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It is almost the New Year which means it’s time to set some new goals for yourself for 2023!

Here are some habits for your dancer to incorporate into their new season of life and dance.

Roll Out!

Foam roller, marshmallow stick, or tennis ball. Give yourself ten minutes after class or rehearsal to break up the fascia in your body. Your muscles will thank you!

Say no to inflammation.

Dancers’ bodies are sensitive to inflammation, so it’s a good idea to incorporate some anti-inflammatory foods into your diet.

The chances are that some of these foods are already familiar to you: almonds, green tea, and blueberries, for example. You can find out more here.

(https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/foods-that-fight-inflammation)

Cross train

If you don’t already, cross-training can make a big difference in your dancing. Popular regimes for dancers include pilates, yoga and swimming. Check our some of our teacher tip videos for some guidance! 

Below are some technical goals for your dancers to set for themselves this New Year!

  1. Break your habit of hopping in your turns.
  2. Improve your balance.
  3. Jump smarter – knees over toes, deep plié.
  4. Get your hips square consistently.
  5. Improve your turnout, either flexibility-wise or in your dancing.

Here are some artistic goals that your dancer can look to strive for in the New Year! 

  1. Get more comfortable with improv.
  2. Make a habit of using your eyes, not looking at the floor.
  3. Improve your transitions to get that “graceful” look.
  4. Get better at showing different emotions through movement.
  5. Improve your musicality.

HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY AS A DANCER

Dance is physically demanding on top of it being fun. Taking care of your body should be your number one priority. Without taking care of yourself dance becomes harder, and leaves more space for injury. Here are some ways to take care of your body throughout the day and dance season. 

HYDRATE HYDRATE HYDRATE!💦

Water is a must-have when doing any and all physical activities. Dancers will need to drink water more frequently. Within one class a dancer can lose up 2 liters of water. YIKES! 

Fluids are especially important after class and rehearsal, but make sure to steer clear of carbonated drinks and fruit juice. Drinking tons of fluids is a simple and easy way to take care of your body as a dancer.

WARM UP YOUR BODY AND STAY WARM🌤

Every dance teacher will start your class with a warm up, and that is for a reason. A solid warm up helps your muscles become less stiff, and less prone to straining something. 

In addition, it’s also important to stay warm while you’re not dancing. If you decide to take a break and wait on the side, make sure to cover up so your body doesn’t get cold and do a quick warm-up before you go back on.

DON’T SKIP STRENGTH TRAINING 🚫

Dance itself is a strenuous physical activity, but keeping up with strength training will only help you improve as a dancer. 

In a previous blog we went in depths on the importance of strength training! 🔗

NURISH YOUR BODY! 🌯

Once again dance is an extremely physical activity, and you can’t run on zero! Making sure you eat enough is one side of it. On top eating enough the food you consume while dancing needs to be something that will give you energy, and is healthy. The food you eat before class is essential. When choosing what you are having make sure there is protein, carbohydrates, and/or healthy fats. Also you can NEVER go wrong with fruits and veggies on the side! 

LISTEN TO YOUR BODY👂

Neglect of a sickness or injury can end up bringing a dancers season to a halt. Don’t be afraid to see a doctor or physical therapist about recurring or frequent pain. Sitting out of a few rehearsals or taking a sick day is better than having a serious sickness or injury put you out for a long time. 

Over the last couple of weeks we have gone through styles of dance offered here at the studio! This week we will briefing the history of dance from our blogs as well as other styles, and the order in which each style of dance came to the forefront of history. 

Ballet: Origin Years- 1400’s

Ballet is a formalized form of dance with it’s origins in the Italian Renaissance courts of 15th and 16th centuries. Ballet spread from Italy to France with the help of Catherine de’ Medici, where ballet developed even further under her aristocratic influence.

Bharatnatyam: Origin Years- 1500’s 

Bharatanatyam is one of the oldest and most popular forms of classical dance that originated in Tanjore district in Tamil Nadu in South India. The origin of this dance can be traced to the sage Bharata Muni’s Natyasastra.

Modern: Origin Years- 1800’s

Modern dance is a broad genre of western concert or theatrical dance, primarily arising out of Germany and the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Modern dance is often considered to have emerged as a rejection of, or rebellion against classical ballet.

Waltz: Origin Years- 1830’s

This form was established in the 1830s by Joseph Lanner and the elder Johann Strauss, and from then the waltz was particularly associated with Vienna, although it was popular throughout Europe.

Jazz: Origin Years- 1900’s

Jazz dancing, and it’s steps and style, originated from the dancing of African Americans that were brought to America as slaves. Later it was brought from vernacular to theatrical.

Tap Dancing Origin Years- 1920’s 

Tap dancing has evolved considerably to become the art form we know today. Before there were tap shoes, dancers wore soft shoes, or clogs. Tap dancing originated as Juba, a kind of dance practiced by African Americans that were brought over to America. It melded with Irish dancing and continued to alter as it encountered the influence of jazz dance.

Salsa: Origin Years- 1930’s

Salsa represents a mix of Latin musical genres, but its primary component is Cuban dance music. The roots of salsa originated in Eastern Cuba and Afro-Cuban dance like Afro-Cuban rumba.

Contemporary: Origin Years- 1940’s

Although originally informed by and borrowing from classical, modern, and jazz styles, it has since come to incorporate elements from many styles of dance. Due to its technical similarities, it is often perceived to be closely related to modern dance, ballet, and other classical concert dance styles.

Hip Hop: Origin Years- 1970’s

Hip-hop dance refers to street dance styles primarily performed to hip-hop music or that have evolved as part of hip-hop culture. It includes a wide range of styles primarily breaking which was created in the 1970s and made popular by dance crews in the United States.

As we see dance comes in many forms!

Human beings have been expressing themselves through movement since the beginning of time. With that the earliest historical records showing the origins of dance are cave paintings in India dating to about 8000 BCE. As well as Egyptian tomb paintings can also be seen depicting dance in about 3300 BCE.

Dance and movement have always been a way of life. 

 

TURKEY GAMES TO PLAY WITH YOUR DANCER AT HOME 

Game 1: In the style of Simon Says

Spread the players across the room.

Have them listen for “Gobble Gobble Turkey Says!” before doing any dance moves.

This is a great game to help keep your child’s understanding of the terminology over break while having some fun.

Here are some terminology suggestions:

Ballet Terms:
Plie
Tendu
Releve

Jazz Terms:
Chasse
Ball change
Kick

Or you can make it more Thanksgiving themed:
Hug a friend or Move like a Turkey

No matter what dance move you shout, be sure that “Gobble Gobble Turkey Says” to do the dance move!

Game 2: In the style of Mother May I
Line all the kids up in a straight line behind a jump rope. They must ask “Gobble Gobble Turkey May I” if they can do a dance move to advance forward.

EXAMPLE:
“Gobble Gobble Turkey may I do three hops forwards?”

Gobble Gobble Turkey says yes or no. If no they must give the dancer a better option:
“No you may not, but you may do 3 frog hops forwards!”

Before the dancer can do their dance move they must repeat “Gobble Gobble Turkey May I?”
If they don’t, they cannot do their dance move til the next round.
The person who makes it to Gobble Gobble Turkey first should win a prize!