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As dancer/choreographer Talitha Miller danced on her head in the streets of Olympic Gardens, St Andrew, on Thursday, several motorists and pedestrians slowed down to watch the 26-year-old.

Not only were they mesmerised by her unique gyration, but they were in awe that Miller was this flexible while being heavily pregnant. But this is nothing new for the young woman who is seven and a half months pregnant with her third child.

"I have danced throughout [all my] pregnancies and I did most of my shows while I was pregnant. I do back-up dancing for RDX and others. The male spectators are always concerned and telling me to be careful, and the females are always excited to see me just being a pregnant woman and still doing my thing. I lot of people expect pregnant women to act cold and old, but not me. Being pregnant doesn't mean that I am handicapped. In fact, some of these moves will help me to have a smoother delivery, as I will already know how to do my squats and how to do my breathing techniques when it is time to push," she said.

A graduate of The Queen's School, Miller said she was dancing from as far as she could remember. Between laughter, she recalled dragging her sibling, who had no interest in dancing, to children's treats to compete with others. That dancing continued into adulthood.

"It is just something that makes me feel safe and able to express myself physically. I am not the talkative type, so dancing just helps me to release a lot of stress," she said.

As Miller skilfully balances on her head, one's heart cannot help but skip a few beats out of concern, but she seems quite unbothered. She says this is due to her years of experience, while adding that she will immediately stop should she feel like she or her unborn child is in danger.

"I think because I have been dancing on my head top for so long, I have learnt how to balance myself. And once I feel like [I am] off balance I will stop, just so I can ensure that my baby is okay. I plan to dance all the way to the labour room. I keep surprising people as they don't expect to have [someone] so hyperactive and energetic, but whenever I am dancing, that's when I am feeling best. Whenever I am laying down or so, that is the time that I start to feel stressed and depressed," Miller said.

NOT JUST A HOBBY

Showing off her acrobatic moves is not just a hobby, as Miller says she earns an income from her skills by teaching classes. As she prepares to welcome her little bundle of joy, she said she is also preparing to participate in a competition in the United Kingdom.

"There are periods where I have groups from Europe that I teach. I spend my time between the United Kingdom and Jamaica . There are times when the groups will come to Jamaica, and I will do lessons with them wherever they feel comfortable. I am pregnant, so the job goes on. Let's see if I will have baby before July month end, as I have a dancehall competition in Birmingham that I plan on being a part of, so let's see how that goes. If I am still pregnant, I won't risk it, though," she said.

But prominent obstetrician and Senior Medical Officer at the Victoria Jubilee Hospital, Dr Garth McDonald, said Miller's dancing style could be dangerous.

"It's more dangerous than the basic danger faced by all head top dancers ... neck and back trauma. She should have on more weight with more pressure to the head, neck and back; and the risk of falling on the abdomen could cause trauma to the foetus, based on the severity of the fall. Outside of the fall, the risk of trauma based on the laws of physics, the risk to the foetus should be very low," he said.

"The risk becomes higher as the pregnancy increases in gestational age, and [the] patient should seek care if she develops abdominal or muscular pain, bleeding, passage of liquid, or decreased fetal movement," McDonald added.