Dance Anatomy
Bianca Lauletta
Dance Anatomy
• It is not necessary for a dancer to know the
name of every muscle in the body
• However, it is important for a dancer to care
for the muscles in the body that are most
important to their movement.
• “Dance Anatomy brings to life the relationship
between muscle development and dancing. It
is a must-read for every dancer.” -Victoria
Morgan
The Foot
• The foot is the most important part of the body for the
Dancer.
• The foot consists of twenty-six bones, twenty-nine joints,
thirty-one muscles, and many ligaments, tendons, nerves,
arteries and veins.
• The bones of the foot are divided into three groups; seven
tarsal bones, five metatarsal bones and fourteen phalange
bones. The two largest and most important of the tarsal
bones are the Talus and the Calcaneum, (otherwise known
as the heel bone).
• Dancer should always wear the right shoes while dancing to
prevent injury.
• Always see a doctor when you have pain.
The Toes
• DANGER: cracking your toes, or crunching them
under can dry out the joints and may later lead to
arthritis.
• The phalanges are the bones of the toes
themselves, and each toe has three except for the
big toe, which has only two.
• Massage your toes before and after dancing to
relieve any tension.
• Gently press thumb into the metatarsal area and
also the ball of the foot.
• Massage each toe at the joint.
The Mid-Section
• Arch of the foot is very important, laces
should not be tied around the arch – it can
damage it.
• The top of the foot is also a very tender area.
• Muscle, blood, and tendon damage can occur
here.
The Ankle
• There is a great deal of movement in the toes and in
the ankle region but some of the other bones have
very little movement between them.
• Another important joint for dancers is the Ankle joint,
located between the talus and the inferior ends of the
tibia and fibula bones.
• Both these bones have a downward projection, which
enclose the talus and stabilize the ankle joint.
• The lateral ligament is the one that you damage when
you sprain your ankle and if it becomes completely
torn, the ankle becomes very unstable.
The Ankle Cont.
• The only movement that can occur in the ankle
joint is pointing and flexing of the foot. The
medical terms for these actions are Plantarflexion for pointing of the foot, controlled by the
Soleus muscle and Dorsi-flexion for the flexion of
the foot controlled by the Tibialis anterior.
• The Subtalar joint provides the other movement
of the ankle. The movement occurring in this
joint is a side-to-side rolling movement, which
allows you to adapt to a sloping or uneven
ground.
The Heel
• Use a pad to relieve pressure on Plantar Fasciitis,
because Plantar injury can occur.
• WATCH for pain on the heel bone, under the heel,
and also the tendon.
• Do not tie around the heel area, it can inflame
the Achilles tendon and cause injury.
• The lower end of the Achilles tendon is attached
to the calcaneum and the talus sits on top of the
calcaneum, the joint between them is known as
the Subtalar joint.
Muscles of the Foot
• The muscles of the foot can be divided into two main
groups; Intrinsic and Extrinsic.
• The intrinsic muscles are short and relatively weak and are
contained only in the foot.
• The extrinsic muscles are powerful, and are found in the
lower leg with their tendons passing through the ankle
region exert their effect within the foot.
• Dancers who continually dance on a hard floor will
sometimes develop pain above the calcaneus in the area of
the Achilles tendon; this condition, commonly referred to a
dancer’s heel, is caused by inflammation secondary to
trauma in the joint between the calcaneus and the talus
Fractures
• You can experience a stress (hairline) fracture
to the metatarsal bone if you continually
dance on hard surfaces.
• The fracture is the consequence of
accumulated impact and shock.
• Symptoms may be swelling and redness.
These subside with rest but may resume with
activity.