5 Strength Exercises for Dancers: Improve Power & Strength and Prevent Injury

Dancers are often required to execute physically demanding movements repeatedly in the performance, rehearsal and class setting that call for strength, power, speed, stability and flexibility.  These qualities of movement are no different from those performed by elite athletes (except for the aesthetic component, of course), yet dancers' training and education typically does not include a strength and conditioning component, which is the hallmark of all other athletic training programs.  


Research has shown that there are gaps in the structure of dance training that could be filled with the type of training that is beneficial for other elite athletes.  One study showed that a 3-month aerobic and strength training program for modern dance students significantly improved flexibility, cardiovascular endurance, and leg strength compared to the control group, and that such improvements did not hinder dance performance.  Not only does strength and conditioning improve performance, but it is also vital for helping to prevent injuries.  The dance-only approach simply does not provide the necessary scope of physical preparedness for dance.

A balanced, full-body training program is the best thing you can do as a dancer to improve performance, strength, prevent injuries, and move better fundamentally.  Below are 5 exercises that can be included in any dancer's strength training program:

1.  Split Squats

Split squats are great because they strengthen the quads, glutes and hamstrings, while challenging your single leg stability, which is incredibly important in any form of dance, thus reducing your risk of future injury and improving your balance. Split squats are an excellent core exercise, as your body must work to keep from falling over.  Also, since the hip of the trailing leg works through a wide range of motion, it is a good active flexibility exercise that aids to increase joint mobility and stability.

2.  Deadlifts

Deadlifting improves the function and strength of your hips, which is essential for power production (think leaps and jumps), strengthens the posterior chain (hamstrings, glutes, back muscles, and spinal stabilizers) and when done properly, puts you in a solid lumbo-pelvic position to brace the spine and prevent back injury.  Deadlifts also force the dancer to work in parallel, which gives the lateral hip rotators a much needed break so they can be stronger when they are actually needed.  

3.  Rows

Rows are great for strengthening the muscles of the back, specifically the middle and lower traps, and rhomboids, which work to retract and depress the scapula when the arms are overhead, which is where the arms spend a lot of their time in dance.  Proper positioning of the scapula with the arms are overhead is important because it helps to prevent overuse of the upper traps and levator scapula.  Overusing these muscles when lifting the arms overhead not only leads to shoulder impingement, but the beautiful lines created by the arms and back in dance are compromised by an elevated shoulder and "short neck".  As in the row variation above, being in a split stance allows you to engage the glutes and core, as well as get a little hip and quad stretch on the trailing leg.

4.  Planks on a Physio Ball

Trunk stability is important for any dancer of any discipline because it helps to support the back while performing in its full range of motion, as well as to control the force generated when the limbs are in motion.  Holding a plank on an unstable surface causes the deep core muscles (transversus abdominis, multifidus, and the pelvic floor muscles) to fire and do their job of stabilization.

5.  Kettle Bell Jumps

Dancers jump quite a bit.  This exercise is great for improving power production in jumps with resistance added, and they're lots of fun!  Watch my right leg.  Make sure not to let the knee fall in when landing like I did.

Chemicals Leaching from Plastic Containers

There seems to be an increase in the number of women entering prenatal care with endocrine disorders, particularly thyroid problems.  This may be due in part to constant low-level exposures to environmental toxins, many of which are endocrine disruptors.

Endocrine disruptors are substances, usually xenoestrogens, that mimic natural hormones, inhibit the action of natural hormones, and interfere with the normal regulatory function of the immune, nervous, and endocrine systems, and that affect reproduction, development, and/or behavior. 

For my whole foods nutrition class I did research on chemicals leaching from plastic containers.  Below is the information I collected.  Share far and wide:

Chemicals Leaching from Plastic Containers

back in bk

i'm back in brooklyn, and have a few photos to share!  i had a great two weeks in Maine with my future sister midwives.  we had classes in postpartum care, prenatal complications, normal labor & birth, charting, hands-on skills practice, neonatal resuscitation, and a whole foods nutrition class where we cooked two feasts in our instructor's home kitchen.

One of the most wonderful things about traveling to Maine every 8 weeks is being able to build meaningful, professional, sisterly relationships with my classmates.  I am constantly challenged by these brilliant, beautiful women to think beyond my own bounds.  Hearing their perspectives on life, death, labor, pregnancy, justice, race - you name it - teaches me to always look at what I believe critically.  I have learned that complacency in thought serves only to limit us, and is just as dangerous as complacency in action.  I am grateful for the chance to build, as a student, with the women who will be my colleagues, and who will help shape maternity care, and women's health in the future. 

assessing dilation on the yoni-in-a-box

becoming one with the cervix

in order to get a feel for cervical dilation, we practiced on silicone yonis and cervices of different sizes.  the cervix is the opening at the lower segment of the uterus through which the baby's head {usually} passes as it enters the birth canal.  birth attendants use cervical dilation {along with other cues} to assess a woman's progress in labor.

me and my ride-or-die homegirl, Tracy

me, snow tubing directly into a tree :-/

I need to pay my tuition. Help!

Dear family and friends,

                I hope this letter finds you all doing well and in good health.  As many of you know, I am currently a student at Birthwise Midwifery School studying to become a midwife.  Delivering babies has been a dream of mine since childhood, and I am excited and grateful for the opportunity to finally work toward my dream. 

               My school has an interesting program structure.  I travel to Bridgton, Maine every other month and stay for 2 weeks of intense study, then return to NYC where I work as an apprentice under a practicing, experienced midwife.  My journey has been amazing and I have learned so much.  Since the beginning of the year I have attended 10 births, and close to 100 prenatal visits.  I have had the wonderful opportunity to participate in the care of many women during their pregnancy as well as in labor & birth.  This is my calling.

               I write to you not only to give you an update about what’s happening in my life, but also to ask for your help.  I am paying my tuition out of pocket.  I receive no financial aid or scholarships because the current state of immigration law in this country makes me ineligible.  I currently hold a part-time job as a bookkeeper, which is a blessing because the nature of my studies requires that I have a very flexible job.  I am on call 24/7 with my midwife/mentor.  I go to births when she goes to births, and many of you know this could mean 3pm or 3am!  I do not receive payment for work with my midwife.  This, combined with the fact that I have a tremendous amount of schoolwork and studying to do while here in NYC, makes it nearly impossible to take on another job.

               I have received support from close family, friends, and even classmates, but I am turning to you because I am having a difficult time gathering the necessary money for my tuition.  Every semester I pay on average about $5,500, for a total at the end of three years of about $30,000.  I will do everything in my power to make sure that I continue in school, but I need your help to do so.  I believe in the power of collective work.  When we work to love, encourage, and support each other, we can accomplish great things, so it is in this spirit that I ask for your contribution of ANY amount that you can manage.  No amount is too small.  Really.  I have about half of the tuition amount due for this coming semester, with a remaining balance of $3610.  With your contribution you will be involved in a process that not only helps me attain my goals, but also helps change the state of maternity care within the communities that need it most.

 The young women in my community need to be reminded of their power, their strength, and their ability to bring forth life in the most natural way.  Many of these women are not informed of their right to choose an alternative to hospitals nor the importance of breastfeeding.  Often times they lack the informational and emotional support needed to make decisions that do not follow the status quo.  I hope to have a hand in changing all this –not just for these specific women, but for the generations of women to follow.  Their birth experiences will inform the decisions they make in the future, and hopefully impart positive perceptions of natural childbirth. 

My goal is not only to work as a midwife in my community, but to also be an educator and an advocate for natural childbirth, home birth and the midwifery model of care.  Part of my job as a midwife is to work with others in my community to disseminate accurate information that can help change the climate of midwifery in New York City.

I believe I am capable of bringing the midwifery model of care to NYC because I have an energy and vitality of spirit that will help carry me through the tough road ahead.  I have already begun fostering relationships with organizations, doulas, and other midwives in my community.  My first doula client is a member of GEMS (Girls Educational & Mentoring Services), which is “the only organization in New York State specifically designed to serve girls and young women, ages 12 – 21, who have experienced commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking.”  Having had the privilege of supporting this strong young woman, I left the experience knowing that I wanted to concentrate my efforts on the young women in my community.  I plan to continue offering doula services, free of charge, to the women of GEMS.

  

Thanks so much for your love and support!

               Shauntée

You can make a contribution through Paypal by clicking the DONATE button below [you dont need to have a paypal account], or by mailing a check or money order made payable to Shauntee Henry to:
740 Madison St. 
Brooklyn, NY 11221