But as Pilates continues to gain popularity--many dancers now teach it as well as take it--some have started turning to it as a shortcut for staying in shape. Working full-time and rehearsing at night (an economic reality for many dancers) puts a strain on attending morning class. What's more, choices for class have shrunk in many locales. It's no surprise that dancers can be all-too-tempted to substitute a Pilates workout.
But relying on Pilates can have an impact on overall ability. Bessie Award-winning improvisational choreographer Jennifer Monson has noticed the toll on young dancers with whom she is working. I see the impact of yoga and Pilates on peoples' bodies: more unusual shapes and tight torsos, says Monson. Dancing is three-dimensional, she points out, while Pilates tends toward the linear. The movement sequences are isolated, and performed solo. Although today it varies from studio to studio, music usually isn't used in classes. This can leave dancers who rely on Pilates at a disadvantage. Dance requires musicality and phrasing--and these qualities are not inherent in Pilates exercise programs, says Elizabeth Larkam, a Pilates teacher in San Francisco who often works with dancers. Dancers can get fascinated with the biomechanical specificity of their technique, neglecting rhythm and phrasing.
PILATES' LIMITATION is its approach to space and flow, agrees Karen Donelson, a New York City performing arts physical therapist. The older dancers I work with notice an increasing lack of musicality in their younger colleagues. By replacing exercise for dancing, are we subtly perceiving and acting in a way that is reducing our ability to express ourselves fully?
Dancers can't expect to get everything they need in one place and Pilates' real potency lies as a companion rather than as an equivalent of a dance class. The list of benefits it offers is impressive: Pilates allows a certain luxury of space, time, and internal awareness. With the exception of mat class, you work alone or one-on-one with a teacher. Dancers finally get off their feet as they are repositioned in gravity on the reformer. Pilates and dance go hand in hand. It's the best form of exercise for placement and for building strength in your placement. I can't believe some dancers are just coming to it now, says Houston Ballet prima ballerina Lauren Anderson.
