SciDancer

Just adding on to what @Nico Kolokythas and @drdance have said regarding Pilates and strength training. The research so far has not shown that Pilates increases muscular strength, at least not in the way that would have significant impact for dancers beyond rehabilitation. This is also coupled with poor methodologies in the studies that do exist which also makes it difficult to compare papers so is certainly worth further investigation and also in specific populations. In order to see increases in muscular strength, we must overload the body as Nico pointed out. One of the ways to do this is through increased weight, so therefore there naturally comes a point where your own bodyweight is no longer enough to keep adapting and developing strength. So this is why you may see increases in those completing rehab or with lower levels of initial strength in sedentary individuals when participating in Pilates. Dancers have also been shown in the research to not be as strong as other athletes, despite the level of physical activity, so we may see an increase in strength in the initial stages of Pilates training, but then reach the maximum that can be achieved without more overload. We use a lot of muscular endurance in dance (low weight, high reps or positions held for long periods of time) but we need enough strength to achieve this endurance. For example if you wanted to do 15 push ups (muscular endurance) but you do not have enough strength to hold your bodyweight in a plank position to begin the push up, how will you be able to do the 15 push ups? I hope that makes sense. If anyone is interested in reading more here are some papers reviewing the literature on Pilates research in dance. Sorry they are not all open access. I would caution when reading however that some papers state that Pilates increases muscular strength, however if you read the paper in detail it relates to one specific muscle, often related to posture rather than gross skills. Does Pilates Training benefit dancers? An appraisal of Pilates research literature https://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/jmrp/jdms/2006/00000010/f0020001/art00008 Influence of Pilates training on muscular strength and flexibility in dancers https://www.scielo.br/pdf/motriz/v17n4/a10v17n4.pdf Some effects of supplemental Pilates training on the posture, strength and flexibility of dancers 17 - 22 years of age https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30477608/

I have to agree with PhysSup and drdance in that different bodies respond to training stimuli differently. Firstly I would have to absolutely agree that the use of terms like "bulky" to describe a young dancer is concerning and I would question whether you would indeed want to send a young dancer here, and if it would be best to speak directly with the school regarding this feedback. There could be a number of reasons for having slightly larger thighs (although I would also ask, in comparison to what?), and the aesthetics would be my last concern. I would be more interested in finding out if there is a muscular imbalance and therefore overworking the quadriceps, or if she is recruiting the right muscles to carry out the movement. The implications of a muscular imbalance would have far greater impact on her dancing than the look of her thighs. As PhysSup says, it is very difficult for females to increase muscle girth. Strength training will not create big "bulky" muscles, neither will it impact flexibility if you continue to stretch as part of your routine. Pilates, whilst it certainly has its benefits, has not been shown so far in research to increase muscular strength, so if you want higher jumps, more control in your developpes or rond de jambe, you need to include strength training. I would suggest that instead of focusing on altering the "shape" of her muscles to focus on what they are capable of doing. If you want more in-depth information maybe go for a screening at somewhere like Trinity Laban where they can look for muscular imbalances and provide training programmes to develop any weaker areas and avoid injuries due to these imbalances. I would encourage her to train her body for what she wants it to achieve in her dance performance, rather than worrying about how it looks.