Since the 1930s, when Joe Pilates had his studio in the same building as George Ballanchine in New York, dancers - from ballet to contemporary - have relied upon the Pilates method to help strengthen their bodies.

They have used it to prepare for the rigorous demands they place upon themselves as well for helping to speed up recovery time and to avoid reinjury.

Dance: Art, Aesthetics and Arabesques

Dancers ask an awful lot of their bodies. They have to be incredibly strong and flexible and yet make the difficult movement they are performing look effortless. 

They turn movement into an art form, which is what separates dance from other physical exercise and sport. It is what the movement looks like that is important and how the dancer make this happen internally is not as important as how it looks on the body: it is all about aesthetics. 

An arabesque is judged on how high the leg is and how beautiful the line is. No-one really cares what muscles the dancer is using to get there.

Pilates: Working From the Inside Out

In Pilates the focus is on how  the body performs movement. The outside appearance is less important than the inner work. We look at what parts of the body are overworked with the goal of unpicking all the "cheats" that dancers use so that they can find lasting balance within the body.

This is useful to dancers as it helps them to find the strength to be more technical with their dancing and to avoid injury. Pilates can also be used to make the dancer’s body more efficient and to help with technical problems or a strenuous rehearsal schedule.