Why You Need Pilates in Your Dance Studio
Pilates is not just a fashionable workout trend anymore. Pilates is a hardcore workout routine that can benefit anyone whether they are young, old, in shape or out of shape. Dancers tend to be among the most in shape of all athletes, but one of the downsides to being in such “great shape” is the amount of stress the dancer’s body takes. Dancers are constantly overstretching certain muscle groups. When a certain muscle group, let's say, the hamstrings, get overstretched, it usually means a lack of strength in that area as well. Pilates work can help rectify the imbalances in the body and restore strength to the overworked/overstretched parts of the body.
Pilates mat classes are a great addition to the dancer’s class schedule. A well-rounded Pilates mat class will target strengthening the core, and a strong core will help everything in dance class. The core is not the only thing that will help a dancer excel in class. Pilates instructors spend a majority of the class working on the hip and the hip flexor. Stronger hip flexors mean better extension. A dancer-only Pilates class can really target strengthening the hip flexors for extension, the back for a better arabesque and the core for better balancing, pointe work and pirouettes. A good, strong core, where the core is stabilized, creates a better flow and function of the other body parts. A good Pilates teacher with a background in dance can tailor a Pilates class to meet the needs of the dancer’s body.
Since dancers tend to be overstretched in certain areas, sometimes that also indicates a weakness in that area. On the other hand, a muscle that is overworked can also be weak as well. The upper leg is a good example. A dancer’s leg needs to have strong quads to do all the bending and jumping, and the hamstring needs to be extremely flexible for all of the développés and stretching, so a nice routine to balance out the strength for the dancer's leg would be some hamstring strengthening as well as some quad stretching. Bridging on a ball would be great for the hamstring and a single or double leg kick would be perfect for stretching the quad. These simple movements would considerably help balance the leg for a better performance, not to mention that it would help the overall health of the leg - even after a dancer’s career is over.
Having pilates in your studio also means you could offer a workout for the mommies or daddies while the kids take class. This is a great idea if your studio is big enough to accommodate all the parking. Another plus is that the parent is not just sitting there watching his/her child; they are actually moving and doing something good for their body. Other ways to bring in parents might be to offer a “Mommy and me” class where both the parent and student are introduced to Pilates together. A teacher just needs to be very aware of everyone’s injuries and abilities in order to accommodate all of the different ages and levels. A Pilates program in a dance studio can definitely mean more income for you, and that is always a good thing!
There are many Pilates programs that will certify over a weekend, and they cost about $500 for the course plus materials. Some examples of certifying programs are Stott, Physicalmind Institute, Polestar Pilates, and some of these even have dancer- specific programs. I recommend that a teacher who is considering getting certified take several classes in Pilates at different studios to get a feel regarding the type of teaching each method provides. Each certifying program has a different feel and you might gel better with one teaching style than another. It all really has to do with taste and preference. Basically the more classes you take, the more informed you will be. I suggest calling a studio in the area and asking where the teachers are certified from and then trying a few classes with different teachers.
The main benefit for offering Pilates in your dance studio is for the dancers themselves. Female dancers do have extremely strong legs, but their upper body is certainly not as strong as their lower body. That sometimes means trouble in choreography where floor work is concerned and with lifts when a dancer has to use her upper body for leverage. There are many mat exercises that require tremendous upper body strength. “Pilates push-ups”, “leg pull front support” and “twist” would all help with upper body strength and still challenge a dancer’s coordination and flexibility.
Pilates mat classes can really enhance your dancer’s life as well as your entire studio, and as the certifying teacher grows and understands each and every one of his/her dancer’s limitations, that dancer will blossom. Pilates is especially beneficial to a dancer because it counteracts some of the dangerous things their bodies undergo. A carefully planned program of both dance and Pilates might mean a longer dance career or a more pain-free dance career for that dancer. Pointe shoes are painful enough. Why not create a class that will benefit a dancer’s body and counteract some of the deteriorative conditions dance classes induce?