Living Well: Pilates keeping PNB's dancers on their toes

Forget the celebrity endorsements from the likes of Oprah Winfrey. The reason why Dianna White uses Pilates as the cornerstone of her workout program can be summed up in five words:

No more lower back pain.

White is a 40-year-old competitive figure skater and a librarian at the Seattle Public Library. She hurt her knee a couple of years ago and figured the Pilates method of controlled body exercises (on a mat or specialized apparatus) would be a good route for rehabilitation of the joint.

"I always wanted to try Pilates," said White, who has skated both regionally and nationally in her age-group tournaments. "It helped my knee a lot. But what really impressed me with after three weeks my chronic back pain just disappeared. I always thought the pain was inevitable from the skating and jumping."

Instead, White was pain-free and spinning better than ever on the ice because her "core muscles were a lot stronger."

Pilates followers know that Joseph H. Pilates (pronounced pil-LAH-tees), who in the early 1900s designed a system of some 500 exercises and five major pieces of equipment, concentrated his legendary approach on the body's "powerhouse" muscles in the abdomen, lower back and buttocks. While White felt stronger on the ice, others report less fat around the waist, better posture (an underrated way to look better) and more energy throughout the day.

Pilates was zealous about his program and attracted the attention of dancers George Balanchine and Martha Graham, who, of course, became legendary choreographers and giants in that field of arts. For most of the 20th century, the Pilates method was an unintentional secret of professional dancers who followed the creator's concept of fewer, more precise movements requiring proper form and control rather than, say, 12 repetitions on a weight machine where you can cheat at least half of the lifts.

Pilates is about nothing if not body control and awareness. You learn how to control your body movement through an exercise (with names like the "elephant" and "swan") while keeping your mind focused on the task (which mind-body researchers are now finding can accelerate muscle growth). Breathing technique is equally important. You will routinely hear language such as "pull navel to spine and breathe" from instructors.

During the past decade, Pilates studios and programs have caught on with the fitness public. Case in point: Pacific Northwest Ballet has two Pilates studios, one at its school building at Seattle Center and the other in Bellevue at the Francia Russell Center. Both service company dancers and the general public (check out www.pnb.org/pnbschool).

"I started going to PNB (Seattle Center) because it was competitively priced and nearby," said White. "I found it browsing the Web."

Alexandra Dickson, PNB's conditioning manager, has been participating in Pilates workouts for about 10 years. But she became a convert after deciding to return for one more season as a company soloist after her son, now 2, was born.

"I didn't realize the power I was getting from Pilates until I did it three times a week after my pregnancy," recalled Dickson during a recent break from private and semi-private workouts with clients. "I got back to the ballet and we opened with 'Swan Lake' (a demanding performance). I couldn't have a made it back without the Pilates work."

What Dickson appreciates about the Pilates method is how it works "deeply into muscles" by requiring high attention to detail. Whether you are recovering from injury, looking to improve athletic performance or tone your body, Dickson said, "working against gravity" in mat classes will quickly target muscles in the core. What's especially isolated are stabilizer muscles that can be overlooked by weight machine workouts (free weights do require more response from the stabilizers).

Unlike yoga, you never hold a pose or posture during the Pilates workout. But there are some similarities in movement and particularly in feeling a sense of flow while not necessarily getting the highest-sweat-per-minute rate.

For her part, Dickson is thrilled to be working with PNB colleagues after retiring as a soloist last spring at age 34. She has enhanced the Pilates schedule and is looking to add stability ball classes in the coming year.

"My goal is to create a fitness environment that is safe for the dancers," said Dickson. "We aren't making judgments in here or worrying about performance or criticizing mistakes. We want to be ground zero for them."

Judging from the popularity of daytime classes, especially a noontime gathering, Dickson has created that safe haven for dancers. About 70 percent of PNB company members and students use the Pilates program regularly. Some dancers do a shortened "Power Pilates" each evening before finishing their workday to keep the body tuned.

Dickson said cross-training in Pilates is a plus for dancers to endure a long season without major injury. The method is quite popular as an off-season conditioning program during less busy summer months.

Just one question begs: After all those hours of rehearsals, what motivates PNB dancers to do more with optional Pilates workouts, especially ones that can be quite demanding at more advanced levels?

"Oh, dancers are known for their masochistic streaks," said Dickson, laughing. "The harder we can make the Pilates classes for them, the more they like it."

Bob Condor writes every Monday about health and quality of life. He is editor of the Seattle-based Evergreen Monthly, which covers health, environment, food, social good, spirituality and personal growth (visit www.evergreenmonthly.com). Send e-mails to bobcondor@aol.com with any questions or ideas for the Living Well column.

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