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Home > Dance Q&A
Back Flexibiliy
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Dear Dancehelp,
I took dance for three years when I was younger, and I started dancing again last year. I am interested in trying out for the competition dance team that my dance instructor runs. My problem is that I have very little flexibility in my back and it prevents me from performing to my potential. Part of the problem is that I was in a horseback riding accident a few years back, and that caused it to be stiff, another problem is that I've gone years with out stretching my back, and I have some fatty tissue on the lower sides of my back (where my hip bones are.) I'm not a big person. I am 5' 1'' and I weigh 111 lbs. It's just that the fat tissue is blocking me from stretching (it gets in the way). So I was wondering if you had any workouts I could do to minimize my back fat, and gain flexibility in my back.
Thank you,
Sarah H.
Dear Sarah,
The first thing you need to do is to accept your body as is. Every body has physical limitations. I can tell you that i've danced for over 15 years and my back was never terribly flexible either. I made up for it in my leg flexibility and I stretched every single day. You may want to try deep tissue massage as well as a chiropracter to get an opinion on this. If your back has some sort of malfunction - you will have to find out your options for treating it - or will have to accept the limitations it brings. You can still have a wonderful dancing experiance depending on the work you put into it. Many dancers have these limitations - naturally even. We all make due with what we've been given, and try our best. Now this extra weight on your back, my only suggestion for this is eating a very healthy and balanced diet, regular exercise and stretching. If it stops you from going further you'll have to wrestle with it until it shrinks from the hard work you've done. Dance is not easy - and to become flexible as well as an accomplished dancer - takes a lot of work. years of work! So don't give up, keep your head up!
Thanks and happy dancing,
Dancehelp
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