1. HOW TO BUILD A MEANINGFUL BRIDGE BETWEEN PHYSIOTHERAPY, EXERCISE, AND DANCE WITHOUT BEING OVERWHELMED? 


Physiotherapy and dance - it's all about building bridges. 
This blog post is about finding connections between self-development, dance art, exercise, and therapeutic approaches so that you won't be stressed. Did you know that the Authentic Ballet concept serves dancers so they can be successful with performing their art and at the same time be able to take care of themselves as individuals? 
If dancers wish to succeed with self-care, they need a strong body, soul, and mind. Through intelligent training and the knowledge and tools to integrate an individual's cognitive, emotional, spiritual (and more!) sides, you can achieve that. We all know that intelligent exercising can improve dancers' technique and well-being, and find many videos about this topic. 
But do we know how to benefit from exercise tips for dancers in a simple, self-empowering way without being overwhelmed? For many dancers, it is a problem, so that's why I'll now focus on only one type of exercise, a bridge exercise.
I hope that this one focus will create an essential and meaningful connection to what you already know and that it will contribute in a positive way to your dancer's wellness process. 


2. 'BRIDGE' AS A PHYSICAL EXERCISE AND A METAPHOR.


Last year in Oslo, I participated in an exciting course arranged by the Progressing Ballet Technique Europe for Teachers, which inspired me to write this blog post. In the class, I learned some intelligent, specific, and practical tools to improve the classical ballet technique and prevent injuries caused by the lack of pelvic stability and proprioceptive control. These tools are now an integrated part of my everyday practice, and I would like to share them with dancers, dance teachers, and therapists in my AB Blog. I have included various perspectives, which I hope will interest you. 


Why is it all about building bridges? 


First, I'll present the two concepts of the term 'bridge,' which I consider interesting for all who work with dance. These are:
1. A 'bridge' is a physical start position for an exercise, often used as a fitness exercise, and ballet-inspired.
2. A 'bridge' as a metaphor for 'integration' to everyday life, to relationships, to your dance community, and your process. 
In my everyday practice as a physiotherapist working with dancers, I also think about these two questions:
1. Which intelligent workout approach could be good for me to know more about to benefit you as a dancer?
2. What kind of knowledge and tools could be helpful for your well-being as a professional dancer?
So now, let's talk about a 'bridge' as a start point for physical exercise. 


3. HOW TO CHALLENGE YOUR BODY WITH A FITNESS BALL?


A strong body center, where the activation of the core muscles is crucial for the feeling and connecting to the base, while another part of the body moves. I compare this activity to a muscular 'grounding.' 
It's interesting how this muscular 'grounding' influences the wholeness in dancing. You can learn to connect to this strong center simply by practicing on the start position, 'the bridge.' It is a position where you hold your pelvis up and away from the floor while supporting your feet and upper back. 
When I studied soma-cognitive physiotherapy in Norway, a unique body-mind therapy, I learned the term: 'dorsal pelvis lift.' 'Dorsal' means that you are lying on your back. Although, in the 'bridge' exercise, there is not much of your back in contact with the floor. In general, there is not much support available when we use a big fitness or Swiss ball when doing this exercise. 
When the pelvis is up and the feet on the ball, there is only the upper part of the back of a part of a shoulder girdle, which makes contact with the ground. In addition, there are some parts of the legs and feet relaxing on the ball and creating a connection. This support is very challenging for your balance. If you have a big fitness ball, try out this position by yourself, and sense how it influences your pelvic stability and activates your core muscles, the butt, the back of your thigh, the calf, and even your ankles. 
Progressing Ballet Technique is an approach to the ballet technique that uses a lot of this starting 'bridge' position. From the bridge, you can challenge yourself by minimizing the surfaces of support and the ground contact to activate the core muscles to the maximum. In the end, your body will memorize precisely where you have to work and hold the position to keep reasonable postural control and incorporate this skill into dance! Using equipment like a Swiss ball (together with a TheraBand so that the arms can be in motion) is a challenging but straightforward measure for your body!
You can be surprised by how strong the effect will be on your feeling of stability. Especially the first times when the body reacts during the exercise with being off-balance. Every time you practice the 'bridge,' you will be surprised and impressed by how the body adapts to this challenge. You will also discover that the power of muscular memory is an excellent resource for your dancing. Try this! Go up in a bridge position, placing your feet on the ball and the shoulder girdle staying in contact with the floor. 
Sense how the body automatically attempts to balance you. In addition, if you move your head from side to side or lift your arms up and over your head, then you will challenge yourself even more! Place a TheraBand under your feet, and with a sufficient distance between the legs, lift the elbows to the side, which will activate the core muscles even more. When you move the elbows to the side, you can feel the power on your arms' front and back. In addition, as there won't be more contact between the upper part of your arm and the floor, your pelvis stability will work even harder!
If that's a lot of information, please download a little summary of the five examples of the bridge exercise with 
variations by clicking here: 

4. HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR BALANCE POTENTIAL AS A DANCER?


Why is this 'bridge' position so bright and helps you to stress down? I would say it's because this is a typical muscle memory exercise that is very clear and gives you challenges you can master. In addition, at the moment you come out to the center and start to dance your challenging choreography, your muscles will (even if it's not the same context!), remember the work from the 'bridge' position, and the muscles automatically will protect your balance in 'danger.' 
Moreover, with the correct activation of the core-pelvis-back-butt muscles, your turnout will connect as well. This activation will protect you from grievous harm and overload on the back, hips, knees, and ankles when you perform an outward rotation movement. The muscles which 'remember' well will also establish a good base for your actual range of motion and even improve it by allowing more joint space. With all these skills, you will perform different ballet movements without the risk of lousy body placement. You'll be able to work with a good range of motion, which is the essentials of injury prevention. Sounds genius, but a little complex? 
If yes, I would recommend you start with the elevated 'bridge' position as often as possible. Just try it and sense how it influences your body! As you can see in our summary of the five bridge exercises for dancers, this fundamental position has many challenging variations. The balance- and stability challenges are enjoyable and give you a feeling of mastering as you'll realize very fast that your body can memorize the mentioned skills. The big exercise ball provides you with the necessary feedback you need to activate proper, deep muscles. You can practice with a ball in addition to your exercises. And 20 min./three times a week will probably be enough to see the difference in your technique and performance. Even if you don't have a ball on stage (and it's good, you don't need more challenge there than you already have! :)), your muscles will connect anyway as they remember how to support you and keep a good balance. In addition, the sensation of proper placement and balance will also positively impact your ability to cope with nerves as the brain will explain this message of balance as an order in the brain networks. For the brain, it means peace and lack of chaos which must be great for dancers working on stage because balance and control mean everything for a dancer.
It is only my experience and the inspiration I got from attending the Progressing Ballet Technique course.
With my professional knowledge as a physiotherapist, I wanted to share it with you, and I hope it makes sense. If you wish to know more about the PBT technique and classes, you can find more information on their web page.
And, what about the 'bridge' position as a part of our lives?


5. 'BRIDGE' AS A LINK TO YOUR DANCER LIFE.


Building bridges in physiotherapy, dance, your work out and your life outside of the ballet studio also has an existential aspect.
The 'bridge,' for me as a therapist, symbolizes a relationship without imbalances in power, based on trust and dialogue. I strongly believe in the therapy approaches that allow your experiences to be at the center of attention. In the therapy room, you should be the main person who invites new things to your body. A therapist forcing you towards their expertise is, in my opinion, a therapist who overlooks your actual needs. 
As a therapist, I can only create a space making your process of exploring and transforming blossom. So my tip is to find a therapist you can connect with, who will listen to you, observe you with empathy, and give you the necessary feedback that makes you grow and doesn't make you feel like an object. 


The last thing I would like to write about in this post is the dance community. I think about this ideal community as supportive, encouraging, and positive for you. 
My experience is to try and avoid people who make you feel guilty or not good enough. If it's possible, I'll try to build a 'bridge' between you and this kind of person. If they only drain your energy and give nothing back, you should let the relationship go without taking it too seriously. 
In the end, it's your choice how to cope with the circumstances around you. And when you are in contact with yourself and your body (the bridge exercises can help you achieve that!), you can define better who feels supportive for you and whose company loses you for energy. 
When I participated in the PBT course, the dance community gave me a feeling of being a part of something we could share without judging each other. The familiar feeling of sharing and learning gave me warmth and meaning into my everyday life as a physiotherapist and an authentic ballerina. 
Keep being open to the world (work on your turnout muscles- more about this in the Cecchetti- inspired post coming soon!!), and never stop the beauty of your developing process as a dancer. 
My final tip is, don't be afraid of trying new things. You will probably fall off the ball at the start, and it's entirely a natural reaction. The worst thing that could happen is to activate your 'laugh muscles,' and laughing can be good for you to relieve the pressures of life. 


My final words are for you to build bridges in any way possible. Bridges for physical strength, relationships, companionship, power core, turn out, mental integration, and reconnecting your body to your social life. The bridge is a fantastic starting point for everything. When you see a physical bridge, you stop being overwhelmed because it leads you from A to B. It's your choice whether or not you cross the bridge. 
You can visualize the bridge as an act of connection to yourself and others. I believe this could be a gift for you anytime you feel off-balance. 
Good luck with building bridges!
I hope you enjoyed this blog post, and thanks so much for reading it.
Happy New Year!


P.S. Remember to download the five examples of a bridge exercise!