Dr. Rick's Health Tip of the Month
April 2000
Good Dancing Posture and Biomechanics
By Rick Allen, DC
Here are three tips for applying the rules of good posture and biomechanics to achieve better dancing:
- Ground yourself - imagine your feet are suction cups sticking to the floor.
- Center yourself over the balls of your feet.
- Stand with good dancing posture:
- Imagine a balloon lifting your head,
- Keep your chin level,
- Torso/chest up - Imagine upper back at T4 pulled up and back (T4 is the fourth thoracic vertebra, located about 1/4 the way down your back, between your shoulder blades.),
- Shoulders down, with shoulder blades back,
- Lift your abdominal wall,
- Put your hip joints forward, and
- Drop your tailbone toward the floor, rather than tucking your tail.
You are invited to watch a half-hour video of good and bad posture on the beach in Fort Lauderdale, Florida by Paul St. John, LMT. It is a real eye-opener. Please call if you would like to watch it at my clinic: 503-257-1324.
Dr. Rick Allen is a chiropractor, massage therapist and dance student who splits his time between Portland, Oregon and Trout Lake Washington. Dr. Rick welcomes your questions and suggestions for future articles. However, he cannot make specific diagnoses or treatment recommendations unless you visit him in person. He can be reached by phone at 503-257-1324 in Portland, 509-395-0024 in Trout Lake, or toll free at 1-888-247-3248, email or on the World Wide Web: www.CascadeWellnessClinic.com
DISCLAIMER: The information included in this website is meant to encourage thinking concerning choices of care for and insight pertaining to possible causes of various problems. It is not a prescription for or diagnosis of any disease or condition. Suggestions are based on the assumption by the writer that a thorough examination was done previously and the reader is under care by a healthcare professional. This information is not a substitute for a live doctor.
© Dr. Rick Allen
Cascade Wellness Clinic