Product Description

Conditioning for Dance improves your technique and performance in all dance forms by strengthening the body’s core while improving your coordination, balance, alignment, and flexibility. The result is more lift without tension, deeper pliés, higher jumps with less effort, tighter turns, and improved extension and turnout.

The innovative, proven techniques in this book will help you execute key movements better as you

·strengthen the muscles you use in dance by performing exercises with elastic resistance bands;
·start and move in proper alignment using imagery;
·improve your balance and release tension through playful exercises with small balls;
·develop leg and torso power that translates to higher jumps and tighter turns; and
·optimize your flexibility through touch, movement awareness, and imagery.

Conditioning for Dance features 102 imagery illustrations paired with dance-specific exercises to help you maximize body–mind conditioning. The book culminates with a 20-minute, full-body barre workout routine designed to help you warm up, condition, and refine your dance technique.

By working the muscles through movements and ranges of motion that approximate the demands of your chosen dance form, you directly enrich your performance capabilities. And as you strengthen the body’s core, stretch to gain just the right amount of flexibility, and incorporate the power of the mind, you unleash your full artistic and physical potential.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13560 in Books
• Published on: 2003-09-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 248 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780736041560
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review

From Dance Teacher
"A worthwhile read for dancers and teachers."

From Library Journal
"Dancers looking for more range of movement, power, or a way to address a specific problem will find this text valuable. Readers interested in kinesiology and sport medicine will also appreciate it. Recommended for larger public and academic libraries."

About the Author
Eric Franklin has more than 20 years’ experience as a dancer and choreographer. In addition to earning a BFA from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and a BS from the University of Zurich, he has studied and trained with some of the top movement imagery specialists around the world and used this training as a professional dancer in New York.

Franklin has shared imaging techniques in his teaching since 1986. He is founder and director of the Institute for Movement Imagery Education and is a guest professor at the Universities of Bern, Vienna, Dresden Linz, and Salzburg. Most recently he has taught at the Royal Ballet School in London and at the Royal Academy of Dance in Dublin. Franklin has been on the faculty of the American Dance Festival since 1991 and teaches at universities, dance centers, and dance festivals in the United States and throughout Europe.

Franklin is author of Dynamic Alignment Through Imagery and Dance Imagery for Technique and Performance. He also coauthored the bestselling book Breakdance, which received a New York City Public Library Prize in 1984. He is a member of the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science.

Franklin lives near Zurich, Switzerland, with his wife, Gabriela, and their two children.

Customer Reviews

Superb insights into body function, relaxation, imagery
I'm a professional who utilizes applied biomechanics for a
living. I also study Tai Chi and other internal martial arts.
I am no dancer. I've been exposed through my profession to
Feldenkrais, Pilates, and yoga. Guess what? They're all
virtually the same!

I was turned on to this book by a martial arts colleague.
It has changed the way we look at our martial arts practice.
Franklin does a really nice job of describing the pertinent
functional anatomy in many key areas of your body (pelvis and
pelvic floor, including iliopsoas, back, legs, internal organs,
etc.)-- specifically the importance of key biomechanical
properties. He describes very enriching visualization and touch/
feel exercises to induce greater awareness and relaxation,
thereby promoting function. Higher kicks and jumps, deeper
squats (plie's), all with less effort. It's clear, and the
exercises work!

There are exercises for awareness, relaxation, alignment,
stretching, and strengthening. They are simple, easily done
with small Pilates-type balls and Thera-band, but some
are quite hard and take some work!

My only complaint is that some of his diagrams lack detail,
or there aren't enough diagrams or pictures to fully elucidate
the anatomy or the exercises. He does provide excellent
descriptive text, however.

I've recommended this text to other martial artists, to my
colleagues, to physical therapists, and to medical students.
Well done, and I will certainly add some of his other books to \
my wish list!

The best dance conditioning book out there!
As a pre-professional ballet student, I had been looking for exercises to improve my alignment and technique. When I found this book, I absolutely knew that this was the key. Franklin is the great pioneer with the idea that releasing tension enhances your technique and decreases injury potential. His conditioning exercises deal a lot with imagery, something that helps you so much that you have no idea until you try it. I highly recommend this book to all students and teachers of dance, particularly ballet. Franklin's exercises mostly deal with using therabands and rolling balls which is very effective.

I adore Eric Franklin; he is absolutely brilliant!!!!!!!!!!!

Conditioning for Dance
I am inspired by Eric Franklin's style of imagery and toning for dance and life. I practice and study belly dance of all types (cabaret, fusiobm tribal, etc.) and felt a need for additional understanding of toning and timing of various stretches in the warm up and cool down. The author has thought, practiced, and taught his techniques to thousands of dancers and has extensive knowledge of successes. His practical wisdom makes tremendous sense to me in my experience with Feldenkrais, Functional Anatomy, and yoga. I highly recommend this book to 'humans with bodies', and in particular, those that enjoy moving with grace and ease. Happy living!