It's time to geek out some more!! I'm staying away from arms and shoulders since I'm teaching a whole workshop on them in January...so let's move this nerdy party a little lower!

We all use the term "glutes" and most people assume by "glutes" we are referring to both butt cheeks. BUTT, did you know that there are THREE gluteus muscles on each hip? You've heard of the gluteus maximus, butt what about the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus? They don't get the attention they deserve!

First, I want to make sure everyone's on the same page about something..... in American Tribal Style® Belly dance, we do not want to isometrically contract (clench, if you will) the gluteus maximus. We love the big, bouncy, earthy shimmy that we get by relaxing our hips. The gluteus muscles work to stabilize this pelvis. Why on earth would we want to stabilize our pelvis if we are trying to shimmy? 

BUTT some of our gluteus muscles concentrically contract to create movement while we are executing some of our steps. These are the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus. It's nearly impossibly to isometrically contract these muscles (contract without moving them) so the concept of keeping the glutes relaxed is totally correct and valid. But technically some of them will contract naturally to create movement. It's important to think about these as natural contractions. We don't want to actively think about contracting them because then we'll only end up contracting the gluteus maximus and we definitely don't want that.

Just to be sure we are totally clear. Look at the image below.
Contract only your gluteus maximus. Easy right? Now relax them.
Contract only your gluteus minimus. How'd it go? How about only your gluteus medius? 
Now you get my point?

So what the heck do these other glutes do? Well, their main function is to abduct (take away from the mid-line of the body) and also to internally rotate our hip. 
To feel abduction: Stand up tall and take your right leg out to the side. Tadaaa....abduction. 
To feel internal rotation: point your toes inward. 
You can even do both at the same time :)

So how the hell does this relate to dance? Well.... when do we take our leg out to the side? Choo choos! When do we internally rotate? pivots, three point turns and many more. 

If you find that after a long class of hip bumps you are feeling some muscle fatigue on the outside of your hip. You are probably feeling your gluteus medius and minimus! This is a sign to check in with your feet! If your right foot is out farther than it needs to be, then you are abducting (leg away from your body). When you add a hip bump on top of this abduction...of course you are going to feel the burn!

For a hip/pivot bump, your feet should be comfortably together. Most weight in your left leg. Both legs are active, but the left is more weight bearing giving the right leg some freedom to move. 

Then it will feel really great to stretch out each side. I love this seated stretch. Be sure you are sitting up nice and tall, especially before taking it into a deeper twist.

So there it is! We we are using some of our glutes, but we definitely aren't thinking about the contraction to make it happen. Always think about relaxing the glutes. They'll provide the movement and stability needed while giving you the freedom of movement!

​If you have any questions please feel free to contact me deanna@pranadancecompany.com

I've been holding back on anatomy posts because I felt like I was boring people. Who wants to learn about anatomy and kinesiology when there is "new stuff" and "dialect". Well....us hard core technique lovers apparently! So I've decided to share more of what I love and not care so much about what others think. This is part of my "letting go" of trying to please others and becoming more self-aware of what I want to accomplish in life (more on that at a later time). So ready or not, I'm about to let my true geek nature fly. 

Starting with a muscle some of you might not have heard of, but plays a HUGE part in our dance posture.

LONG LIVE OUR LONGISSIMUS!
​
The Longissimus muscle is an intermediate back muscle and one of the three muscles that form the column of erector spinae (the muscles that elongate the spine amongst other things). It’s the largest of the erector spinae and located in the middle of the three. The erector spinae are located on each side of the spine, so you have a left and a right Longissimus!

The insertion point is very interesting! The longissimus attaches to the lower part of each rib and eventually into the neck. This means when it contracts, it “pulls down” on the rib cage which in effect, lifts the torso. I know it sound counter-intuitive,  but think about how you “pull down” on the string of your window blinds in order to lift them up! Cool huh?! Especially since so many of us might feel like this guy when it comes to maintaining our posture in all our movements!

​This muscle (along with so many others) is essential to our posture! It’s not one that can really be isolated, so when you are working to strengthen and elongate the Longissimus, you also get the benefit of working so many other muscles!

My favorite ways to work on the Longissimus and other postural muscles is through the following yoga postures:

Mountain Pose – Standing nice and tall. Feeling all parts of your feet rooted down evenly into the floor. Then thinking about trying to touch the ceiling with the crown of your head! You can also try this in a seated posture. Instead of your feet, think about your sitting bones  (where your femur, leg bone, inserts into your hip socket at your butt) and use the same elongating feeling…. Crown of your head reaching up to the ceiling. Think this sounds too easy? See how long you sit there! This is the posture meditators work so hard on for years to help them sit up straight for a longer time.

Halfway Lift – Bending forward, keeping your spine long, fold forward half way. Now imagine the crown of your head reaching forward (keep the back of your neck long, don’t look forward). You can bring your hands to your shins or thighs for support. Be sure to engage your core and not sway your back. 

Locust Pose – It’s harder than it looks!! There are a few ways to do this posture, but for now, let’s start with this version.  Start by laying on your belly. Chin down on the floor and arms down by your side, palms down. Imagine the crown of your head reaching forward (just like our half way lift). Be sure to keep your shoulders down and away from your ears. Keeping this long spine, hips and legs together and firmly on the floor, begin to lift your shoulders off the floor. Breath! Lower and repeat a few more times.  For beginners, I find it’s best to keep your legs on the floor so you’ll really focus on your thoracic (middle) spine and not be tempted to get your lumbar (low) spine involved.

These three exercises will really help your dance posture and make your lower body movements more isolated!! YES I said it! These three postures will absolutely help your shimmies!

Long live isolated shimmies and long live our Longissimus!