"I dance because dance can change things. One move, can set a generation free." Moose Step Up 3
With the Step Up franchise being so successful at the box office, it is no wonder why so many people have become inspired to dance as well. While you may assume that people take up dance classes in order to artistically express themselves, there are numerous other reasons why they take up dance lessons. Perhaps there are some people who are taking dance classes to stay fit, and healthy. Others may take dance lessons to become more flexible.
Most dance trainers will advocate some form of stretching during dance lessons and pre-dance workouts to ensure that the dancer is not straining himself or herself beyond his or her capabilities.
Initially, we advocate that you take dance lessons under the watchful eyes of a dance instructor. In this way, dance lessons can be supervised and taken seriously.
Are you ready to get stretching so as to avoid unwanted muscle strain? We suggest that you rope in a professional Superprof dance instructor to help you to move to the beat.
You could also find some information about pre-warm up exercises to get started on your own before you commit to dance lessons with a professional instructor. Read all about the workout for dancers before you get started.
Dynamic Stretches for Dancers
"If you stretch correctly and regularly, you will find that every movement you make becomes easier." Bob Anderson
Like with any sport that you play, stretching before the game has a tremendous impact on how you play the game. The stretching exercises that you are expected to do before you start dancing or playing a sport is a way to warm up the muscles and also a way to get you ready to dance or play your best.
We warm up as a way to avoid any injuries during sport and dancing. Therefore, it is important to know what type of dynamic stretches you can engage in in order to avoid muscle strain and sprain.
Did you know most injuries in sport are caused by careless training or poor stretching? Did you know that dancers face injuries too if they do not stretch properly?
By doing stretches prior to dancing, you will be preparing yourself mentally and physically for the dance moves that you will have to do next.
Choosing the Right Outfit
If you are going to be doing dynamic stretches, you need to be wearing clothes that will enable you to move freely and be rather comfortable. Ideally, you would like to wear something simple yet breathable like elasticated pants that allows your body to move freely.
You are surely better off wearing yoga pants and tights. The lightweight clothes are especially suitable for dance classes.
You want to feel cool in your clothes because you will start to sweat. You want to make sure that you are feeling comfortable even when you are sweating profusely. For certain types of dance lessons, like for ballet classes, you may be instructed to wear a leotard.
For most dance types, girls are required to tie up their hair to avoid loose pieces of hair falling in front of their faces during dance practice.
Choosing the Right Stretches
Get your floor mat on the ground and get ready to flex and stretch. Dynamic stretches should be seen as a combination of exercises and moves that will allow your blood to flow.
While you may think that the best solution is to start stretching right the second you arrive at the dance classes, this should not be the case. You start by breathing first. Just like yoga requires some deep breathing exercises, so too does dance class lessons.
Breathe deeply to allow oxygen to flow to all your muscles, tendons and joints. Once you have done some breathing exercises, you can follow up by getting the right stretches done.
The best stretches to do are:
- Jumping jacks
- Lunges
- Leg swings
- Bicycle movements
- Shoulder rolls
Dancer Training
Most dancers who choose to take dance lessons will note that included in the hourly dance lessons are dance workouts which entails stretching exercises done by dancers.
You would note that there is something like dancer training to improve flexibility. Flexibility is absolutely important for aspiring dancers and many of the stretches that are performed during dance classes are performed with the intention of:
- lengthening the muscle,
- Increasing your ability to move
You may be wondering what type of stretches should dancers be doing which muscles do dancers focus on?
To be a good dancer, you need to do stretches that will be focused on improving the strength of your legs and hips. Should you wish to do splits as a dancer eventually you need to consider working out your calf muscles, hamstrings, and foot muscles.
Dance training is very important if you want to be a great dancer without spraining and straining your muscles. The dance instructor will be there to inform you if you are doing a certain type of stretch correctly.
You need to ensure that warm-ups are not only for working on your leg muscles, but you should also work on your back, shoulders and neck too.
All dance trainers have different ways of structuring their dance lessons. Some dance trainers will place great emphasis on exercising and dance workouts. However, some dance trainers place less emphasis on dance workouts and more emphasis on the choreography of the dance.
After a while, dance exercises and workouts will become second nature to you and you also tend to focus more on dance choreography, practicing lifts and splits.
You can surely approach one of our Superprof dance tutors and ask him or her about the dancer stretching routine that he or she will follow. You may even chat to one of our Superprof dance tutors about all the flexibility exercises done in classes for dancers.
Advice for Your Dancer Stretching Routine
When it comes to warming up you must note that each and every dance trainer develops his or her own dancer stretching routines.
Ideally, dance instructors conducting beginner dance lessons, develop a 10–15-minute dance routines to complete before their students learn how to dance. The last 5 minutes of the dance class can also be used to relax the muscles.
When following a dancer stretching routine, there is no reason to rush through the dancer warm up. You may think that you have warmed up enough only to find that your muscles pull and hurt when you start dancing.
To avoid aching muscles and bones, you must adhere to the dancer stretching routine. If you follow the dance instructor's dancer stretching routine, you will find that you will feel your muscles pulling slightly during dancing, but you won't feel any unbearable pain.
For most beginner dancers following a dancer's stretching routine, you need to listen to your body and not push or tray too hard.
Stick to your limits in terms of how much you push yourself while stretching.
While you may think that stretching entails copying exactly what was done by your dance teacher, you need to remember that your dance instructor is naturally more flexible than you are hence you need to copy the stretch but stretch according to how comfortable your body feels. Always listen to your body. Your muscles will scream out in pain should you be pushing your body beyond its limits.
If you think that you have become far more flexible after a few dance lessons, you need to remember to try to do the split. Not sure how to do a split, read all about how to do the split.
Part of your dancing lessons are not only warmups, but also the warm downs which are created so as to help your body recover from all the exertion and to ensure you don't stop working out so abruptly.
Stretching is what will help keep your body in shape so always remember to enjoy stretching out before the dancing begins.
Best Stretches for Dancers
Before you even start stretching out, you need to start by breathing. Teaching yourself to breathe more mindfully is great. Once you are in tune with your breathing, you will be able to breathe properly while partaking in various stretches.
Once you have taken a few breaths in and out, you can perform some of the best stretches.
Hamstring Stretches
One of the stretches that most dance instructors advocate is the hamstring stretch. To do this stretch correctly, you need to sit on the floor with your legs tense in front of you while you try to touch your feet with your hands. While in this stretching position, you need to ensure that you don't bend your knees.
Feet Stretches
The best way to stretch out your feet is to sit down with your legs initially straight. Thereafter, you will need to put your left foot to your right thigh and vice versa. Make small circles with your foot so that each foot gets stretched out.
Standing thigh exercise
Your back needs to be completely straight. Your arms must be to your side. Bent your knees so that bring your heel close to your bum. Hold your foot so that you can keep that position for a while. Keep this position initially for a few seconds and then start holding your foot close to your bum for longer.
The Swan Stretch
A rather popular stretch is the swan stretch. The swan stretch is a stretch that mainly entails focusing on breathing. Breathe in and then breathe out. When you breathe out, breathe out slowly without any jerking movements. When you perform the swan stretch effortlessly, you will be working out your spinal cord which is something every dancer needs to do.
Now that you know the vast array of stretches that can be performed by dancers, reach out to a Superprof dance instructor so that you too can take dance training to improve your flexibility and become a better dancer.
"To dance is to be out of yourself, larger, more beautiful, more powerful." Agnes De Mille
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