Cross Training for Dancers | Part 2 - Core

In our first blog post of the series, we mentioned the purpose and benefits of cross training and shared an exercise for strengthening turnout. The cross training focus for this post is the core.

The core muscles are some of the most powerful muscles in the human body for a dancer, making a strong core a necessity in ballet.

The core is important for balance, extensions, coordination, and control (just to name a few). With several different muscles comprising the core, there are different exercises that target different parts of the abdomen.

The video in this post provides guidelines for a proper plank. A plank exercise is great for quickly activating the whole core. While this exercise is fairly known, we want to make sure our dancers know the correct cues for a good plank form. Learn how to improve your planks and your core strength from Ballet 5:8 Associate Artistic Director Brette Benedict.