Training from the Inside Out
In the world of dance, external performance often takes center stage: how a movement looks, how high the leg goes, how many turns are landed. But what if we paid just as much attention to how the movement feels?
A somatic approach to dance training invites dancers to develop an internal sense of their bodies—not just to execute choreography, but to move with greater awareness, presence, and sustainability. At its core, this kind of training builds interoception: the ability to perceive and interpret internal bodily signals like breath, muscle tension, heartbeat, and even emotion.
Why does this matter?
Because dancers with strong interoceptive (somatic) skills tend to move with more control and coordination, recover faster, and manage stress more effectively. They learn to listen to early signs of fatigue, adjust effort in real time, and sense subtle shifts in alignment before they lead to injury. Interoception also supports emotional regulation, something dancers need both onstage and in the studio.
When dancers are trained only from the outside-in—through mirrors, corrections, and visual feedback—they can miss the chance to develop these deeper internal connections. But when we guide them to pause, feel, and reflect, even briefly, we activate the nervous system in powerful ways.
Simple practices like breath awareness, gentle weight shifting, or even a moment of stillness before a combination can help dancers come home to their bodies. It’s not about replacing traditional technique, but enhancing it through a more holistic lens.
We need to encourage dancers to learn how to listen and translate their body's cues.
Training from a somatic perspective doesn’t make dancers less focused on form—it gives them the inner clarity to refine it more intelligently.
The body speaks... all the time! Somatic training helps dancers listen.
To your success,
Deborah
It re-maps the ankle joint Many dancers have stiffness or poor awareness around the subtalar joint, which allows for side-to-side movement of the ankle. Adding intentional circles—especially with a lifted heel—wakes up this joint and helps the brain learn to control it more precisely.
It re-maps the tibia’s rotation at the knee The knee isn’t just a hinge—it also allows for a small amount of rotation when flexed. That subtle inward and outward spiral you feel as you circle the ankle with your heel lifted? That’s your tibia rotating. This movement is often under-trained and under-recognized in dance, yet it's especially important for dancers who tend to pronate. Training it can help maintain proper ankle and knee alignment.
Why does this matter?
In dance, we ask a lot of our ankles and knees—from deep pliés to explosive jumps to precise arabesques. If the brain doesn’t have a clear map of how these joints work together, it can’t stabilize or move efficiently. The result? Compensation, misalignment, and eventually, injury.
Doing this drill regularly—slowly, with control and full attention—improves joint awareness, mobility, and control. You’re not just moving the joints; you’re strengthening the brain-body connection.
Try adding this into your warm-up before class or rehearsal. It takes just a minute (and I demonstrate three standing variations too) but can unlock surprising freedom and stability in your dancing.
Clear maps create clear movement. Start with your ankles—you might be amazed at what improves upstream.
Kneeling ankle mobility exercise
To your success,
Deborah