The following is a full transcript of the interview given by Ms. Carelli to The Warrior Messenger’s Bianca Phillips about alignment in dance
HOST: BIANCA PHILLIPS: What is your role in Woodbridge Middle School?
Ms. Carrelli (WMS dance teacher): I am a dance teacher and club adviser for the dance committee at WMS.
BP: How does good alignment help prevent injuries?
MC: Alignment really helps prevent injury because it allows you to understand how your body stacks, it understands how your body parts move, and how they move successfully with each other and it over all just allows you to operate and function safer in your body which will lead to less injury.
BP: What are some common alignment mistakes dancers make
MC: Oftentimes alignment has a lot to do with the upper body so it typically has to do with lack of engagement with the ribs flared, and the pelvis not engaged or disconnected and the abs not engaged, which is super common especially as dancers are growing and their bodies are changing.
BP: How does alignment affect balance and movement in dance?
MC: If you’re in proper body alignment and if you’re engaging those muscles successfully it will aid in balancing because you can find your center quicker, you can find your center mid line of your body will allow you to find lift and length.
BP: What advice would you give beginner dancers about alignment?
MC: Be kind to yourself, understanding your alignment and understanding your body is a life long process, it is something that does not happen immediately, it is not something that happens overnight and it is especially not something that will happen consistently. It’s something that you’re always going to be working for, it’s something that will forever change, and that just because it’s not happening right away doesnt mean that you’re not doing a good job.
BP: How long does it usually take for dancers to develop good alignment?
MC: It truly depends on the dancer. Some dancers, that’s going to be the easiest thing, finding their alignment and understanding how to engage is sometimes natural. You have to let things marinate and you have to let things live and sometimes for some of us it takes a little longer.
BP: What exercises help improve alignment and posture?
MC: Honestly one of the things that truly helped me understand my alignment on a better level is doing yoga and using things like yoga blocks to help me engage certain parts of my body that aided in finding my alignment like engaging my inner thigh so that I can truly find my core. Something else that genuinely helped me find my alignment was going back to the basics in dance and ballet because it really teaches a lot of foundations of alignment. Something else that I really love to do is just using breath work. If you could understand and utilize your breath it really helps allow you to find length which will then allow you to find access to your body.
BP: Is there anything else you would like to add?
MC: No, thank you.
