Copyright Kathryn Whittington September 2010
Anatomy of the pelvis
The pelvis is one of the most important areas of the body for bellydancers, as so many of
the movements we do involve the pelvis and upper thigh. Understanding how the pelvis is
put together and works with the surrounding musculature can help dancers to accomplish
precise hip movements, and maintain a stable frame for leg movements.
The pelvis varies slightly between males and females. The female pelvis is wider and has
a number of small variations to allow for childbirth. The pelvis also has a huge affect on
gait (the way you walk). The pelvis is present in all mammals, but its morphology varies
depending on whether the species walks upright or on all fours. If you compare the human
pelvis to that of a lemur or old world monkey, it is ʻshorterʼ to allow us to walk upright more
comfortably. This shortening has changed the way the head of the femur articulates with
the acetabulum which makes an upright posture more comfortable, and allows the legs to
swing smoothly underneath when we walk.
The pelvis is also important to dancers because the centre of gravity is located in this area,
just in front of the sacrum. Understanding this location and allowing for it when balancing
or moving is important to all dancers.
The skeleton
The pelvis as essentially a large bone bowl. It comes in two halves and articulates with the
sacrum at the base of the spine. Each half of the pelvis is made of three separate bones,
which grow and fuse as we develop through childhood. These bones are the ilium, the
ischium and the pubis (see below). The sacrum articulates with each side of the pelvis at
region the auricular surface (ear-shaped surface, so called because it looks like an ear).
The bones of the pelvis (from Green Haas)
The femur, or upper leg bone articulates with the pelvis, in the socket that is located where
the three regions of the pelvis join. This is called the acetabulum. It is a ball and socket
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Copyright Kathryn Whittington September 2010
joint, much like that at the shoulder, but it is much deeper and a more secure joint as a
result.
Musculature
Most dance injuries occur in the lower body, and most non-serious ones are usually the
result of poor technique and posture, especially in the pelvic region.
The main muscle of concern in this region is the iliopsoas muscle which is a huge muscle
running from the spine down to the inner thigh. It crosses the hip joint, and if strengthened
supports the leg during rotational movements and when flexing and extending the thigh. It
is the main hip-flexor muscle and in most individuals is tight and weak. It is the muscle
which allows you to get your legs above 90 degrees when you kick. However in order to do
this it must shorten which can result in the pelvis tilting forward which is to be avoided! In
order to prevent this it is important the muscle is stretched to introduce more flexibility.
The muscles of the pelvis (from Green Haas)
There are other important muscles in this area. The Gluteus medius and minimus help with
abduction and hip stabalisation and are particularly useful when lifting the legs out to the
side.
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Copyright Kathryn Whittington September 2010
Bellydance is unusual as a dance form as we DO discuss our pelvic floor muscles. These
muscles line the base of the pelvis between the coccyx and the publis and are important
for pelvic stability. At a basic level when we move our pelvis into a ʻtuckedʼ position, the
coccyx and publis (the ʻsit bonesʻ) move slightly further together as these muscles
contract, and the opposite happens when we arch the lower back out. Exercises to
strengthen the pelvic floor muscles are very useful to all dancers.
There are six deep muscles that are involved in turnout of the hip joint. These are located
underneath the gluteus maximus and are; the piriformis (connecting the sacrum and the
posterior ilium with the grater trochanter of the femur), the obturator internus and obturator
externus (which connect the ischium and the pubic bone with the greater trochanter), the
gemellus inferior and gemellus superior (which contain the lower ischium with the ʻsit
bonesʼ and the greater trochanter) and the quadratus femoris (that also connects the sit
bones with the greater trochanter). These muscles assist the larger muscles to keep your
leg in a good position when executing moves like arabesques, or when in plié.
Some people (myself included) have a morphology called Anteversion which is caused by
the placement of the femur in the acetabulum causing the femur to rotate further inwards
than usual and can make turnout challenging. Exercise to strengthen the muscles which
allow turnout can help, and should be undertaken anyway to allow the knees to sit parallel
to each other when in a normal standing posture, which is safer overall for the dancer.
Further reading
ʻDance anatomyʼ by Jacqui Greene Haas (chapter five) - this also contains a number of
useful strengthening exercises
Any medical anatomy textbook.
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