Ways To Improve Your Dance

 

WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR DANCE

Here it is autumn again! A new season for your dance classes. Here are 6 ways to improve your dance as you get back into the studio, be it in person or online. These are corrections teachers give the most, or should be. They are basic things. Set realistic goals and fix them. Make your dance come alive not matter the level of dancer you are. These seven things will at least get you off on the right foot.

  1. USE YOUR EYES: Do not get stuck in the mirror. Utilize the mirror when you need to. The head is the heaviest part of the body, so if you direct your eyes your body position will be corrected. Utilize your eyes when using your arms. This helps relate to what happens when you dance.

  2. ENGAGE YOUR CORE: Having a strong core helps you move with more stability and faster. Keep it together. Remember the core in Oriental Dance is the solar plexus area of the body. Other dance forms it can be a little lower in the body.

  3. DO NOT CHEAT ON TURN PREPARATIONS: For turns, 1. Losing turnout. 2. Doing a double plie. 3. Swinging arm behind body. Weight should be forward. Plie properly to push down so you can go up.. Make sure your mechanics are correct. Do it slowly, Build good muscle memory.

  4. BE POSITIVE: Incorporate positive thinking. Do not judge yourself. Be ok with what you do not know. Be willing to receive information. Do not let one problem you are having with an area affect the entire combination. Allow yourself to make mistakes.. Learn from them. Also, do not be a knw it all. There are always those that know more than you.

  5. LIFT YOUR ARCHES: When you lift your arches away from the floor you engage muscles in the back of your legs. Make sure all 10 toes are connected with the floor. This prevents rolling forward and putting pressure on your knees. Make sure your feet are fully engaged. This will help with balance, turns and knee health.

  6. APPROACH PLIE AS A MOVEMENT: A plie is an action with resistance. Plies, should support what you are doing both rhythmically and technically. Resist going down. Hold upper body up. Do not sink into hips. Push the floor away as you lift up.

These six steps are a place to start. Certainly not everything you need but a good place to start to make all of your learning easier regardless of the style of dance you are learning.

Morwenna Assaf = Author, Choreographer & Educator
Walid Assaf = Percussionist, & Educator
Art/Dance Academy, USA
760-715-2276                                                                    




ArabiDanseAcademie@sbcglobal.net

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PRACTICE PERFECTION?

  PRACTICE PERFECTION? DANCERS: They spend their whole life aiming for perfection. Now, there is no problem with aiming for perfection as it keeps your ideals at a high standard. Will you ever reach that goal? NO! But, it gives you power to be be better all the time. We all want to have, perfect feet, the perfect body etc. But dance like life is a questionable thing. We fully desire to conquer space and time. We want our dance to be perfect. We are humans after all. The unending refinement of our dance ability is through sustained training and exploration. This is where vitality comes in. It provides us with the opportunity to feed our need for discovery and humility. CLASS : The real goal is to arrive early for class being prepared to learn. Class is a joy. View in your mind the treasure trove of what you learn Savor the intricacies of each movement. Every gesture is is worthy of your attention. Feel you are getting closer to perfection every day. TEACHING : Even as an instr
Read more

DANCE WITHOUT STRESS

  DANCE WITHOUT STRESS The missing ingredient in most dancer's optimal performance is the lack of rest. As many dancers know, repetitive strain on muscles can lead to minor tears in the muscle tissue. If the body does not get a chance to heal, an overuse injury can occur. Rest gives muscles a chance to repair themselves. Most dancers but most dancers do not allow for this in their schedules. Active relaxation is the tool all dancers need to recover both physically and mentally. Find a way to soften and move with ease is actually calming for our nervous system. Using a set of physical and mental techniques through progressive muscle relaxation, deep breathing, visualization, and a combination of all of these can help. These can be done as you ready for bed or just grabbing 10 minutes anytime. This prevents soreness, enhances flexibility, reduces stress and boosts immune system. You Have to Breathe : You cannot dance and just be a chest breather. Breathe into the belly and allow
Read more