Dance Anatomy

by Jacqui Greene Haas

Experience the raw energy and aesthetic beauty of dance as you perfect your technique with Dance Anatomy. Featuring hundreds of full-color illustrations, Dance Anatomy presents more than 100 of the most effective dance, movement, and performance exercises, each designed to promote correct alignment, improved placement, proper breathing, and prevention of common injuries. The exercises are drawn in stunning detail, capturing the dancer in motion and highlighting the active muscles associated with each movement so you can develop and strengthen different areas of the body. You will clearly see how muscular development translates into greater poise and elegance on the stage.

Each chapter addresses a key principle of movement to help you improve performance, beginning with the center of the body, where dance begins. You will learn exercises to target specific areas, such as shoulders and arms, pelvis, and lower legs to enhance flexibility and ensure safety. You will also discover more efficient ways of improving your lines and technique by implementing a supplementary conditioning program that takes into account your changing cycles of classes, practices, and times of rest.

Regardless of your ability level or dance style, Dance Anatomy will help you master the impeccable balance, intense muscular control, and grace to prepare you for your next leading role!

Genres: Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

Published November 29, 2017

Reviews

[Luludoludovic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect book to understand your anatomy and how to strengthen your body as a dancer. My only disappointment is that this book does not help to increase your flexibility when it should do more than mentioning it.

[Lori Hooten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dance Anatomy presents anatomy to the reader in a focused, clear manner that helps understand how the body works and how that relates to dance. It includes not just the anatomy of the body but how that works and how different parts can be strong or weak, along with exercised to help focus that movement in ways that are beneficial to the dancer. It is a dance focused science book that deals directly with the health, safety, strength, and injury prevention for the dancer.

Chapters include The Dancer In Motion, Brain Health, Injury Prevention, Spine, Ribs and Breath, Core, Shoulders and Arms, Pelvis and Hips, Legs, Ankles and Feet, and Whole-Body Training for Dancers. There is an exercise finder at the back, as each chapter talks about different exercises that will help strengthen or work on injury.

I really like the clear and easy writing of this book and how understandable it is. It is quite in depth with the way the body works without being overwhelming, as so many dance related science texts are.
Dance Anatomy will be the first part of a dance kinesiology and anatomy credit for my high schooler. I have read about 1/3 of the book in depth and skimmed carefully the remainder.

[Keira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good reference for professional dancers and anatomy students, but not suitable for someone who doesn’t understand the jargon from both disciplines. Would be better if there are relevant illustrations for every muscle and bone next to the text that mentions them.