Healthy Pelvis, Healthy Dancer

I started ballet when I was 7 years old in Denver. Now, at 46, I am a dancer in Paris where I take contemporary classes and teach ballet. 

Bianca in Paris, 2019

As a ballet teacher and a professional, I occupy an unusual space. I’m an alignment and injury prevention specialist, as well as an expert at teaching adult beginners. In 2010 I established an adult only dance studio called Bianca Lily Ballet in Albuquerque. The pillar of the curriculum was a 6 week Intro to Ballet for Absolute Beginners (which has been much copied, but not replicated.) Within the first few years of starting my Intro to Ballet course, a specific demographic made itself evident. They didn’t dominate the population of the class, but there were always at least a few women trying to reclaim their lives, and their body autonomy, after having had a baby. For some, it was within the last couple of years. For others, it may have been much longer. One thing I realized quite quickly was how much these women were suffering from all manner of pelvic misalignment and strength/flexibility inequalities. I knew these issues were probably concealing additional problems underneath. It was then that I had an epiphany: we are not honest with women about the impact pregnancy and childbirth are going to have on a woman’s body.

There was a lot I could do for these women with the somatic approach to dance training that I embraced. I could help them with their alignment, targeting stretching and strength training, and with the practice of ballet itself. But I knew there were deeper issues that I could not address. Issues that I dare not ask about like urinary incontinence, painful sex, or prolapse - although sometimes women would confide in me.

Bianca adjusting a student while teaching at the International Adult Ballet Festival, 2023

The opening of Method Physical Therapy was a total game changer for my student population. Often these types of pelvic floor issues would present with hip pain or sciatica. Many of the women who had never given birth, but who had endured hysterectomies or the like, would have excessive tightness that stretching alone could not resolve. Nora and Genevieve were so successful at assisting these women, not only with recovery, but with being better and more successful in ballet (which all these women deeply desired) that my targeted referrals became a blanket announcement in our introductory courses. I would explain Method PT, what they do, and tell the students as a whole that I recommended the clinic for myriad problems. 

True to their typical dedication, Genevieve and Nora both ended up eventually taking the course for themselves so that they could better understand the art and science of ballet and provide even better care! Some students had transformations that were very noticeable to me after just a few appointments at Method. Sometimes when new patients call to find out more, I feel compelled to tell them that the reason I am so enthusiastic about the treatments we provide is because I’ve seen the effectiveness of it myself - long before I was a member of this team that I so much admire.

Method PT recently celebrated its 5 year anniversary. Here’s to the next 5!