Timeless Insights: Posture with Carolena
This month we’re going DEEP into posture with our new advanced level “Master Class” series Rebuild Your Posture From the Inside Out. We also kicked off our first vlogcast episode on our YouTube Channel with an episode titled The Importance of Posture.
This week we are sharing a treasure of an article written by Carolena for a column in her newsletter from 1997!!
It’s no secret that I love Tribal Talk: A Retrospective and even after all these years I enjoy revisiting the articles. Thanks to Carolena for permission to share this one with you all:
I think it's fitting to feature Posture as my first column topic, as it's always the first thing I emphasize when teaching a class. And, as my regular students know, it's the thing I continue to emphasize throughout the training process!
Over the years, people have questioned me about what they perceive as an "arched back" used in our style. This misconception is probably the result of seeing performance only, or in the case of instruction, not recognizing the postural realignment and muscles involved in dance posture.Truly, an arched back, or hyperextension of the lumbar spine, would not only limit control of the belly muscles (they would become tight) but could cause pain and possible injury to low back.
When we come to dance, we make a transformation from everyday posture, to one that allows more freedom of movement and an esthetically pleasing silhouette. In daily posture the spine is designed to support the entire upper body without strain on the muscular system. The curves occurring naturally along the spine are an ingenious support system, placed in such a way as to facilitate balancing the weight of the head, shoulders, and ribcage.
In this daily posture the top of the pelvis rocks forward, bottom rocks backward, backward, providing an environment for the tailbone to be used as a “rudder” for movement in the upper body. In dance posture, the top of the pelvis is rocked backward and the bottom forward, placing the weight in the heels, behind the natural center of the body. This weight shift should release the tailbone and allow it to "hang," providing more mobility. But now, the ribcage is left too far forward of the center. By rolling the shoulders back, spreading the shoulder blades apart and lifting the ribcage, we temporarily redesign the curves in the spine to balance the body without putting new strain on the muscles needed for dance movements.
What some perceive as an arched back (which would include a hyperextension of the tailbone) is really a neutral tailbone with a lifted ribcage, providing a new fulcrum for movement just under the diaphragm. It is a stable point, the way the tailbone was in daily posture.
The lift in the ribcage is not achieved by any active contraction in the abdominal muscles, but is affected by the contraction of a team of muscles in the back, along the spine. Some people find this posture uncomfortable and hard to maintain at first. However, with time and conscious effort, it begins to feel natural, even essential for dance movement. One is not leaning back, but simply shifting the weight behind the natural center of the body.
Aesthetically, this lifted ribcage and neutral spine suit the movements and powerful attitude of Tribal style dance. Everybody understands the body language of a lifted ribcage, it denotes confidence; a sagging ribcage demonstrates defeat and poor self-esteem. An over inflated ribcage signals insecurity being covered up by exaggerated posture. One must appear comfortable in dance posture, not defensive. This is not to say that the neutral ribcage/upper body seen in other, more traditional styles of BellyDance is wrong. It is purely a choice made by the dancer, to suit the movement and attitude of that style.
Try this exercise: stand with your feet close together, perhaps with the heels touching and toes rotated out just enough to provide balance (not a ballet turnout). Point you finger at your bellybutton and push the waist back, at the same time releasing the tailbone instead of lifting it in hyperextension. Now, feel how the ribcage is not comfortable, left hanging in the front of the old center. To change this, roll the shoulders back, spread the shoulder blades and lift the ribcage by contracting in the mid-back. This should result in a feeling that the spine is again the main support of the upper body, providing a grounded stance that will allow you to move in any direction necessary.
Experiment with the degree of lift, everybody is different in this respect. Don’t over-lift the ribcage, as this will result in a lack of mobility. Save the super-lift in the ribcage for emphasis in dance steps, like the bodywave or ribcage rotation.
Copyright ©2005. Courtesy of Carolena Nericcio and FCBD, Inc..