Ribcage… abdominals….
I have been trying to dance ballet and I am so exasperated. What the heck does it mean to close the rib cage and how can i acheive this sensation? Should my abdominals feel hard or soft when I move? How can I possibly get the right alignment? I feel as though I am hopeless. Thanks, John
Dear John,
George Sheehan said ‘success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be’. I don’t know any dancer who didn’t feel they were on a roller coaster of good and less good classes. (hate to call a whole class bad – surely there is always something to be gained each day) So be discouraged for a moment or two and then get back to stretching, strengthening and focusing on what you want!
I would translate closing the ribcage to having the ribcage hang correctly. Dancers who lift their ribs up in front often open the abdominal area – it may even shift you backwards so the teacher tries to ‘close’ the ribs down in front so you look connected between the sternum (breast bone) and pelvis.
Remember the ribs connect in the back so whatever shift you are making in the front has to occur from the back. Anatomically, the ribs hang from the spine – the spine gives you that long line that we all aspire to. Many will lift their ribs trying to stand tall – but all that gives you is a lot of tension between your shoulder blades as well as the shoulder/neck area.
Getting the ribs to hang and then training the abdominals to maintain the line of torso to the pelvis is key. You bring up a good point – it’s impossible to keep the abdominals ‘hard’ when you are moving. We need to train the abdominals, especially the lower abdominals to do their job while you are standing, walking and dancing. Try this… imagine lacing your lower abdominals together like you would lace your tennis shoes together. You’ll feel the area below your belly buttom draw in an upwards and backwards diagonal towards your spine.
Check to make sure that the area just below your sternum is softer – you need to be able to breath and move your torso easily without losing the strength of the abdominals. The more you can practice standing in your efficient alignment when you aren’t in dance class the more quickly the abdominals will change their shape. Imagine your pelvis like a bowl, and keep the abdominal contents from spilling out the front of the bowl. That is the work of the abdominals – but you don’t want them so tight and hard that you can’t move easily.
Your alignment won’t change quickly if you slouch outside of dance class. The way you stand for the majority of your day is your pattern. You can’t sit with rounded shoulders and a forward head at the computer and expect your alignment to improve in dance class. Feel the soft strength of the spine and walk long, tall and confidently as you go through your day. You’ll start to feel better too as they have done research showing that you can shift your mood from being unhappy to happy through your posture and smiling – even if you don’t feel like it – slowly your physicality changes your physiology – how cool is that!
warmly,
Deborah
“Education is the key to injury prevention”
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