Thread: ISO good anatomy book (preferably directed to dancers)

looking to up my anatomy knowledge, especially with a book that's not a medical anatomy book, hopefully something geared towards dancers

any suggestions?

Which aspect of anatomy? The Anatomy Colouring book is great for muscle, and skeletal information and because you are "colouring" it, I found it easier to remember.

But, if you are looking more for indepth but still readable for the neophant, there is a book in the ... for Dummies series. Anatomy & Physiology For Dummies:Book Information - For Dummies

{{{HUGS}}}

Dance Anatomy and Kinesiology
This is a VERY detailed book, but it is geared specifically to dance (mostly ballet).

I'm basically looking for something that will help me understand what movements affect what parts of the body, and to increase my anatomical knowledge so I don't have to say "this uses the...um....front of the leg, you know that long muscle..." to students!

thanks! both of those look perfect, and they should give me the right combo of basics and dance-focused info (off to Amazon...)

I would also recommend Conditioning for Dance; Training for peak performance in all dance forms by Eric Franklin.


Khalida

Originally Posted by beafarhana

Dance Anatomy and Kinesiology
This is a VERY detailed book, but it is geared specifically to dance (mostly ballet).

Love this one, also "anatomy of movement" and the "exercises" sequel. I think those are really nice for easing a newbie in gently.

I also found the coloring book really helpful, and both "anatomy of stretching" and "stretching anatomy" have been good reads too.

Originally Posted by najla86

I'm basically looking for something that will help me understand what movements affect what parts of the body, and to increase my anatomical knowledge so I don't have to say "this uses the...um....front of the leg, you know that long muscle..." to students!

I found the four videos in the Belly Dance for Body Sculpting series by World Dance New York to be a great place to start in learning this information. Two are taught by Neon, two by Tanna. All four videos feature a personal trainer talking about the muscles used by certain belly dance moves. It's just an introduction, but it's a good place to start for people who haven't learned much about it in the past.

Originally Posted by *Shira*

I found the four videos in the Belly Dance for Body Sculpting series by World Dance New York to be a great place to start in learning this information. Two are taught by Neon, two by Tanna. All four videos feature a personal trainer talking about the muscles used by certain belly dance moves. It's just an introduction, but it's a good place to start for people who haven't learned much about it in the past.

Wow, I didn't know that. That's really cool!

Eric Franklin is amazing-I have the book Conditioning for Dance and it definitely teaches things about anatomy that you won't find in standard text but that dancers of all levels should know. Like how to relax your jaws for more stable turns or loosening your shoulders to create ease in jumping. Flat out amazing. The book focuses on different exercises, but you will learn a ton by doing them. It is geared toward ballet dancers, so you might have to look up some of the terms to know exactly what movement he is asking you to perform.
The one thing I don't like about the book is that some of the exercises require Therabands (no problem for me) tied at something near floor level. I haven't seen a bar at that placement in a dance studio, and don't know what I would use in the house, but I don't have a lot of heavy furniture either.
That being said, still worth more than the full price to me and has definitely made me and my students better dancers.

For the price & info, every dancer should own the Anatomy Coloring Book. Its my first go to reference on all things anatomical. Bonus, if you're not based out of a single studio for teaching, the book is very portable and can go with you to studio locations to share graphics with students. If you're based out of a single studio, investing in some musculature & skeletal charts might make sense, but if not just grab your coloring book and go.