IADMS Miami 2000   [back to the Category]

Finding “Center” and Ideal Alignment through Inner Muscle Balancing   [read the french version]

Author :   Jennifer M. Stacey, M.S.

Author: Jennifer M. Stacey, M.S., Peak Performance Movement Studio, San Francisco, CA, USA

In this workshop, participants will perform simple movements from the teachings of Dr. Amy Cochran’s Physio-synthesis ("Inner Muscle Balancing"), J. Pilates, and M. Feldenkrais. Participants will notice an improvement in their posture.
Dancers use Physio-synthesis and Feldenkrais to prevent and overcome injuries, correct aberrant mechanics, and enhance performance.

Physio-synthesis:
Purpose: Establish a balance of the strength, flexibility, and functional interaction of the antagonist-agonistic pairs of muscles in the body.
Order of development:
1. Balance the outer muscle pairs.
2. Balance the inner muscles that encase each joint.
3. Synchronization; plumb line and central line of power. Application.

Principles:
1. Proper weight bearing: a coordinated interconnection (“balance”) between the foot and leg muscles that distribute the body weight evenly on the foot “tripod.”
2. Narrowing: “balance” the pelvic girdle and hip joint muscles. Aligns and stabilizes the legs, hips and lower spine.
3. Lengthening: “balance” the intervertebral spinal muscles.
4. Broadening: “balance” the thoracic and shoulder joint muscles. Aligns and stabilizes the hands, arms, shoulders, scapulae, and upper spine.
5. Head centering: balance the core muscles that connect the head to the spine. Establish proper function of the vestibular apparatus.

What can it do for the dancer?
Dancers observe an immediate improvement in their posture and performance.

This is the abstract of a paper presented at the Tenth Annual Meeting of the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science, held 27-29 October 2000 in Miami, Florida, USA. All rights are reserved by the individual author(s).