Even if you don’t plan on becoming a dance teacher or physiotherapist any time soon, there are some basic concepts regarding your spine that should inform every part of your life, especially dancing.

 

First, you only have one spine so take precious care of it, listen to it if you’re having pain and educate yourself about it (this article is a perfect start). The spine consists of five sections; the neck (cervical spine with seven vertebrae), upper back (thoracic with twelve vertebrae) and lower back (lumbar with five vertebrae), sacrum (five bones fused together) and coccyx (tail bone).

 

Many people are surprised to learn that the spine is actually located near the middle of the body, as opposed to the back. What we see at the back of the spine are the facet joints that articulate together. The spine includes three natural curves, one for each of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar parts of the spine. These curves are necessary as they allow for important shock absorption and healthy articulation to occur. In the past, many ballet students were taught to ‘straighten the back’. By no means did the ballet teacher refer to straightening out the curves of the spine. However, this cue is no longer used by teachers as it is anatomically incorrect and confuses students. Taking good care of your back includes listening to it if it hurts. Many people strain their lower backs when improperly performing abdominal exercises or leglifts, to the back. Another easy way to take care of your back is to wear running shoes that include lots of shock absorption and provide proper support for your feet. There are a number of helpful exercises to practice spinal articulation in a safe and effective way.

 

Here’s one:

Begin in a table-top position on hands and knees while looking at the floor . Make sure to not to hyper extend the lower back (banana back). Slowly curl the middle back up to the ceiling. Inhale in that position, then gradually return to neutral spine. Repeat twice.

 

There is much more to be said regarding the spine, back health, proper posture (see article on posture perfect), anatomy and useful exercises. Learn as much as you can by searching books, the web, asking qualified teachers and attending good quality Pilates classes (posture is one of the most important focuses of Pilates work).