by Jennifer Heimlich | Aug 24, 2026 | Cross-Training, Health & Body, Pointe+
More dancers these days are catching on to the value of strength training. “Just like with any sport, in order to perform at a higher level, you always want to be stronger,” says Kurt Gorrell, PT, DPT, CFMT, ACSM EP-C, CSCS, a former dancer who’s become a...
by Catie Robinson | Apr 17, 2025 | Cross-Training, Health & Body, Pointe+
Angelica Pastrana PT, DPT. Photo by Melanie Cen. If you have been dancing long enough to be on pointe, you know the importance of warming up properly before strapping on your shoes. Still, sometimes your schedule might not allow for even a barre warm-up before it’s...
by Amy Brandt | Nov 21, 2024 | Cross-Training, Health & Body, Pointe+
If your teachers have ever told you to fix the “chicken wings” (shoulder blades) sticking out of your back, what they’re really asking you to do is engage your serratus anterior muscle. This is a fan-shaped muscle that runs underneath each scapula and attaches to the...
by Maggie Small | Dec 3, 2021 | Cross-Training, Health & Body
When former ballet dancer Nikki Bybee was first encouraged by her friend to try Redcord training, her initial thought was “It’s okay, I do Pilates.” At the time, she had no idea that exercising while methodically suspended by ropes could yield a myriad of benefits....
by Helen Hope | May 25, 2021 | Cross-Training, Health & Body
Some ballet dancers think yoga is boring, or just isn’t for them. Shelby Elsbree wants to convince you otherwise. “Yoga is an extraordinary physical and mental supplement to your dance training,” says the former Royal Danish Ballet and Boston Ballet...
by Hannah Chang Foster | Apr 21, 2021 | Cross-Training
Whether you’re aiming for effortless pirouettes onstage or trying not to bump into furniture while training at home, we all want sailing, suspended turns. While many components go into a controlled pirouette—a powerful preparation, a balanced relevé, a stable...
by Linnea Swarting | Feb 24, 2021 | Cross-Training, Health & Body, Instagram
Despite major pandemic shutdowns in New York City, Alexandra Hutchinson has been HIIT-ing her stride. Between company class with Dance Theater of Harlem and projects like the viral video “Dancing Through Harlem”—which she co-directed with roommate and...
by Madeline Schrock | Dec 31, 2020 | Cross-Training, Health & Body, Instagram
For Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Cecilia Iliesiu, company life in 2020 had its cons (“Zoom rehearsals from my living room…”), but also its pros (“…with Christopher Wheeldon”). In the midst of it all, she reached a major career...