140 Dance Anatomy and Kinesiology
Exercise name
(Resistance)Description
(Technique cues) Progression
Muscle group: Spinal rotators
Muscles emphasized: Oblique abdominals
Joint movement: Spinal rotation with flexion
M. Curl-up with rotation
(Body weight)Lie supine with knees bent to about
90° and the feet flat on the floor
and the hands behind the head.
Then bring the chin to the chest,
and sequentially curl up the torso
as high as strength allows without
letting the back of the waist leave
the floor. Bring arms forward, slowly
rotate right and then center, then
bring hands back behind head, and
curl back down to starting position.
(Keep the spine flexed as you
rotate, and think of bringing the
shoulder higher as you rotate.)- Rotate right, center, left, center.
- Bring the arms back behind the
head and then forward again
when in the rotated position.
Muscle group: Spinal rotators
Muscles emphasized: Spinal extensors
Joint movement: Spinal rotation with extension
N. Prone arabesque
(Body weight)Lie prone with legs extended
and arms out to sides. Contract
abdominals to lift waist off floor,
and raise both arms off the floor
in second position as head and
upper back lift. Then raise one leg
about 6 inches (15.2 centimeters)
off the floor, bring the opposite arm
overhead, rotate the torso toward the
overhead arm, pause, and lower the
arm and torso to the starting position.
(Keep “pulling up” with lower attachment
of the abdominals to limit anterior tilting
of the pelvis, and lift the torso slightly
higher as the torso rotates.)- Raise the torso slightly higher
as the arm returns to second
position. - Add a 1-pound (0.5-kilogram)
dumbbell to the hands. - Gradually increase the dumbbell
from 1 pound to 3 pounds (0.5-
1.4 kilograms).
For all abdominal exercises, focus on pulling the abdominal wall inward toward the spine to help strengthen the transverse abdominis. For assymetrical exercises, perform
4-6 repetitions on one side and then 4-6 repetitions on the other side.TABLE 3.4 Selected Strength Exercises for the Spine (continued)In contrast, dancers with fatigue posture or flat back
posture need adequate inclusion of back extension
exercises with an emphasis on extension in the
appropriate spinal region.Spinal Flexor (Abdominal) Strengthening
As previously described, strong abdominal muscles
are believed to be important for preventing lumbar
lordosis, generating IAP, stabilizing the spine, and
preventing low back injury. In dance, strong abdomi-
nal muscles are important for floor work in modern
dance such as Graham contractions or “hollowing,”and for chest lifts used to rise from supine to sit-
ting in jazz dance. The stabilization function of the
abdominal muscles is essential for achieving the
desired aesthetic in many dance movements.
The first exercise listed in table 3.4, the pelvic tilt,
is not very effective for strengthening the abdominal
muscles but is included to develop the technique of
posteriorly tilting the pelvis that is used as part of
many other abdominal exercises. As skill develops, it
is no longer necessary to perform the pelvic tilt as a
separate exercise; rather it can be included in other,
more effective abdominal exercises. The isometric