10 Top Tips for Perfect Dance Practice
Follow these top ten tips to get the most out of every dance practice, maximize the fun and perform the best you can. Write these down or save a note on your phone as you never know when you will need them!!
1. Warming Up
This is first for a reason :D One of the most important things to do before you start practising is to warm up. It's shocking how many people go straight into the splits or a tilt when their bodies are freezing cold and muscles are not warm.
I can't stress enough how important a good warm up is!
Jogging, jumps, burpees, followed by some ab work and a 5 minute stretch is all you need to get your body ready for practice! Be sensible and don't forget to warm up as it could cause serious injury!
To help with recovery before your next practice, don't forget to warm down too!
2. The Right Dance Clothes
This may sound like a silly tip to some, but for me it makes a lot of sense. Wearing the wrong dancewear to practice could really hinder you. For example, if you are in a commercial class wearing a leotard, it just wouldn't feel right. The same if you were in a ballet class wearing baggy clothing, it would put you off completely!
Be wise with what you choose to wear, and if you are going to multiple dance classes, make sure you pack different outfit choices, better to be over prepared than under prepared!
3. Fit & Healthy
Over summer whilst training, you are more likely to get injured as you are not taking regular classes ever week which puts more strain on your muscles.
On this note, make sure you are eating healthy and staying fit by doing dance-friendly exercises (eg. Pilates, Yoga etc.). This will make your muscles work and keep the cogs turning.
When you go back after summer vacation you will be less sore after your first classes back.
Check out my other post Dance, Fitness, Summer & Smoothies for more on this.
4. Good Rehearsal Space
Dancing on the right flooring is essential for us, especially if we are trying to reach our peak performance level. If you are going to be practising for 30 minutes or more you need to make sure you are dancing on a sprung floor to reduce damage to your shins and knees. Make sure you have enough space around you.
You don't want to be kicking the TV or knocking over your mum’s favourite lamp...
(Yes I've done this!) If you’re practising turns using a turnboard, make sure you have plenty of space as you don't want to fall into anything (I have also done this many times!).
5. KEEP POSITIVE!
Sometimes dance and training can really get on top of you. We just need to remember why we dance... Because we love it! There are always going to be hard times, but these are the times that will make us stronger because we will fight through! Having a positive mind set really helps, it makes you happier and more determined to achieve your goals. So forget the negativity and KEEP IT POSITIVE!
6. Resting
We all love to dance and sing everywhere we go but we also need to make sure we get plenty of rest. We don't often realise how much stress we put on our bodies until one day you just over-train and collapse on the bed for hours on end.
During the summer we all love to stay up late with friends, barbecues on the beach, etc… but it's really important that you have at least 8 hours’ sleep every night to let your body fully recover from all the work you have done, even when not training.
7. Stretching
There has been a lot of argument as to whether stretching is good or bad for your body. I have come to my own conclusion that if you are warm enough, you should stretch. However far you want to go with your stretching is totally up to you, over stretching for a long period of time can be painful, so if you decide to overstretch, I would maximise it to 30 minutes a day, otherwise you could injure yourself. But I suggest you only stretch when you are really warm!
Nowadays dancing is not purely based on how high you can get your leg or how far you can bend back, other qualities are much more important, musicality, artistry etc...
8. Have Fun!
You don't have to be serious about dancing to use these tips! If you just want to have some fun during summer, these tips will help you become a little fitter and make your muscles a little looser. Dancing is about feeling music, letting go and just having fun!
9. Find Your Artistry
As I've said before, nowadays dancing is much more about the passion and artistry rather than flexibility and tricks. Being able to feel the music will put you a huge step forward in an audition. If you have any free time, in your bedroom, just put a piece of music on and improvise, it will help a lot with confidence and you will really start to find yourself as a dancer and artist.
10. Learning To Accept Yourself
This last tip is really something close to me and something I have really struggled with over the past few years, as have many dancers. Social media is massively popular right now, some people find it hard to accept themselves and are constantly comparing themselves to others, which is not good on the mind of a dancer.
I have had to learn that there is no such thing as a dancer with a 'perfect body', everyone is different, all shapes and sizes, and we are all beautiful no matter what! When you are next in a dance class, find a person you don't often speak to and give them a compliment, you won't know how much it means to them!
I really hope that my 10 tips help you with your dance training, whether serious or just for fun!
Let me know what you think, if you have some more tips I would love to know about them in the comments below!
Hugs & Kisses
Liv XoXo