Avoiding Injury in Middle Eastern Dance – Arms and Shoulders
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One of the qualities that define the very nature of our beautiful art form is the manner in which we move and use our shoulders arms and hands. Placement and use of the arms is instilled in the oriental woman since early childhood until they are virtually automatic. Unlike many dance forms that use hand and arms positions to represent words and tell stories, the oriental dancer simply expresses the infinite intricacies of the music and her feelings through her hands and arms.
They frame and embellish our movements, establish the moods and sometimes even take on a life of their own. Soft, gentle, lyrical, playful, coquettish, mysterious, seductive… Beautiful arms can transform a beginner’s simple steps into an impressive and professional looking work of art, while the masterful and flawless movements, technique and steps of a professional dancer can be totally lost and lifeless with inexpressive or unpolished arms.
A well-executed oriental arm is not only beautiful to behold, but also has many physical benefits. Because we go through a full range of shoulder positions, as well as a wide variety of arm movements and placements, we can keep our shoulder and arm muscles supple and thus prevent shoulder stiffness and consequential shoulder pain. Unlike certain other forms of dance, because the oriental dance arm is relaxed, we can tone and strengthen our arm muscles but prevent chronic tension. If the arms are positioned correctly, we can also prevent the unsightly “flabby arm syndrome”. Finally, we can permanently improve our posture by increasing our awareness and the strength of our shoulder girdle muscles. This in turn can enable us to avoid the pain, joint and nerve damage of serious physical disorders such as thoracic outlet, frozen shoulder and carpal tunnel syndromes.
The shoulder joint is a very complex one and actually comprised of two separate joints:
a) Shoulder blade (scapula) and the ribcage
b) End of the scapula and the arm (humerus)
We will begin with the muscles that connect the scapulato the rib cage and spine and create the movements of the shoulder, including our well know shoulder circles, rolls and shimmies.
The Trapezius (diagram 1) is a very large diamond-shaped, muscle that runs from the base of the skull, down the neck and back vertebrae and across the back of the scapula. When the upper part contracts, the scapula lifts up and into towards the spine, as in a shoulder shrug. It works together with another smaller but powerful muscle called the Levator Scapula. The middle Trapezius works together with another muscle of the upper back called the Rhomboids (diagram 1), that goes from the vertebrae of the upper back to the inside edge of the scapula closest to the spine. These muscles pull the scapula in towards the spine to pull the shoulders blades back and open up the front of the shoulders.
Another large back muscle that controls the shoulder is the Latisimus Dorsi (Diagram 2). It runs from the back of the hip bones (ilia) and the lower/middle vertebrae and up to the front of the upper arm and pulls the upper arm and shoulder down. Another important shoulder muscle, Serratus Anterior (Diagram 3), runs from the edge of the scapula near the spine down and forward to the 3rd to 8th rib, below the armpit. The Pectoralis Minor (Diagram 4) attaches on a small protrusion of the scapula in a small hollow area below the collar bone and runs down to the first 3 ribs on the front of the chest. They both pull the shoulder downward and inward towards the navel.
To create our shoulder circles we contract the above muscles in sequence. The upper Trapezius and Levator Scapula lift the shoulders upwards, then the Rhomboids and middle Trapezius pull the shoulders back, the Latissimus Dorsi pulls them down and the Serratus Anterior and Pectoralis Minor pull them forward. If we lift one shoulder up and back, as the other down and forward, we have our classic shoulder roll. The secret is to make the transition from one position to the next smoothly. To perform a shoulder “shimmy” we pull one shoulder back via the Trapezius and Rhomboids as the other shoulder gently pulls forward via the Serratus Anterior and Pectoralis Minor as we follow the tempo of the music at quarter, half or full time.
Because the other joint between the upper arm and the end of the scapula, is extremely mobile, it is very important that we stabilize our shoulder blades by isometrically contracting our scapular muscles to prevent overstretching the upper arm muscles and ligaments. This also allows us to lift the arm using only the upper arm muscles with minimal effort to create soft and delicate frames for our flowing torso movements and intricate hip work. The Deltoid (Diagram 4) runs around the entire top of the arm, down in a V shape to the middle of the upper arm. The center part lifts the arm up to the side of the body. The front part together with the Pectoralis Major (Diagram 5) lifts the arm up the front of the body. Together, they also rotate the upper arm inward to position the arm for maximum elegance and effortless control. This causes the Triceps to contract to help hold the arm in place and thus tones and strengthens them to prevent “flabby arm syndrome”. Because the Pectoralis Major runs from the front of the ribs out to the inner upper arm, it can also pull the arm in towards the center of the chest from shoulder level. The back part of the Deltoid works with the Triceps to lift the arm up to the back. Therefore, to strengthen and tone the upper arms, we should explore a full variety of arm positions and movements.
To create the movement known as “snake or serpent arms”, we are usually taught to first lift the shoulder blade, then lift the elbow, then lift the wrist, then to relax and drop them back to neutral in the same sequence. Unfortunately, this can cause serious injury to the rotator cuff tendons and other tissues of the shoulder joint because it places the arm in an overly rotated position which can pinch the tendons under the bony ridge at the end of the scapula. This can actually tear the tendons causing irritation and inflammation and eventual scar tissue build up, leading to “frozen shoulder syndrome”. However, if we keep our shoulder blades back and down, never lifting the elbow higher than the shoulder and let the wrist create the movement, we create a much softer and more gentle movement, as we follow the body’s natural joint mechanics and eliminate all potential injury.
In closing, I would like to suggest that, in order to most efficiently use our arm and shoulder muscles and joints, we should focus on shoulder movements while keeping the arms still or keep the shoulder blades stable and solid while moving only our arms. This allows us to see and appreciate the subtlety of the movements. This is coincidentally the approach taken by well-trained professional Egyptian dancers, who are the indeed the masters of effortless and relaxed oriental dance.
So happy dancing as you explore the endless possibilities of the oriental dance arm as you reap its many artistic and physical benefits.