GYROTONIC® the dancers’ well kept secret
Gyro whaaat?
Gyrotonics is not just a trend floating around the dance world today, it’s benefiting people and specifically dancers worldwide. Sofia, a certified Gyrotonic® teacher, explains how you can reap the benefits.
What is Gyrotonic?
The Gyrotonic Method is an exercise system designed to take the body beyond its limitations by executing fluid, well coordinated and 3- dimensional movement on a machine.
As dancers we constantly seek to go further and overcome our physical boundaries. While most forms of training only stimulate isolated muscles or muscle groups, the Gyrotonic method is designed to work an already well-trained dancers body to unleash its full physical potential.
Dancers who have discovered this particular method love it and more of us should do it!
I started my Gyrotonic practice about six years ago and never stopped to do it ever since on a weekly base. It helps me to keep my body evenly trained and to get through the performance season without injuries. Of course, the changes your body goes through after a few classes are much deeper and more complex; however, here a glimpse of the biggest changes I experienced in my dancing:
Flexibility and Turn-Out:
Every exercise creates space between the joints and therefore increases the mobility of
the joints so that they can be used to their fullest capacity in all directions. I have never
been very open in my hips and stretching and strengthening exercises only got me so far.
Through Gyrotonic I found my correct, upright pelvic position and worked my hips in a way that
has been tremendously helpful, improving my turn out to an extent that I didn’t think was possible.
All you dancers know what I mean when I say that this was life changing.
Strength
Regular Gyrotonic training stimulates and strengthens the nervous system and hereby increases muscular contraction and expansion. It had never been easy for me to build up muscle and I was always on the weak side. Since I am a tall dancer (175cm), being compact and having the strength to execute fast movements is crucial.
All of the Gyrotonic exercises work with weight plates adjusted to each students condition and needs. This is how I got strong legs and a rock solid core while executing movement in an elegant and dignified way, just like in dance.
Coordination:
All Gyrotonic exercises are well coordinated movements that involve the entire body. The dancer who trains this method learns to understand their body moving as a whole rather than a combination of movement in seperate body parts. This, in combination with a strong core, will make you turn Pirouettes effortlessly.
Pointe Work
All leg works in Gyrotonic include conscious foot work using flex, demi pointe and pointe.
Just like in dance, you always work to full extension and always actively “roll through the foot” strengthening all those little muscles. Years of thera-band training couldn’t get my weak and bendy feet as strong as, you guess it, Gyrotonic training did.
Although these four main areas of my dancing have improved incredibly since I began training Gyrotonic,
I have not even scratched the surface of the many other positive effects of Gyrotonic, on your body and mind.
If this brief introduction to the Gyrotonic method made you curious, and you want to know more about it, get in touch with me! Don’t forget to check out the official Gyrotonic website to find out more about the story of Gyrotonic: www.gyrotonic.com
Your full potential as a dancer is yet to be discovered.
With Gyrotonic, you’ll be well on your way to dancing like you would love to dance: at your very best.
Article by Sofia Schabus
Sofia is a Certified Trainer for the GYROTONIC® method Level 1 and professional dancer.
Contact: sofia.schabus@gmail.com
