The Proper Dancer Warm Up

The tradition of dancers sitting in splits and other intense stretch positions prior to beginning a dance class has not, is not and will not ever be a suitable way to warm up.  When a muscle maintains an elongated position for a long duration of time, muscle activation is essentially inhibited.  So when sitting in splits before class, the question one must ask themselves is, why would I want to turn off the activity of all the leg muscles that I need to use, right before I ask my body to use them?  It’s a horrible strategy that gets you no better at the task at hand and in the worst case scenario can lead to injury. A proper warm up should increase circulation, joint mobility, and neuromuscular activation.

Every dancer is different and has different areas that require more attention, but I think that a good place to start is always in the spine and pelvis. 

From a neuromuscular perspective the body works from the center out.  Spinal mobility exercises, like pelvic clocks or gentle rotation isolations are an amazing way to create more postural awareness, engage core muscles in the abdomen and back, gently loosen up any stiff points, and prime the nervous system for better communication with the corresponding limbs. I always find it interesting that spinal and pelvic isolations are a normal part of a guided warm up in some styles of dance like hip hop, jazz, modern, musical theater, but not so much in ballet.  When it is not part of the guided warm up, dancers should add it in themselves.  Planks would also be a good way to get the core muscles of the abdomen engaged and ready for work.  Neck rotation, nods, and circles can go a long way with increasing comfort and increasing ability for the arms to move creating better artistry.  In ballet, the term épaulement means proper head, shoulder and upper torso placement.  It is very specific and differs from ballet teaching style to teaching style.  Lastly, in the spine, I would do thoracic spine movement.  This can be done with movement patterns like cat/cow or thread the needle. 

Once the dancer has done a quick warm up of the spine and pelvis they can then start to move onto the extremities that need the most attention.  For some, this is the foot and ankle while for others it may be the hips. If your dance style requires more floor work, acrobatics, or inversions, making sure to warm up the wrists and shoulders is essential. 

A proper warm up doesn’t need to take forever.  It can easily be done in 10 minutes.  Dancers this is imperative to your health.  Preventative care is going to keep you in the game for a longer period of time.  If dance is something that your livelihood depends or just merely gives you joy, think about your future and warm up.