The spine “the spine is a long limb….. Allow the rest of the body to balance around the curving river of the spine.”

Learning Outcomes  By the end of the lesson:  Students will understand how the spine is used in different dance genres.  State the different areas of the spine.

Homework  Collect a minimum of 10 pictures showing the different ways the spine can move in dance. Try to include a variety of genres.  Copy the table 1.2 p13 – postural problems of the spine.

The spine in dance  In the well aligned dancer, the spine is the power centre for moving.  The way you sit, lie, stand, travel or fall is affected by the spine.  Its elasticity absorbs the shock waves.

The main functions of the spine are:  The protect the spinal nerve cord  Provide an axis for movement.  Support and transfer to lower levels and finally to the pelvis through the sacrum the weight of the head, rib cage, shoulder girdle and arms.  Absorb shock of movement

The curves of the spine  The spine has four curves which correspond to the four groups of the vertebrae, these allow for shock absorption: 1. The Cervical curve: 7 cervical vertebrae (neck) 2. The Thoracic curve: 12 thoracic vertebrae (chest/rib area) 3. The Lumbar curve: 5 lumbar vertebrae (lower back) 4. The Sacral curve: sacrum and coccyx (fused at the bottom)

 The curves of the spine help to spread the stress involved in weight bearing, as do the cartilage discs in between the vertebrae which act as shock absorbers.  The cartiligenous spongy discs are essential, for example, when landing from jumps and in allowing the spine to flex, extend and rotate.

 In classical dance these four curves are lengthened and the spine is held straighter and more still by the abdominal muscles and the extensors of the spine – erector spinae.  The pelvis should be well balanced at all times but movement of the lower limbs will bring in movement of the pelvis and therefore the spine, but it is kept as straight as possible until by necessity it must adjust.  In contemporary dance flexion of the spine is used with contraction, and extension in the use of the back bend.

Let’s take a closer look!

Cervical Vertebrae  7 in total  They are the smallest vertebrae  The neck muscles attach to them  They support our head and neck  The top vertebrae in this region is called the Atlas which fits into the skull and lets the head nod  The second vertebrae in this region is called the Axis which lets the head rotate.

Thoracic Vertebrae  12 in total  They are larger than cervical vertebrae  They are attached to our ribs (at the back) and help support the rib cage. (ribs would otherwise not be attached to anything)  They allow us some slight movement, bending forward, backward and from side to side.

Lumbar Vertebrae  5 in total  The largest Vertebrae  Our back muscles are attached to them.  They allow a lot of bending forward, backward and from side to side.  The large range of movement means that this region can easily be injured

Sacral Vertebrae  This is divided into 5 areas.  Each area / vertebrae is fused together.  They are also attached to the pelvic girdle.  They make a very strong base which supports the weight of the body.

Postural problems/injuries of the spine  If a particular form of dance training encourages bad habits and unsafe practice, alignment and muscular balance will break down. Serious postural problems or injury, or both may then result.  There are also various anatomical defects, eg. curvature of the spine, which need medical attention, and cannot be changed by exercise.  The neck is also vulnerable to strain because it is so mobile.  The sacroiliac joint is also vulnerable. This is the point where the mobile spine meets the immobile pelvis. (if the lower abs are weak and combined with tight lower back muscles then there will be weakness in this joint) this is a common injury site for dancers.

 The erector spinae muscle runs down the back as part of a group with other muscles such as splenius, suboccipitalis and the semispinalis.  These long, thin muscles attach along various vertebrae or to the skull.  Underneath them are the deeper short, thin muscles that attach from one vertebrae to another.  Together these back muscles balance with the abdominal group to provide core stability for dancers.

The use of the spine in different dance genres  The classical ballet genre has maintained the vertical spine as one of its characteristics.  Modern dance at the start of the 20 th century rebelled against the vertical spine and introduced the idea of ‘freedom’ in the spine. Along with this went a mobile tilting, twisting and curving of the spine. Isadora Duncan led this rebellion, later followed by Martha Graham and Merce Cunningham.

 There are interesting contrasting uses of the spine in the various genres of dance. The style of the vertical torso gives ballet its distinctive ethereal lightness, and facilitates the execution of characteristic multiple pirouettes and soaring jumps with greater ease.  The characteristic deep back bends and high arabesques require strong abdominal muscles to resist gravity, making a stable platform for the thoracic spine to arch away from. A safety tip is to stretch the lumbar spine upwards before bending.  The epaulement of the shoulders starts in the thoracic vertebrae. This is where the ‘wind up’ preparation for pirouettes begins.

Modern influences  For Isadora Duncan the name of the game was freedom.  Along with this went a mobile twisting, tilting, curving spine. This allowed a wider range of expressivity for the choreographer, and dance has never looked the same since.  The spiral twists of the torso typical of many modern dance styles start in the thoracic vertebrae.  The so called contraction of the Martha Graham technique is in fact an extension of the spine, not a bend. The corset of the abdominal muscles contracts as the erector spinae extends resulting in the characteristic curving torso.

Jazz  In Jazz dance too the erector spinae is stretched and strengthened during the characteristic pelvic forward and backwards thrusts.  Also in the Jazz body roll exercise the erector spinae is strengthened as it contracts to arch the back, on the forward, downward phrase of the roll.