Conditioning

for dancer

Rebalancing and realigning the dancer’s body

now available to support and help dancers and improve performance, “conditioning techniques2 or “Body Conditioning”,which I am able to support and help dancer consisting of specific exercises for strength, flexibility and mobility. thus improving performance. The strength of these techniques lies in their ability to rebalance and realign the dancer’s body, due to their focus on the imbalances caused by poor posture or by the very movements that the discipline demands. They can even be used as rehabilitation or to prevent further injury.
One of these techniques is Pilates.

It should be stressed, however, that dance is not a sport, it is an art. The dancer is an artist. Beginning from this principle, then, I believe that while a teacher should undoubtedly train and teach on the basis of scientific evidence, taking the anatomy and biomechanics of the body into account, they should never lose sight of expressiveness,, of the sensitivity of the student and the art within the movement, or the various sensations experienced when performing a port de bras or a battement tendu, what we call “the intention of the movement”. the quality and control of dance movements must necessarily obey the laws of biomechanics, they should also be free to follow impressions, feelings and sensations which confer a sense of poetry to a dancer’s movements, all those elements that make ballet a form of art.

floor barre

The “mother” of all conditioning techniques, floor barre takes the basic ballet barre exercises from the standing position to the floor. It was developed in the mid-twentieth century to improve the technical gestures and movements required in dance, and to improve posture.

I consider it an excellent technique, with enormous benefit for dancers, one which can often pose a significant challenge, as it requires the basic daily exercises to be performed in a different ways, stimulating different muscles and mechanics of the body. There are various floor barre techniques available, and I try to offer the best of each in my lessons, combining them with exercises and principles of other disciplines I believe to be beneficial for the physical preparation of a dancer, making the lesson as effective and fruitful as possible.

Progressing Ballet Technique

Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT) is an innovative body conditioning technique created by former dancer Marie Walton-Mahon, focusing on training the muscle memory required for each individual dance exercise. It combines the principles and exercises of Pilates with the basic exercises of ballet technique, to improve the acquisition of new skills in a gradual and progressive manner.

It uses small pieces of equipment, such as the soft ball, fit ball, TheraBand and smaller balls for the feet: all pieces of equipment which provide our body with a mechanical stimulus, improving body alignment, posture and stability, and promoting a greater awareness of the different muscle groups which assist each individual movement.

Pilates

Pilates is a form of exercise which focuses on posture control, muscle strengthening and the fluidity and precision of movements, and on the awareness of body and mind.

I believe it is one of the best and most effective dance conditioning techniques of the many now available, because both dance and Pilates work on very similar principles, focusing on concentration and on the quality, fluidity and control of movement.

And the benefits of Pilates are remarkable, improving physical fitness to help the dancer to reach higher levels of athleticism and performance, while addressing postural rebalancing to help prevent injury. It also plays an important role in rehabilitation following injury.

Exercises are performed in various ways and with a variety of mechanical stimuli: they can be performed as free body exercises, with or without the use of small pieces of equipment which stimulate the student in various ways (sometimes challenging them, at other times supporting them in a certain movement). Exercises can also be done using large machines: Reformer, Cadillac, Chair and Barrel.