Clinical pilates for dancers: How it elevates performance
I’m writing this blog from my own perspectives as a dancer and as a physiotherapist, pulling from my own experiences and exposure to pilates growing up dancing, dancing now and working with dancers as a physio utilizing clinical pilates. I want to explain a bit about my dance background to help you understand why I am deeply passionate about this topic and working with dancers as I feel it shapes my approach to rehab, with the goal of being more than just physical rehab as I incorporate a more holistic ‘whole person’ and person-centered approach.
The art of becoming: my evolution through dance
My journey in dance started the way many others’ journeys started.
I started dancing at 5 and have never really stopped. From the age of 5-15 I danced at a studio that taught in a way that aimed to provide all their students the opportunity to become professionals (not very recreational).
Even in the earlier years, there was a lot of emphasis on this, and through the later years, when I personally wanted to make it a career, I took it a lot more seriously and danced in my studio’s pre-professional program.
I would go to school for half a day and dance for the other half. I primarily danced ballet and had exposure to contemporary, but did not have much experience in others.
I had a few injuries at age 14/15 and that was my first time seeing a physio.
My physio then was at a sports clinic at UBC and my rehab consisted mainly of modalities (at the acute stages), taping and exercise.
At the time, I was doing “strength and conditioning” classes as part of my dance training, and the word pilates was thrown around here and there, usually with yoga, and reflecting back, some of the exercises in that class incorporated pilates principles.
My physio exercises also combined some pilates principles as many principles like neutral positioning are important across many activities, but the exercises were more ‘sport’ and functionally linked to the dance movements that were challenging and symptom inducing.
I recovered from those injuries, but I think my experiences and enjoyment of being a physio patient could have been improved if I was exposed to pilates, as it is very similar to ballet as I will explain below.
No offence, but I don’t love going to the gym and doing all those reps and sets (though important), so doing movement that feels more meaningful to me helps with that. I continue to dance and have dabbled in other styles like hip hop, house, jazz funk etc over the years.
My partner dancing is quite limited though I did learn the tango in PE one year.
Now as a physio and dancer, I can see and feel the benefits of pilates and with the understanding of pilates integrated with my dance knowledge, I can see myself as a better dancer:
better turns-more centered and on balance (think about a spinning top that spins the longest when the sharp point at the bottom is vertical, similar to how a strong core can help achieve the posture/alignment needed for a successful balance or turn)
better ‘true’ turnout - improved muscles stabilizing the hips and external rotators that achieve this turnout from the joint itself vs. through compensations in the knee or ankle
better posture and alignment
better upper back mobility, leading to more graceful upper body including head and arm movements
improved awareness of my movements in space
less pain
My own experiences as a patient and a little push from a friend led me to train in clinical pilates after finishing physio school.
It’s a way for me to hopefully give back to the community that I’m so deeply passionate about and for me to share my own understanding and experiences with my own patients.
I’ve had opportunities to work with a variety of different dancers as a physio dancing ballet/modern/lyrical/contemporary, swing/partner, tap etc. I use pilates as a way to specifically target certain pieces that are challenging with the goal of successfully executing a functional dance movement that may have been challenging (either the movement itself and/or it presented with symptoms, such as pain).
I do this by looking at the movement itself, and the sequence of steps before and after that the move happens in, to break down the potential challenges of that movement while working with the dancer to understand how to properly do that movement (especially if I don’t have much knowledge on that dance style myself) based on their training/expertise and/or the choreographer's artistic choice. I will then create a clinical pilates plan to specifically work on pieces that could improve and complement these movements.
The history of pilates
Joseph Pilates developed pilates and initially it was to rehab war patients. Pilates then became popular with dancers and was embedded in dance training at Jacob’s Pillow dance in 1942-52 when Joseph Pilates began teaching there (1).
Some of the benefits of pilates (and how it can improve dance):
Core (abdominal muscles (rectus abdominis, transversus abdominis, obliques), back muscles, pelvic floor and hip muscles and diaphragm) strength
A strong core/foundation can mean better stability, control and precision in every movement→ this allows for more movement and complexity in arms/legs and artistry development while being super solid in the trunk
If unstable in the core, potential difficulty to execute more complex movements correctly or without other structures like muscles/joints compensating
Lots of weight transfers (some being very quick) and balances in dance and a strong core can help with achieving these successfully
Flexibility and mobility
Flexibility is more the ability to passively reach/stretch into a certain range of motion but mobility is the active range of motion which involves the ability for the body to control that range and involves strength
Mobility is key to executing dance movements that involve flexibility: for example, the ability to do a split jump needs both the flexibility of doing the splits but the mobility, strength and control of muscles and joints to execute
Pilates can isolate and strengthen specific groups of muscles
Mind-body connection and body awareness in space
Pilates can further body awareness and how movement works, where it comes from and how to create the shapes and lines in dance in a safe way vs. just aesthetic lines with potentials of emphasizing positions that increase risk for injury and/or decrease dance longevity
Balance
Posture
Pilates principles emphasize neutral head and neck, rib cage/shoulders and pelvis which is integral to ballet most directly but even other styles as many styles have foundations in ballet
Coordination
Similarities of coordination, artistry, quality of movement in pilates and in dance can help with familiarity and enjoyment and can lead to better consistency in rehab/prehab
Injury prevention, rehabilitation and recovery
Pilates is a low-impact workout that strengthens muscles without overloading
To learn more about pilates, read about it here.
Ballet and pilates
In addition to the benefits of pilates and dance mentioned above, the demands of ballet can further benefit from pilates. For ballet, posture/alignment is one of the most important things, in addition to working at end ranges of joints (let’s take the split example again).
Since ballet dancers work at these end ranges, it is important to strengthen and stabilize not only through range but specifically at these end ranges to prevent pain and injuries.
Dancers can also develop muscle imbalances due to the repetitive nature of movements and what may be specifically required of them in a piece or season.
Pilates can help with changing these imbalances by strengthening weaker muscles and releasing tension in overcompensated ones (1).
Why specifically clinical pilates and dance?
Clinical pilates can be a helpful step in starting pilates to complement dance training as a physiotherapist will be able to provide specific recommendations, cues and modifications based on your goals.
It starts with a pilates physio assessment and follows with a plan including pilates exercises on the reformer or using equipment (rotator discs can be super helpful for developing ‘turn out’ for ballet and stabilizing hip muscles) and likely some home exercises.
Your physio will guide you through the exercises and continue to assess, reassess and refine the steps needed to achieve your goals.
When you feel comfortable enough with these and feel that you can be independent in a group pilates class, this is naturally the next step, as integrating pilates training with dance can be a long-term journey with long-lasting benefits. Follow-up sessions with your physio can still be helpful at this stage to address any questions or concerns and to modify/progress exercises to be the most helpful for your dance goals.
Where to book clinical pilates/physio pilates in Toronto
If you’re interested in a physio pilates session and have questions please don’t hesitate to shoot us an email, book a complimentary call or book a Clinical Pilates Assessment on Jane, our online booking site. We are conveniently located in the Toronto Annex area and would love to work with you.
Next on your reading list:
Why Your Back Hurts When Getting Up From Sitting: Exactly What to Do For It
Lower Back Pain That Radiates Down Both Legs: Surgery Isn’t Your Only Option!
Managing a Severe Disc Herniation at 40: A Clinician’s Perspective
Written by Jessica Chiang, Registered Physiotherapist
Reference
Dickie C. A Primer on Pilates [Internet]. National Ballet of Canada . 2024. Available from: https://national.ballet.ca/performances/news-hub/a-primer-on-pilates/