Technical Tuesday Spine
The spinal column is made up of 33 individual bone, all stacked
neatly on top of one another. This forms the all-important pillar of support
for the body, and allows movements like bending and twisting that dancers do all
the time. This vertebral column also serves to protect the spinal cord and
allows pathways for spinal nerves to follow.
The spine has a natural S-shaped curve made up of five different
sections: the neck area (includes 7 cervical vertebrae, C-1-C-7), the middle
area (the 12 thoracic vertebrae, T1-T12), the lower area (5 lumbar vertebrae,
L1-L5), and the bottom area (the sacrum – a composite bone formed by the fusion
of 5 vertebrae). The sacrum
articulates with L5 and the coccyx
(tailbone).
Think of the S-curve in the spine as a spring, because this
slight, natural curve gives the body resiliency – the ability to absorb shock –
when jumping, for example. Dancers should always warm up their spine by
articulating one vertebrae at a time, instead of imagining it as a single solid
beam.
From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:
Ballet Secret #24j:
“An adult spine has a natural S-shaped curve.”
Link of the Day:
Quote
of the Day:
“Happiness is when what you think, what
you say, and what you do are in harmony.”
― Mahatma Gandhi
― Mahatma Gandhi
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