Anatomy, Alignment, and the Working Body

A dancer's body is both the artist and the artwork, so understanding how it is built and how it moves safely is essential technical knowledge. You do not need the detail of a medical student, but a working grasp of skeletal structure, major muscle groups, and the principles of alignment will make your training more effective and help you avoid injury.

Skeletal structure and joints

The skeleton provides the framework that gives the body shape and leverage. Dancers pay particular attention to the spine, which curves naturally in the neck, upper back, and lower back and allows flexion, extension, rotation, and lateral bending. The pelvis is the central hub linking the spine to the legs, and its position strongly affects alignment. Joints are classified by the movement they allow: the hip and