Why More Strength Isn't Always the Answer in Dance
You've been doing your strengthening exercises.
Maybe you've been working on your core, improving your hip strength, or adding exercises to support your balance.
You know you're getting stronger.
And yet, there's still that one movement in dance class that doesn't feel quite right.
Maybe it's balancing on one leg, pointing your toes in spring points , or moving smoothly through a turn.
You can do the movement, but it takes more effort than you expect.
Or perhaps you notice that one side feels completely different from the other.
Your first thought might be that you need to get stronger.
And sometimes that's true.
But what if strength isn't the only piece worth looking at?
Having strength and knowing how to use that strength during movement are two different things.
As dancers, you ask our bodies to do some pretty complex things.
You need strength, flexibility, balance, coordination, control, and the ability to move between different positions.
And you often need to do all of those things at the same time.
Strength training can be incredibly valuable, especially as you get older and want to continue dancing for years to come.
But getting stronger in an exercise doesn't automatically mean that strength will show up in the same way during a dance movement.
Think about a balance step.
You might have strong hip muscles and a strong core, but still struggle to feel steady.
Why?
Because your body needs to coordinate several things at once.
Your supporting foot needs to respond to the floor.
Your standing leg needs to manage your weight.
Your pelvis and trunk need to work together, and your breathing may change as you concentrate.
If those pieces aren't working together comfortably, the movement may require more effort than necessary.
And doing another set of strengthening exercises may not address the whole picture.
One of the things I pay attention to when working with dancers is how their body organizes a movement.
Not just whether they can do it.
But how they're doing it.
Let's go back to that balance step.
Perhaps you notice that your pelvis shifts when you lift your leg.
Or your lower back begins doing more of the work.
Maybe your shoulders lift, your jaw tightens, or you hold your breath without realizing it.
None of these observations automatically means something is wrong.
Our bodies are constantly adapting, and we all have different movement strategies.
But when a movement consistently feels difficult, uncomfortable, or requires more effort than expected, those patterns can give us useful information.
Instead of immediately asking, "Which muscle needs to be stronger?" we can begin asking a different question.
"What's happening throughout the rest of your body when you try to do this movement?"
This is where things can get interesting.
Dance movements rarely happen in isolation.
Take the shake in the Seann Tribhas.
It might look as though the movement is mainly about lifting the working leg.
But there's much more happening.
Your standing leg is supporting your weight.
Your pelvis is responding to the movement of your hip.
Your trunk is helping manage your position.
And your nervous system is coordinating all of those pieces while you maintain your balance.
If your pelvis shifts or your trunk changes position, that may influence how the movement feels.
Sometimes those adjustments are useful and necessary.
Other times, you may find yourself relying on a strategy that makes the movement feel more demanding.
The goal isn't to keep every part of your body perfectly still.
Dance requires movement throughout the body.
What matters is understanding how those parts work together and whether your current strategy is helping you accomplish what you're trying to do.
Have you ever noticed that you hold your breath when you're concentrating on a difficult dance step?
It's something that can happen without us even realizing it.
You might hold your breath as you lift your leg, prepare for a turn, or try to maintain a balance.
Breathing and movement are connected, particularly when we're managing balance, trunk control, and physical effort.
This doesn't mean there's one perfect breathing pattern for every dance movement.
But noticing your breathing can give you another piece of information about how you're approaching a task.
The next time you're working on a movement that feels challenging, try paying attention to what happens with your breath.
Are you holding it?
Does your breathing become shallow?
Does the movement feel different when you allow yourself to breathe more naturally?
You don't need to force a deep breath or change everything at once.
Just notice.
Sometimes awareness is a useful place to begin.
When a dance movement feels difficult, it's tempting to look for another exercise.
Another hip-strengthening exercise.
Another core routine.
Another balance challenge.
And there may be times when those exercises are exactly what you need.
But before adding more, I like to understand what's already happening.
What does the movement look like?
Where does the dancer feel the effort?
Does one side feel different?
What happens when we slow the movement down?
Does the dancer change her breathing or shift her weight differently?
Are there smaller parts of the movement that feel more manageable?
These observations help us decide what might be useful.
Sometimes that includes strengthening.
Sometimes we need to work on coordination, balance, or movement awareness.
And sometimes a small change in how the dancer approaches the movement can make it feel more manageable.
The goal isn't to collect more exercises.
It's to understand which exercises or movement practices will actually support what you're trying to do.
The next time you're in class or practicing at home, choose one familiar movement that feels harder than you think it should.
It doesn't need to be anything complicated.
Maybe it's rising onto , balancing on to the balls of your feet, standing on one leg, or moving from one position to another.
Rather than immediately repeating it several times, take a moment to notice.
Start with your supporting leg
How does your foot feel against the floor?
Are you shifting your weight?
Does one side feel more stable than the other?
Notice your pelvis and back
What happens to your pelvis as you move?
Does your lower back change position?
Are you creating tension somewhere that doesn't seem necessary?
Pay attention to your breathing
Are you holding your breath?
Can you breathe comfortably as you move?
Slow the movement down
Does moving more slowly help you notice something different?
Is there a smaller version of the movement that feels easier to coordinate?
You don't have to correct everything you notice.
And you don't need to decide that one movement pattern is good and another is bad.
You're simply gathering information.
If you've been dancing for years, you've probably noticed that your body doesn't always respond exactly the way it did when you were younger.
That doesn't mean you need to stop challenging yourself.
And it certainly doesn't mean that meaningful progress is no longer possible.
It may mean that the way you approach your training needs to evolve.
Strength training remains an important part of supporting your body as you age.
But so does coordination, balance, movement awareness, and finding strategies that allow you to use your capacity well.
You might not need to work harder at every movement.
You may need to explore a different way of organizing it.
For experienced dancers, this can be particularly interesting because you've often practiced the same movements for years.
Some movement patterns become so familiar that you no longer notice how you're doing them.
Taking time to explore those patterns can give you new information about your body.
And that information can help guide what you work on next.
I love working with dancers who want to keep dancing.
Not just for the next performance or the next class.
But for years to come.
And that means thinking beyond whether you can accomplish a movement today.
We also need to consider how it feels, how much effort it requires, and whether your training is supporting the kind of dancing you want to continue doing.
Sometimes we need more strength.
Sometimes we need more mobility.
Sometimes we need to refine coordination or develop greater confidence in a particular movement.
And often, these things work together.
There isn't one solution that applies to every dancer.
That's why I value taking the time to observe movement before deciding what to add.
I don't want to give you more work just for the sake of doing more.
I want the work you do outside dance class to make sense for what you're trying to accomplish inside the studio.
If you've been strengthening consistently but a particular dance step still feels harder than expected, consider looking at the movement from a different perspective.
Rather than asking only whether you're strong enough, begin noticing how your body is coordinating the movement.
What is your supporting leg doing?
How is your pelvis responding?
What happens through your back?
Are you holding your breath?
Does the movement feel different when you slow it down?
You may discover something worth exploring.
And if you aren't sure what you're noticing, working with someone who understands movement can help you make sense of those patterns.
Getting stronger is valuable.
But learning how to use that strength in the movements you love matters just as much.
And sometimes, before adding more exercises, the most useful next step is simply to understand how you're already moving.
At KINnection Yoga Therapy, I work with dancers who want to continue moving with greater confidence, awareness, and ease.
As a Kinesiologist and Certified Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT), I bring together movement science, body awareness, and individualized guidance to explore how your body is working during the activities you love.
We begin by looking at your movement, understanding what feels challenging, and identifying what might be useful to work on.
The goal isn't to change everything at once or give you an endless list of exercises.
It's to find an approach that feels manageable, supports your dancing, and makes sense for your body.
Bobbi Lalach, Kinesiologist and Certified Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT)KINnection Yoga Therapy