching and kinesiology, I have often drawn upon the work of Deborah and Lisa as I sought to provide quality information and advice to my dance students. I believe in their mission and these ladies know what they’re talking about!

If you have personal experience with Deborah Vogel, Lisa Howell, or their products. Or, if you’ve participated in any of their workshops, please share your observations with us.

If you want to know more, please visit their respective web sites.

Talking Technique

There are several posts here at Dance Advantage that offer understanding and tips on certain technical elements of dance. So far, I’ve offered a smattering of the basics. More recent posts have received quite a few hits but some older posts have gotten buried along the way. Because I think all of these posts could be useful to readers, I’d like to present a little collection for you to check out.

Plié

…Even young dancers can tell you that plié means ‘to bend’ and that one must begin and end a jump with this action. However, it seems the longer one studies dance, the more he/she comes to realize that plié is one of the most sophisticated and nuanced movements in dance. It’s applications are endless…

Battement

…dancers and teachers often drop the word battement from the name of other common terms. As a result of this practice, some dance students may not realize that battement is actually a family of movements that includes battement tendus, dégagés (sometimes called, battement tendu jeté), frappés, and fondus développé…

Vertically Challenged: Improving Your Jumps

…the secret to jumping is not so secret, it is the same hard work that goes into most everything in dance: proper alignment, solid technique, and practice, practice, practice! Not what you wanted to hear? Sorry, but never fear, I can give you some pointers that will help you as you practice those jumps. I’m going to focus mainly on vertical jumping (sauté) in this post, although many of these principles can also be applied to traveling jumps or leaps…

The Core or “Center”

…So, now that we better understand the core, or center and how we’re expected to use it when we dance, there’s one remaining question that someone may still be asking…. WHY? What’s the big deal about this magical part of the body? Why is it so important to my dancing?…

Sickling and Rolling-In

…The terms sickling and rolling in are often used in dance classes to define issues with ankle alignment. However, I have found that many students do not have a clear understanding of the actions of the ankle and foot and, therefore, do not know how to correct these issues when asked…

For more posts on technique, including those on turnout and improving pirouettes, click here.

Is there a technical issue or a particular movement you’d like to see covered on Dance Advantage? Place your ideas or questions in the comments!

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