being nervous

As competitions come up and tensions get high on competitive teams, it’s very easy to get overwhelmed and stressed out. That’s why it’s important keep your cool when those times arise. When Competitions come practices get more stressful and intense. Practices are longer and more tiring than normal. It’s important to keep your cool especially when you are being critiqued or judged. It’s easy to just think about all the negative in those situations but focusing on what you need to get better on and trying to fix what you need to fix is all that your team is trying to help you with.

When being critiqued don’t take all the negative comments as a personal attack on you. Your team is only trying to help you get better so as a team you can all look together, clean and sharp. It can get stressful, but just breathe and try to stay with it. Teammates during these, competition, times can easily get on your nerves as well too. Don’t take everything your teammates say as serious as you normally would. Routine critiques are important, but little obnoxious comments that people sometimes say shouldn’t be taken too seriously during competition times because everyone is stressed and anxiety in general is already coming from your coach not to mention your already boiling nerves.

It’s important to have friends on your team. It’s important to have friends on your team so you don’t feel lonely or left out. Especially when everyone else are friends, you don’t want to feel like the outcast. When competition times come it’s important to have friends on your team that can build you up and help you get through the long practices and critiquing of others. Sometimes it’s just good to have someone who knows what you’re talking about and can relate to what you’re struggling with. It’s also good to have someone you can have fun with on your team. As time goes on I’m sure you will be able to grow your relationship with the other people on your team and sooner than later you’ll all be friends.

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being yourself in dance

Dance is meant to be fun and creative. Improv is  a good way to let go and to just let the music speak to you. You improve everyday when you're in you're room dancing to your music. You listen to the beat and let your body move with out even thinking. Improv is a good way to just let go and be free. It lets you make up your own dance moves and dance with your own style.

At dance studios, often times the instructor will let the class improv for a song or two. Just to let you dance to your own style and be creative in your dancing. It's said that dancers are the first to loose themselves because they're told to copy and mimic dancers and learn routines as in synch as possible to other people almost to the point of perfection. They aren't allowed to have a personal feeling and style in a dance because it has to be together, or clean, as a whole with everyone else on stage and together. Improv every now and then is a good way to stay in tune to your style and enjoyment of dancing.

When improvisation is done at my studio, in my classes, I always get really nervous because I think I'm going to mess up or do something wrong and people are going to look at me because I messed up or danced awkwardly. When in reality no one really cares and the point of improv is to try new things and be creative with your dancing. It's hard to dance like yourself when you're surrounded by a whole bunch of people you don't know, but just listen to the music and dance to your own beat. You're there to have fun and dancing without stress, with you're own style can be very uplifting and enjoyable.

Improv is done a lot in lyrical classes. It's done in about every class, jazz, hip hop, etc. Lyrical though is a big place for improv though because its more of an emotional type of dance. The movements flow together more and improv is done a lot in this class just because since it is easier to express emotions there for easier to express your style and mood of dance in a lyrical class. Just remember to not think about you or how people think of you when you improv because it's a learning experience. It's a time to figure out what works and what doesn't, just have fun and dance to your own beat and style.

expressions

Faces are a big and important aspect of performing. No matter where you’re performing or who you’re performing in front of. Faces make your performance more enjoyable for you and your audience to watch. They also help in making mistakes less noticeable and add to the theme and mood of your dance.

Faces make your performance more enjoyable to watch. They make you look like you're having a blast even though you're actually exhausted and about to pass out. They make your performance more entertaining for people to watch and more enjoyable for you as well. Facials during your performance make you feel more energetic during your routine. The more faces you make and the more smiles you have the more fun you will have too. Faces help express the mood of your dance as well. Whether your dance is sassy, sad, or emotional, your face can express a lot to the audience.

 When you mess up, because it has happened to all of us, faces make it less noticeable to the judges or to your audience that an incorrect move was done. If you lose your face when you perform because you messed up or because you just don't do faces then the audience’s attention is drawn to you and either makes you look sloppy or unprofessional. Making the performance less enjoyable for you and your audience. Especially during a judged performance or competition it's important to play off incorrect moves, not that there should be incorrect moves, but if there is, not losing your face is super important so that you don't bring attention to yourself and get points taken off because the judges noticed you make a mistake.

 It’s important to practice faces in practice. Have you ever heard of the quote, maybe from your coach or the Internet, "perfect practice makes perfect"? Well this quote may not be entirely true because no one can be perfect, but this quote reaches a really good point. If you practice right in practice then you're going to perform it right. You'll get it right if you practice right. Practicing correctly and full out in practice will make it easier for you when competitions come. You’ll already have facials down and won’t have to be reminded or have to think about doing them in your routine or worry about them last minute. To help with faces, try practicing making faces in your mirror at home to get you use to making lots of faces. To help you make different kinds of faces try doing your vowels (a,e,i,o,u) faces. I’ve been told all the way back from when I was little and I was doing cheerleading that we need to practice our faces. Our coach would tell us to go home and practice our vowels in the mirror. Changing your faces a lot during your routine will make your performance more entertaining as well, so practice changing them often during your routine.

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Believing

In any situation encouragement is needed so much but is often forgotten about or pushed to the side. Encouragement helps lift the spirits of the people around you and can even boost your spirits as well. In competitive sports sometimes our focus is so much on beating our opponent that we try so hard to bring them down, especially with our words, and loose our desire to have fun and enjoyment of what we are doing. Stated by dictionary.com, encouragement is to inspire with courage, spirit or confidence. Helping each other get through a hard time even just by encouraging them can mean a  lot.

I recently went on a church retreat and the topic was encouragement. We talked about how only good things can come from genuine words of encouragement and how important building each other up is. Our words mean a lot and can change someone's whole day around. We were encouraged to stand out and be known for our kind words and encouragement. The speaker at this retreat made the analogy of being called Barnabas. Barnabas was a man from the bible whose name means son of encouragement and our speaker encouraged us to be known as Barnabas's. We watched this video on encouraging one another, and although it's a little cheesy and on the kid side, I think it really gets the point across.

When a teammate or someone is having a rough day and may not be performing their best it's helpful to encourage them to keep up their spirits and keep at it. Building each other up can only help them as well as you. Especially on a team, it's important for everyone to work together and help each other out. And just think, if you were having a bad day then you would want people encouraging you to keep trying. Even just saying something small can mean a lot to someone. Even just saying "good job" or "keep trying" are encouraging words that can help. When you encourage others it makes you feel good as well and lifts your spirits to try harder. Working together and encouraging one another can only help out your team,  giving them confidence as well as you  to perform your best. So I encourage you to be an inspiration to others through your encouragement and kind words to lift each others' spirits up.

The importance of team building

Team building is very important on any team, but especially on a team where there are new or lots of new members. My dance team just recently acquired five new members to the team. Some or most of the original members who have been on dance team before or the previous year know the new members. They know them just through their studios or other activities, but not all of us know them. Team building activities are good to get to know the other people on the team better and to build bonds between the team. It helps the team as whole to become one and work together better. This will also happen with time, but team building encourages it to happen.

There are many different team building activities and you can choose one based on what you want the focus to be. Whether you want that to be communication, problem solving, memory, or just "getting to know you" games to help with that. Creating a connection between your teammates and yourself is important and can help with many problems that may arise with you or your team if you all are not all on the same page or working together for a common goal.

Girls can be very judgmental and often compare themselves when jealous. So when you have a new team with a bunch of very beautiful and talented girls you can either all be friends and get along together or be enemies and we all know that being friends is the better option here. In order to be a successful team and accomplish things together everyone, and I mean everyone, is going to have to do their part to make the team a success. You're not going to be friends with everyone and there will be conflict at times but making sure you all know each other and putting forth the effort to get to know each other will ultimately benefit the team for the good.

Everyone needs to participate and do their part other wise someone will be left out or slack off. Have you ever heard the phrase "You're as strong as your weakest link," well our coach says this all the time because its true. If your weakest link is not at the level as the others then the others will slack off and not get better. Making sure team building is a factor in a new season is very important and hopefully you start getting to know your knew teammates:)

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The importance of organization

Now that I'm a captain on the dance team a lot of things need to get done and get accomplished. It's important to stay organized or in my case get organized in order to complete and fully accomplish these tasks. There's so much to do. Lots of decisions need to be made and lots of things need to be figure out. Making sure you're organized, not just with papers and stuff, but with your time and plans should be organized as well.

There's lots of benefits to being organized. As stated in this article The Importance of being organized. Being organized makes life easier in many ways. It helps in not losing things and helps in staying stress free. Say you have a paper you need to bring to a meeting you are having for dance, but you wake up late and are running out the door. You misplaced the paper and don't know where it is. If you weren't organized then you would be looking for it until you find it and who knows when that would be. Being organized saves you time and helps you out when certain things happen that you can't control, like running or waking up late. Being organized helps you not be so stressed because you'll be able to find the things you need when you need them and in a timely fashion.

Being organized in your plans and everyday life are very important as well. As stated in the article Why Getting Organized is Important being organized will save you a lot of trouble in the future. Missing someone's birthday or an important date is never fun. This article suggests writing down all the important dates and things going on in your head that you are trying to remember. It's hard to remember and keep straight all the things you need to do and accomplish with such a busy schedule.

Being organized is a great way to have a plan and make decision in the future. Being organized allows for you to get a better grasp on your life and what is going on. So when you need to make a decision, whether big or small, you can properly assess the pros and cons of that decision knowing all the facts of what is going on in your life. Being in dance team a lot of decisions need to be made regarding clothing, music, choreography, etc. A lot needs to be decided and it helps to have a another senior on the team, but with only two of us it's still hard to get everything done. I'm hoping this season goes well and we can work together to make decisions quickly but still make decisions that are good for the rest of the team and for the team in the future. I need to be more organized and hopefully this will help make this year as stress free as possible.

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A New Team

Starting a new season can both be a good and a bad thing.  You just lost your seniors, the most experienced and probably the best dancers on the team, but on the bright side you just gained some talented members as well. So it's both good and bad, happy and unhappy. It's difficult because you have to train the younger members. But exciting at the same time because they're new and excited to be on the team.

You are going to miss your teammates who are gone, but in the end you need to look forward and focus on the team that you have now. Focus on becoming the best team there is and the best you can be. Look at the bright side and be positive. There's a lot of talented young girls who are excited to be there and excited to be on the team. They've worked hard and they deserve to be on the team like everyone else who has made it. Its important to make sure they feel welcome and not too scared at first.

The younger teammates will be scared and nervous at first, but making sure they feel comfortable and welcome is important. Don't be too mean or haze them or anything because you are all going to have to work together to make this year good and in order to be the best team you can be. Just have a positive attitude. Make sure you step up as a leader as well. Make sure the younger girls, the ones who are new and the ones who have been on it before. One of the things me and the other senior captain are going to do is make sure the attitude among the girls is at a minimum.

Making the Team

Getting that call that you made the team is the best feeling in the world. After all your hard work and practice it feels good that you finally made it. Even after many days of worrying and over analyzing everything you did in tryouts. It was worth it and you're proud you made it. Whether you're new to the team or you you're coming back for another year, it's important to keep up that enthusiasm and happy attitude through out the year. You're not going to get along with everyone all the time but being positive and understanding of each other is important in communication and the operation of a team. Working together is important because this season can either be the best time you've ever had or you could dread each practice and not enjoy it at all.

Whether you've been on the team before or you are a brand new member, get ready for a hell of a lot of fun and so many new friendships. It's so exciting to be on a team because you all know, or will know, each other. It's a lot of work, because dance is a difficult sport, but there will be so many fun and wonderful times and moments shared between you and you're teammates. Be positive and have a good attitude because that is what can determine if you compete or not. It's important to work together because that is what a team is. A group of people working and cooperating together. Have fun and be encouraging and forgiving as well. You're not going to get along with everyone all the time, but making sure you try to understand and not think too harshly of each other is important.

Making the team is wonderful and all. You want to scream at the top of your lungs and tell everyone you know that you made it. But it's important to keep up that enthusiasm and energy for the season. There will be hard times and times you won't get along with exactly everyone, but keeping a good attitude and staying positive will help you a lot. Not just in getting along with others but in your dancing as well. It's important to stay positive because it will make everything easier. Don't worry about not making any friends because you will. Don't worry about not being the best because there's always going to be someone better and worrying about it is not worth the stress. Just have fun and enjoy the experience of being on a dance team!

Perspective

Its all in your perspective when it comes to dance or any physical sport. I'm learning that this year. I've been on varsity dance team for one year now and going into the second year I'm noticing a lot. I'm noticing a lot about how things are run, how to read my fellow dance members better, how to be a better leader, etc. Just from being on the team before gives me an insight to what I want for my team and what I think we're capable of.

Tryouts are today and there's lots of incoming eighth graders or incoming ninth graders, whatever you would like to call them, trying out. Also the members who were already on the team have to tryout again. I'm not too thrilled about this though. I understand that it's necessary, but I still don't want to go through the audition. Auditions make me nervous, I want to do my best and not mess up even if the chance of me getting back on the team is very, very high. It's just the process of trying out scares me. I know I don't have anything to worry about but it still isn't pleasant in my mind. I'm hoping everything will go okay, and I know it will, I guess I just like to worry.

With tryouts here, I guess its really hitting hard how soon the new season is coming up. And how fast the previous season went. I still can't wrap my mind around how we're not going to have our seniors next year that we do now. Let alone I can't comprehend that I'm going to be a senior next year. Being a senior/ captain, I'm going to have a lot more responsibilities and leadership roles. I'm unsure how I will be though, I'm excited and confident, but at the same time I'm nervous because I want to make sure I'm a good leader and good senior/captain.

The perspective change that has me during tryouts is that I'm not as nervous about it. Which may help or hinder me in some ways. I feel like I shouldn't worry, because I've been on the team before, which helps my anxiety levels. But I haven't practiced as much as I should and I'm hoping that doesn't hinder me as I tryout. But just being at the practices and learning the tryout dances I'm more aware of what's happening around me. I can see the little eighth graders and relate to them, because I was in their position not too long ago. I think the most I can do this tryout is make sure to help the other girls and make them feel welcome and not so nervous. This will help me get to know them better and show my leadership skills because some of them will be on the team next year.

Get Ready

Tryouts are coming soon. I'm going to be a senior. I'm going to be a captain. I guess its really hitting hard how soon the new season is coming up. And how fast the previous season went. I still can't wrap my mind around how we're not going to have our seniors next year that we do now. Let alone I can't comprehend that I'm going to be a senior next year. Being a senior and captain, I'm going to have a lot more responsibilities and leadership roles. I'm unsure how I will be though, I'm excited and confident, but at the same time I'm nervous because I want to make sure I'm a good leader and a good senior captain.

There are lots of things me and the other senior captain need to get ready for next season. Outfits, music, choreography, and lots more. We're the main decision makers on the team. It's kind of exciting when you think about it. There are lots of aspirations and goals I have for this team. I want us to push hard and be the best we can be. It's going to be easier this year than last because we have a lot of returning members. Its exciting to see the improvements and achievements that we've made only being on dance team for one year. I'm hoping to push and improve this team so we can have fun and enjoy dancing together.

I'm going to start this season off going head first. There are lots of things we need to get done as a team and individually. For me, I'm going to be very busy this next year. I'm going to be a senior captain on the varsity dance team, I'm going to go out for diving in the fall, I'm going to try and take more classes at my studio, and I'm going to try and work as much as I can so I can pay for all of this. I just need to remind myself to have a good attitude about it all and try not to get too burnt out.

Special tricks

For tryouts we have the option to do a special trick after we're done showing the judges all the required stuff. It's really hard for me to come up with a trick because I'm a really basic dancer. Teach me how to do something and I'll work my butt off to get it, but give me free rein to do whatever I want and I'm at a lost. The requirements for this extra trick is that it has to be more than one move and that it has to show something you're good at. This trick will give you extra points to put towards your score. So doing a trick is most beneficial. Its important to do a trick that you can do well and that you are good at. If you're good at turns, do something that involves turns. If you are good at jumps, do something with jumps. If flexibility is your strong point then show off your flexibility, and so on with any other skill you may have.

I don't really know what my skill is. My dance skills aren't that developed so I don't really know. I'm trying to take more classes this year at my studio to try and get better, and make myself a more well-rounded dancer. But I honestly am unsure as to what to do at my tryout. Its important to have a special trick because it will get you extra points. Even if you can't do anything that special you should still try because even one point can make a difference from winning and losing. Its always good to improve your score any way that you can.

You can do numerous tricks like calypso's, a tilt, any leap, a herky, etc. Anything is fine as long as it's one of your strong points. Don't do something that you're not good at because there's a chance you might mess up or fall out of it. Find what you're good at whether that's jumps, turns, leaps, flexibility. Whatever you're good at, use that to your advantage and wow the judges.

Hip Hop

There's lots of differences between different styles of dance. The form and technique is different, the shoes are different. There's lots of different things between them. The main dance styles I do are pom, jazz and hip hop. They're lots of fun and I'm trying to add more styles under my belt by adding more classes. I'm constantly looking to get better and different styles will help in one’s diversity and technique in dance. Often time’s dances overlap and you can carry a skill from one class to the next. It’s important to be a well-rounded dancer because you'll be experienced and better able to pick up on dances and perform them better.

I recently just tried a hip hop class at my studio. I've never done hip hop at a studio or have taken one of their classes. I've only done hip hop at dance team at school and even then that wasn't that big of an introduction to the class. My first hip hop class was the other day and I'd have to say I enjoyed it so much. It was so much fun. I didn't participate in everything because they were working on their recital piece, but the amount that I did participate it was really fun.

I don't know that much about hip hop, but I'm learning. You have to be very tight and controlled, but not so much that you’re dancing doesn't look natural. There’s a balance between being too loose and being too tight. You really have to use your core and work on sharp movements. Hip hop is full of different movements that you have to be sharp on. It’s full of set movements. It’s very interesting to see a hip hop performance because just like any other dance, each one is different. Hip hop is lots of fun and I recommend trying it.

Everyone has their own style of dance that they like best. Whether that's jazz, ballet, contemporary, lyrical, or hip hop. Every person is different and there's a dance style or class for each individual person and style. Its important to make sure you love what you're doing, so make sure you're involved in the hip hop production at your studio if that's what your interested in. Or for any other style of dance you're interested in as well. But also get involved in a lot of different dances and styles because putting yourself out there and experiencing new things is what makes you better as a dancer.

Dance and your imagination

Lots of times in dance you have to use your imagination to make up dances. Its important to be creative.Dance is meant to be fun and creative. Improv is  a good way to let go and to just let the music speak to you. You improve everyday when you're in you're room dancing to your music. You listen to the beat and let your body move with out even thinking. Improv is a good way to just let go and be free. It lets you make up your own dance moves and dance with your own style.

At dance studios, often times the instructor will let the class improv for a song or two. Just to let you dance to your own style and be creative in your dancing. It's said that dancers are the first to loose themselves because they're told to copy and mimic dancers and learn routines as in synch as possible to other people almost to the point of perfection. They aren't allowed to have a personal feeling and style in a dance because it has to be together, or clean, as a whole with everyone else on stage and together. Improv every now and then is a good way to stay in tune to your style and enjoyment of dancing.

When improvisation is done at my studio, in my classes, I always get really nervous because I think I'm going to mess up or do something wrong and people are going to look at me because I messed up or danced awkwardly. When in reality no one really cares and the point of improv is to try new things and be creative with your dancing. It's hard to dance like yourself when you're surrounded by a whole bunch of people you don't know, but just listen to the music and dance to your own beat. You're there to have fun and dancing without stress, with you're own style can be very uplifting and enjoyable.

Improv is done a lot in lyrical classes. It's done in about every class, jazz, hip hop, etc. Lyrical though is a big place for improv though because its more of an emotional type of dance. The movements flow together more and improv is done a lot in this class just because since it is easier to express emotions there for easier to express your style and mood of dance in a lyrical class. Just remember to not think about you or how people think of you when you improv because it's a learning experience. It's a time to figure out what works and what doesn't, just have fun and dance to your own beat and style.

Deciding on a choreographer

When deciding on a choreographer its a lot of stress. This coming year I'm going to be a senior on the dance team. With that me and the other senior will be the captains. We decide on everything from what we wear, to what music we want, and what choreographer we want. This past year we had the same person choreograph our pom and our jazz routines. We both go to the same studio, my and my senior teammate, and we wanted to try something new. So we decided on a different person, one from out studio to choreograph our jazz routine. Our coach was kind of unsure at first, but I think she's coming around to it, we've ensured her that this choreographer knows what they're doing. Its very stressful picking out a choreographer because you have to trust them and put all your faith into them that they will make up a wonderful routine.

Choreographers think of dance's and routines in different parts. They look at it as a whole and decide what they want to do and then break it up into a whole bunch of little tiny pieces of one whole dance. piece by piece. I honestly don't know how they come up with all the different ideas they come up with, but dance and especially choreographing is definitely an art on it's own. Choreographers have to be very open and willing to change and go with the flow as the ideas in their brains do not always come out in reality as planned.

The ability of the dance has a lot to do with  the ability of the dancers. That's why there's different levels and try outs for dance's and dance teams, because the more and closer the ability of the dancers are the more in synch and flexibility you have with the dance and certain moves you do.  You wouldn't put a bad dancer and a good dancer in the same dance routine, the bad dancer would just end up bringing the whole routine down and even at competitions and stuff, you get judged on team skills, how many people can do a certain skill, as well.

Choreographers have to think of everything. Between formations, angles, skills, arm placements, often times music, and tempo. They have a lot to think about. They somehow manage it all and address everything eventually in someway. In the end though the routines come out to be wonderful pieces of work that look very astounding and creative.

auditions and nerves

I have auditions next week for Dance Team. The 2014 school year is coming to an end and now its time to get ready for the new things that await. I've been on the team this current year and being on the team gives me more confidence to do better at auditions. Its still stressful but since I was already on the team I'm even more confident now. So wish me luck as this next week approaches!

Auditioning can be very stressful, with all the nerves and worrying done it takes a lot out of you. But as a dancer it's something you have to get use to. It's the same with any performing art, auditioning is a part of life and it determines whether or not you get on the team or get the part. Auditions can be intimidating but with confidence and the right preparation you will be able to rock the auditions with few flaws and be able to leave with a smile on your face. Important tips for auditions involve your preparation, punctuality, appearance, and confidence.

preparation is probably one of the most important aspects or tips for auditions because the way you prepare determines how you will do in the actual auditions. Read your audition information thoroughly and carefully because that will tell you everything you need to know about your audition. What to wear, what to bring, where to go, etc. Everything you need to know is in there. Before you even show up at auditions you need to know what you're doing and this packet of information you get  becomes your life line. For me, I always resort to my packet of information whenever my mind goes blank I forget what I need to bring or what time something is at, etc. At my school our auditions take about three to four days and during that time we have audition clinics, where we learn the audition dance and technique we need to do for the actual auditions. Preparation for this is super important because you're already given what you have to do, so you just have to practice it and perform it for the judges at the best of your ability. Preparation involves practicing the audition dance so you remember it and practicing the technique so you do it well. I know that sounds easy, but with stress and nervousness mixed in there its very easy to forget the dance during actual auditions, so preparation is very important.

Practice outside of practice

Practice is really important when it comes to getting better. You need to put in the time and effort in order to improve. You are not going to improve just by going to practice. Although that helps and is a great way to keep on top of your skills, you don’t work on everything you need to work on when it comes to practicing in a group with other people. Practicing outside of practice is best if you use it to work on your skills that you may have trouble with or need improvement on. Because you’re not going to always dance your best when surrounded by friends or fellow classmates. You may need more time on a skill than other people and the time you have in class may not be enough to understand and learn that new skill.

 Practice outside of practice will improve you fast if you practice the right way. If you Practice right, then you'll perform it right. You may hear this a lot, but it's true. If you learn your skill or dance right, then practice it right, it will ultimately make your life easier because then you won't have to spend so much time fixing the mistakes you could of had right all along. You'll end up having more time and energy to spend on other things instead of stressing about the move or dance skills you need to work on.

Practice the little things. There's a difference between going through the motions and then actually hitting, or sharpening the moves. Finishing each move strong and together is very powerful and gives lots of energy and purpose to the dance. When you're watching two people do the same dance and one's smiling and the other's not, which one are you going to watch or enjoy more? Obviously the one smiling. Smiling or doing facials is a little thing that can make you're dance a lot more enjoyable to you and the audience, and is a huge factor in your stage presence. As a dancer you want to entertain your audience and practicing your moves right will help in accomplishing this.

Practicing outside of practice, practicing right, and practicing the little things will improve you the most and the most efficiently. You will improve greatly if you put in the time and effort to make yourself better.

How does your health and diet effect you in perfomances

Healthy eating can help you feel better when competition time comes around. Your diet and what you’re eating will help you in your competitions and in performing your best. Lots of junk food will slow you down and not getting enough to drink will get you dehydrated and make you sick or light headed. Your health has a big impact in how you perform.

It is very important no matter what sport you're involved in to eat healthy. Whether it's what kinds of food you eat or how much sleep you get. It affects how you perform and how well you do at the particular sport you're in. On a regular basis, when practicing, because you’re exercising on a regular basis, having a balanced diet is best. Not eating too much junk food and drinking plenty of water is most beneficial.

When competing, it's best to cleanse your body of any junk food or bad influence you could have on your body. Not eating any junk food or high sugar products is good. Try avoiding those so you can be at your best performance level. Getting enough sleep is very important as well. Making sure you're well rested and have enough energy to perform is best. If you don't get enough sleep you'll be tired and not prepared to perform none the less do well. I feel so much better about myself and healthier to when I can eat healthier. When it comes time to perform I don't have to worry about what I've eaten and can focus on what I'm supposed to do instead of focusing on little insignificant things like what nasty thing I ate last night and if I'm going to puke it up cause I'm so nervous, just kidding:) but it definitely makes me feel better and more prepared when I eat right. Have you ever heard the phrase "you are what you eat"? Well I definitely believe in this statement because it seems to be true, at least for me anyways, you feel good when you eat eight and feel like crap when you don't. At least in my experience it's been this way.

Not drinking water can cause you to be dehydrated and you may get dizzy or feel sick in some way. Dehydration can cause muscle cramps and cause you to not perform your best. Drinking enough fluids is important before, during and after your workouts. Drinking enough fluids before you exercise is important so you don't get dehydrated during your workouts. If you're thirsty then you should drink more because you're already dehydrated and your body is trying to tell you that.

It’s important not only when you’re competing but all the time to eat healthy and drink lots of fluids, because your health can either help you or not when it comes to competitions or just life in general.

Why dance is harder than you think

Dancing is harder than you think because it requires time, effort, physical strength and flexibility, as well as endurance and coordination. It is often looked at as easy or not a sport, but the athletes are so talented that when you look at them they make it look easy. It’s not just for girls but for everyone and can communicate emotion and is a way to express oneself. They get so good by lots of practice and passion.

There’s some debate dance as whether dancing should be considered an art rather than a sport, but in all logic it is both. Dance is an expression of emotion, as art or any artist does, but dance requires physical ability to express this emotion. If dancers are considered athletes then how come dance isn't considered a sport. Dance is both an expression, an art, as well as a sport. Dancing is equally a sport as anything else is because it requires skill and physical fitness. Endurance, flexibility, and health are all aspects of dance. You can get equally hurt in dance as well as in any other sport. Dancers have to use every single muscle in their body to complete intricate moves well and safely.

Dance requires flexibility and physical strength as well as endurance. Flexibility is very important in dance. It provides a wider range of styles that can be used and allows the dancer to accomplish higher and more advanced skills or tricks. It also creates more fluid motions that may be required for certain styles or dances. Flexibility also reduces the risk of injury and provides a better range of motion for the dancer. Endurance is important because in order to get through an intense or high energy dance. Whether it’s a dance with a lot of skills or technique in it, in order to get through it and make it the best it can be endurance is important to have.

Dance requires passion. It’s important to involve passion in dance because that’s how emotion is expressed and is how the audience connects with the performer. You have to feel the music, be able to enter another world. To dance to whatever song comes on and to dance with whatever dance moves you'd like. To provide the audience with something that they would enjoy and be entertained with but also with something that you can enjoy as well. Something that you're happy with and can perform well.

Dance requires lots of practice. Practice is really important when it comes to getting better. You need to put in the time and effort in order to improve. You are not going to improve just by going to practice. Although that helps and is a great way to keep on top of your skills, you don’t work on everything you need to work on when it comes to practicing in a group with other people. Practicing outside of practice is best if you use it to work on your skills that you may have trouble with or need improvement on.

What's too young to start dancing?

Is it ever too early to start dancing? Starting your child off early is a debate that many parents have concerning their young children. whether they should put them into sports at an early age or not.  There's debates to  whether starting your child in dance is beneficial or not beneficial. Whether it will help them in the long run or make them out to be competition driven.  It's a choice a parent has to make  to involve their child or not. It just depends on the parent and the decision they make regarding their child.

Positive aspects of involving your child in dance at an early age is that it improves their fine motor skills and balance. Benefitting them at an early age. Starting them at an early age will give them more time to develop their skills and  experiences as a dancer. Starting them at a early age will provide more time to make them better dancers. It will provide them the opportunity to see what they like and dislike. They will make friends at an earlier age and have more experience as a dancer. Benefiting then in the long run.

Cons to starting your child in dance at an early age is that they  would develop a  competitive mindset. Becoming too competitive and not enjoying the fun of dance or sports.  Some question whether starting their kid in dance or sports at an early age will even benefit them, see as if starting them later would provide them the same benefits as if starting them a little earlier would.

Whatever the decision on involving your child in dance at an early age or not. It's important to keep in mind the pros and cons of what the benefits are. Whether they help or not in the decision you make to involve your child or not.
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Why the choice of music is so important

Now you don't have to dance to music. there are silent dances too, but that all involves the tone and appeal you want your dance to have. Having music or not having music is the choice you make in order to best represent your dance. The music set the tone and feel a performance or dance should have. What must consider what emotion you want the audience to feel or express when watching your dance. 

The choreographer is like the writer. The dancers the words and the music is the tone. The feel the writer, choreographer, has toward the subject, the dance or performance. In order to fully communicate what is being expressed through the dance, the music aids in this,, to get your point across. whether you want a slow and emotional dance, or a fast up beat dance. You communicate a lot through the moves and music being played.

The speed of the music and how fast the different moves in the dance are affect the performance in many ways. You can pack a lot in to a one minute or thirty second dance if the moves and speed of the dance are fast paced. A lot of times especially in a competition setting the speed of a dance has a lot to do with the difficulty of the dance. The faster it is the more difficult it is and that aids in your score for difficulty. Pom songs and dances tend to be very fast and up beat. With hard hitting moves and an intense pace, a lot of the intensity and fast pace are expressed with the music. When performing at a competition part of your score is based on your energy. With up beat music it helps keep up the energy in a dance.  You see a lot of slower songs and more creative and artsy choreography in jazz or lyrical dances. You see a lot more emotion and different kinds of emotion more in these dances, especially lyrical dances. These dances tend to express a story and try and make the audience feel a certain way. 

Music can be used to express a lot in a dance. It sets the tone and speed of a dance. Making the audience feel a certain way. The choreography plus the music impact the audience in a way that can't be done in it's own. They aid and complement each other in a combination that only fits and plays out for the particular dance. Music does a lot and that's why it's so important to pick out the best for your dance or performance and consider all the important aspects music can aid in.

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Why finding a good school to dance at is important

When wanting to further your education or whatever your passions are, whether that’s dance or not, you want the best of the best.  want to be the best therefore you want to be taught by the best. You want to succeed and reach your full potential and in order to do that you must fully do your research on what college you would like to attend. You need to make sure that your choice is right for you. Academically, socially, and personally. It needs to be a good fit and benefit or aid in all of your needs as a student. You should also consider the benefits they have for after college, whether they have connections or interest to what you would like to pursue in the future.

When looking for a school to aid in your dance career It’s important to look into the team that they have and what classes they have that will aid in your career path. As a junior this year I have been thinking a lot about colleges and what I would like to major or minor in. I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want to do, who I want to become, and where I want to go. I’ve been researching certain colleges I may have an interest in or would like to attend or maybe just go on a college visit to. When deciding where I would like to go for school, whether that’s for dance or not, I’ve had to consider the athletics and academics at these schools. What they have to offer and how well they are at these certain things.

It’s important to look at a variety of different schools and the opportunities they have available. Especially if you don’t plan on going to school to study dance, and aren't sure what to major or minor in, but would still like to continue with your dancing ambitions. It’s important to research the school and know all what they have to offer. If they only have one dance team, or multiple ones. If they provide dance classes or just intramural for dance.

You need to choose the school that’s right for you and only right for you. That involves research and can often be one of the hardest decisions you make in your life. Making sure the college is right for you academically and making sure it holds the right tools for you to succeed are big things to look for in a college. In order for you to follow your dreams and passions it  is a criteria you should be considering when looking, researching, or just visiting colleges. Whatever one you decide should be a good fit and provide you with the tools you need to succeed. And should also include social, personal, and athletic aspects that should be a good fit for you.

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Just Dance

Just Dance is a wonderful game and wonderful form of entertainment. It’s super fun and can entertain for a long period of time. Just Dance is a game on the Wii where songs are played and you follow along to the dance moves with your Wii remote. Its super fun and entertaining. The game of Just Dance is really cool and can entertain for a long time. It’s great for parties and entertainment. It’s super fun and can entertain for a long period of time. Just Dance is a game on the Wii where songs are played and you follow along to the dance moves with your Wii remote. Its super fun and entertaining. The game of Just Dance is really cool and can entertain for a long time. It’s great for parties and entertainment. It’s super fun and can entertain for a long period of time. Just Dance is a game on the Wii where songs are played and you follow along to the dance moves with your Wii remote. Its super fun and entertaining. The game of Just Dance is really cool and can entertain for a long time. It’s great for parties and entertainment.

It’s super fun and can entertain for a long period of time. Just Dance is a game on the Wii where songs are played and you follow along to the dance moves with your Wii remote. Its super fun and entertaining. The game of Just Dance is really cool and can entertain for a long time. It’s great for parties and entertainment. It’s super fun and can entertain for a long period of time. Just Dance is a game on the Wii where songs are played and you follow along to the dance moves with your Wii remote. Its super fun and entertaining. The game of Just Dance is really cool and can entertain for a long time. It’s great for parties and entertainment. It’s super fun and can entertain for a long period of time. Just Dance is a game on the Wii where songs are played and you follow along to the dance moves with your Wii remote. Its super fun and entertaining. The game of Just Dance is really cool and can entertain for a long time. It’s great for parties and entertainment.

Thanks

Say thanks to the people who've made a difference in your life or who inspire you. If that's just in everyday life or someone who's inspired you to dance, do your best, etc

Everybody gets down and just that little bit of kindness can really make a persons day . Make sure to thank the people in your lives who have made an impact or have influenced you in a big way. Even if they only impacted you in a little way. It’s nice to acknowledge them and make them know that you appreciate them and their influence in your life. Make sure to thank the people in your lives who have made an impact or have influenced you in a big way. Even if they only impacted you in a little way. It’s nice to acknowledge them and make them know that you appreciate them and their influence in your life. Make sure to thank the people in your lives who have made an impact or have influenced you in a big way. Even if they only impacted you in a little way. It’s nice to acknowledge them and make them know that you appreciate them and their influence in your life. Make sure to thank the people in your lives who have made an impact or have influenced you in a big way. Even if they only impacted you in a little way. It’s nice to acknowledge them and make them know that you appreciate them and their influence in your life.


At your studio or something say something nice to the new girl or just say 'hi' because there's no doubt that she's nervous and would love to feel more welcomed.

Leadership

 

Everyone wants to be a good leader. And sometimes there’s pressure to be a good leader, but not everyone is given that natural talent. Some people may have better speaking skills, or better 
Character. Encouragement helps lift the spirits of the people around you and can even boost your spirits as well. In competitive sports sometimes our focus is so much on beating our opponent that we try so hard to bring them down, especially with our words, and loose our desire to have fun and enjoyment of what we are doing. Challenging yourself is key in whether you want to improve in your dance ability or not. We're not all perfect dancers, but  we all want to be. In order to reach our goals and our desired dance capability we have to work hard and push ourselves to improve. Whether you have to improve in strength, flexibility, or technique, we all have to work on something.

 1.Trust-acts as well as talks
2.Energetic and happy with their work/activity-motivate and encourage

3. 

   Confident

4.

   Effective/efficient

5.

   Calm and persevere through tough times

6.

   Breaks the journey down, making it easier to manage and better to analyze increasing progress

7.

   Committed to exceeding, has high standards and is proactive in raising that bar for themselves as well as others in order to reach their goal and beyond

Decisive, firm, think of the big picture(stick to your/the goal), proactive, communicate, think of the betterment for the whole team/ others

It’s better to spend quality time on a one or two items in your life, and focus on those rather than to rush and cut corners on too many projects or item that you already have going on. Because that is what happens when you have too much to do in too little time. You rush, cut corners, get lazy and your project that you once thought was going to be great, starts to crumble and fall apart because you have not spend enough quality time or energy on it that you thought you were. Goals are very important in anything you do. Whether they're long term goals or short term goals. Setting something to work towards is key in improvement. Setting goals will help in your ability to become a better dancer and setting multiple goals will help break up your journey towards that. Making it easier and more realistic.

When a teammate or someone is having a rough day and may not be performing their best it's helpful to encourage them to keep up their spirits and keep at it. Building each other up can only help them as well as you. Especially on a team, it's important for everyone to work together and help each other out. And just think, if you were having a bad day then you would want people encouraging you to keep trying. Even just saying something small can mean a lot to someone. Even just saying "good job" or "keep trying" are encouraging words that can help. When you encourage others it makes you feel good as well and lifts your spirits to try harder. Working together and encouraging one another can only help out your team,  giving them confidence as well as you  to perform your best. So I encourage you to be an inspiration to others through your encouragement and kind words to lift each others' spirits up.

Everyone on a team has one goal, whether that's to make it to state, do well, have fun, or all of those. Whatever it is your team is working together to reach that goal. You get to know each other better so you can push each other harder, help each other out and succeed together. It's hard when you don't know everyone well enough on your team because tensions rise and little things build up on each other. This results in conflict and harsh feelings toward one another. Resulting in the opposite of building up your team and working together.

 

http://ezinearticles.com/?Seven-Personal-Characteristics-Of-A-Good-Leader&id=59305

Dance with passion

Passion, according to dictionary.com, is described as a strong or extravagant fondness,enthusiasm, or desire for anything; a compelling emotion or feeling. When one dances, they can just go through the motions without any emotion in there dancing. But just going through the motions is what classifies the dance as an athlete or defines dance as a sport, for the work out, but what makes dance an airy is the emotion. The passion that is expressed and released by the dancer performing, whether that emotion be power and strength or grace and sadness. It enables the audience to have a connection with the dancer on stage and  allows them to be emersed or consumed by the story or performance before them.

You have to feel the music, be able to enter another world. To dance to whatever song comes on and to dance with whatever dance moves you'd like. To provide the audience with something that they would enjoy and be entertained with but also with something that you can enjoy as well. Something that you're happy with and can perform well.

I encourage you to dance with passion. To feel the music and dance with heart. I know it can get hard sometimes but push through and success will come your way. Love what you do and have fun doing it. (227)

Dance clinics

Dancing Clinics are lots of fun, although they can be stressful at times. It's really exciting and fun to be with these little kids and be an influence in their lives even if it's only for one day or a couple of hours. A dancing clinic is a clinic, time period of two to about four hours, where elementary aged children and kids come to learn a dance and then perform it at the end to show their parents. We, as a dance team run and organize these events. As participants on the dance team our job is to teach the little girls a dance. Depending on how many kids there are we split them up into two or more groups, depending on age. We then teach them a fun and easy dance they will be able to for the most part learn and remember.

When dealing with children it can be challenging sometimes to deal with their attitudes and energy. They are so excited to be there and I love seeing their smiling faces. Sometimes though they can have attitudes, and I love their many and different personalities but depending on that day they can be hard to deal with and manage. Children have a very short attention span and it's hard to make them focus sometimes. It's good to have a variety of games you know as back up to bring their focus back to you and the group. I advise that you take deep breathes often , especially if you're not use to dealing with kids, lots of kids. At my school we host a couple of dance clinics throughout the year. We host one large 'Spirit Clinic' that involves bothe the dance team and the cheerleaders. The girls learn a dance routine and a cheer to perform for their parents. This clinic is our biggest clinic and lasts about four hours.  We teach the kids two routines, we feed them and play games with them. This clinic wears me out the most because there's so many kids and your constantly being questioned and told what to do by your coach. The other clinic we have is smaller and personally more fun. There's a lot less kids and it's only a dance clinic so we only have to teach them one routine. We don't have to feed them at this clinic and it's a lots less stress to make sure it runs smoothly.

The dance clinics are a good way to make money as well. It costs to be on the dance team and every little bit counts. For my team the money we make gets split up between the people who helped out and worked the clinic. Clinics are lots of fun and I encourage you to get involved in one if you have the opportunity. It's a great experience and I really love being involved in the kids exposure to dance. Just remember to be patient and to have fun. (503)

Weightlifting

Recently my dance team has been weightlifting. We're done with all our competitions and have a lighter schedule regarding dance practices. We still perform at basketball games but we're getting ready for next year and the new season as well as trying to stay in shape. Weightlifting is very beneficial and really increases our strength and endurance. Weightlifting will only benefit us as we continue to workout and will help us in dance in many ways.

We currently workout in the weight room and weight lift on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It's not a lot and I'd actually like to do it more, but for just starting out and weightlifting as a team I think it's really great and beneficial for all of us. Weightlifting is really going to help our Pom routine. Just with the amount of energy needed for it our endurance levels will be up and well be able to make it through our dance easier and be able to perform it better.

I have also started running on a regular basis, I've really wanted to get stronger and get physically fit for dance and the upcoming season. And running as well as weightlifting will do this for me. Since dance team is pretty much an all year sport it's important that I and we keep up our endurance and strength for next season. Losing our endurance and strength and skills we've gained this year will only hold us back and take up more time to regain in the future. I'm a long way from being where I would like to be both physical fitness wise and dance skill wise, but with a lot of hard work and determination anything is possible. Consistence with weightlifting and dancing will truly be the deciding factor in my efforts to succeed, so hopefully I don't burn out or lose my energy to accomplish my goals.

I strongly encourage weightlifting or any other strength activity that will help you get stronger and build endurance because the stronger you are the easier dancing and other activities will be later. Staying fit is very important as an athlete and the more you excersise and stay healthy the better it is for your body and the better you will become at your sport. Be safe while lifting though, get a trainer or spotter to help you if you're not sure exactly what you're doing. My dance team has a weightlifting coach that meets with us for a half an hour on Thesdays and Thusdays and shows and tells us what to do. He made a specific workout schedule for us specifically for dancers to help us get better. Weightlifting has a lot of benefits and I strongly encourage you to try it because I've found it really fun and if you enjoy a good workout you will too. (480)

Dancing

Dancing on a team compared to dance at a studio is very different. Compared to the different techniques or styles that each prefer its hard to decide which one you would like to be apart of. Doing or being involved in both are super fun and I encourage everyone to get involved at their studio but as well as get involved on a team.

Dancing at a studio is very different in the way that its a separate organization, like a club, that competes against other studios. Where as a dance team is usually through a school and is less strict in ways that how things are run and organized. Both dancing  at a studio and on a team at school requires money but dancing at a studio requires more money than dancing at school. Studios require more money because it's a separate organization, normally run privately.

Dance teams are less strict though. Studios have more styles and classes that you can attend, whereas dancing on a team mostly consists of styles of the sorts of jazz, poms, or hip hop. you don't spend as much time at dance team as you would at a studio or competition team at your studio. so I encourage you to do both because they are lots of fun and great experiences come from both.

Start Early

Lots of good, experienced, and talented dancers started at an early age. Some as early as two or three have been dancing for most of their life time. Starting this young enables them to learn the skills and master them at an earlier age. Giving them more time to practice and get the feel for it. Time is a big factor in any sport ,or just in life in general, but the sooner they start the more experience they gain and the better they will become as a dancer. Involving your child in dance at an early age will only help them, and will do so in many ways.

Putting your child in dance at an early age will help and increase their motor skills, coordination, and balance. Exposing your child to a new environment that will help them grow and develop is only beneficial to your child and their childhood. Its important to expose your child and to encourage them to be physically active as they will carry that into their later years. your child develops a lot in there younger years, especially around two years old, they're learning how to walk and speak and a lot is happening in their development. A good way to increase their motor skills is to involve them in dance or gymnastics. This will help their coordination and develop them more as an athlete.

Children enjoy being physically active and with something to do with all that energy its a good way for them to channel their energy towards. Its also a good break for you from constantly dealing with their high energy and hyper personalities at such a young age. It a big milestone in every parents life to see their child grow up and what better way to do that than watch them in their first dance recital.

Hard work and experience is never to old to pass up. You want your child to grow up with a good work ethic and what better way to do that than to involve them in a sport or something they can enjoy and work hard at. The earlier you start them the more experience they gain and can only benefit them as they grow older. So I encourage you to not waste anymore time, enroll your child in dance classes today and watch them grow into wonderful athletes that are hard working and passionate about what they can do and accomplish. (428)

Is Dancing a Sport?

Is dancing a sport? That's the real question, same with cheerleading as well. We've often debated about this as young kids, trying to defend the name of dancing from other children's taunts of inferior sports. We remember those  kids, especially boys who gave no thought to the hard work and dedication put into sports and activities done by girls. And still to this day dancing and cheerleading are looked upon as lesser sports than football or basketball, just because they're more women dominant sports.

Girls have always been looked upon as lesser than men. Since civilization began each gender has had it's role  in life and the way that we live. Something's are kept a tradition and others changed as a result of  the modern world that we claim to be. At an early age children are taught or notice the differences between genders and how they're treated differently. Girls because not thought of to be physically dominant are thought of as weaker and once sole role is to look good and take care of the house. This leads to debate, mostly between genders, of the physically demanding aspects of a sport and if it should be considered a sport. We all remember being teased by little boys when we were younger if dancing was a sport or not.

Dancing, as well as cheerleading, should be considered a sport because the physical demands are of equal or greater value to that of a man's sport. The word sport is described by dictionary.com as an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc. Dancing is equally a sport as anything else is because it requires skill and physical fitness. Endurance, flexibility, and health are all aspects of dance. You can get equally hurt in dance as well as in any other sport. Dancers have to use every single muscle in their body to complete intricate moves well and safely. Dance is a sport because it has competitions, judges, and sets of rules.

Some debate dance as being an art rather than a sport, but in all logic it is both. Dance is an expression of emotion, as art or any artist does, but dance requires physical ability to express this emotion. If dancers are considered athletes then how come dance isn't considered a sport. Dance is both an expression, an art, as well as a sport. (456)

Staying Consistant

As competition season ends, at least for me anyway. I only compete through my school and our competitions are over, but I know studio competitions are just beginning. We still have practices to get ready for basketball games, but what I've learned with the shorter practices and less strenuous workouts is that I still need to push myself. I still need to push myself so I don't lose my endurance even though we're not competing anymore.

I need to keep stretching and working out. I need to be consistent.if I stop stretching and pushing myself then I'm eventually going to lose my flexibility and all the skills I've worked to hard to get. I want to continue to keep moving forward, not go back. I don't don't want to decrease in skill just because I'm lazy and don't feel motivated to keep up on my workouts. I want to be able to be at my peak, to be at my very best and stay at my best as long as I can.

What you choose to do now affects you later. I don't want to have to relearn certain moves later just because I didn't work on them now. You can always improve and working to improve will only make you better. So stay consistent with your work outs and routines, whether it's  you're stretching habits or eating routines. Keep it consistent so you can only improve and get better. It's never too early to start training for the next season.

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Why Perform At Basketball games

At my school, the dance team performs at half time during basketball games. We don't perform at all the games but at a few we do. It's really fun and exciting to perform at games because it's more relaxed than competitions. It's still nerve racking to have your classmates stare at you and watch you but it's more fun to perform for people you know than just a random group of judges.

Entertainment during the halftime of basketball games is  important because it gives us an opportunity to perform but also let's other people see what the dance team is and what we can do. To show what we've worked so hard on and for. People only really associate the dance team with basketball games or pep assembly's . They don't ever watch or care about our competitions because they're not at school or on school days. It's good to get people aware of the dance team so we can be supported just like every other sport and to get people aware so we can get sponsors and such to support financially.

It's good to show off occasionally especially if you're really proud of something, but it's also the dance teams job and as a dancer to entertain and to perform for people. So performing at basketball games is very necessary for the dance team and for the dancer. It gives and gains more performing experience for the whole team, as well as each individual dancer. Basketball games are super fun and easy to perfo at. It's a relaxed time for the dancers, at my school anyways, because the competitions are done and it's a nice reward for a hard season. At our basketball games we perform the routines we've been competing and working on for the majority of the year, but also learn new routines to perform as well. We learn a hip hop to perform at a basketball games and that's a little bit more relaxed than performing our competition routines. In all performing is our job and entertaining is our goal.

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Well-Rounded Dancer

Being a well rounded dancer can only benefit you. Both in the long and short term. Being a well rounded dancer can help you in many aspects of dance. It can help in your dancing ability physically, but also can help in your memory and experience as well when being a dancer. When I say being a well rounded dancer, I mean you are able to dance different styles of dance and accomplish different moves of dance not just categorized to one form or style of dance.

Short term benefits of being a well rounded dancer consist of your ability to pick up or learn choreography and dances easier and faster. You are exposed to the different styles of dance and have been exposed to different instructors and ways of teaching so when you're taught a dance or routine its easier for you to pick it up. Your experiences are important when being a well rounded dancer because whatever you may be taught in a dance or routine you may have done that same move in another dance. Knowing how to execute that specific move or moves correctly and properly will enable you to remember and learn the dance quicker. You'll be able to correctly perform the dance sooner because you won't have to spend or waste your time on learning moves you have never done before.

Long term benefits of being a well rounded dance is that of just being able to use your muscles properly, giving yourself a bigger and strong self awareness of the muscles your using and how to use them. Different styles of dance will work different muscles and parts of your body. This will make you stronger and will benefit each dance you're apart of, if that's a performance or just a class. Being able to dance different dance styles will also help in becoming a professional dancer if that is your goal. Being able to dance and transition from different dance styles to another will increase your chance of getting a part in a dance or performance professionally. You'll need to focus on whatever dance you're going into but being well rounded and having that diversity of style will only benefit you.

You can only get stronger and having a diverse dance background will help you in any dance you're learning or performing in. Being well rounded can only benefit you for your dance future and career. Helping you in every style and dance you're involved with. Having that experience and awareness of different styles can only help in your ability to become the best dancer you can be.

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Traveling

Traveling for dance or for any competition can be really stressful. You’re afraid you’re going to forget something, lose something, or forget something behind. We’ve all had those moments when you’ve left your hotel or competition and realize you’ve forgotten something there, and you have to make that crucial decision to either go back or keep going. Planning ahead and being organized are very key in making traveling easier and less stressful for you and the people you’re traveling with, whether you’re traveling by car, bus, plane, or train, etc.

I remember when I was at a dance competition and we spent a couple of night at a hotel nearby the competition. We spent the day at the competition and had fun shopping at the mall there. We got back to the hotel and we were getting ready for bed when I realized I forgot to pack my toothbrush. We’ve all had that happen to us. We’re thinking about so many other things while we’re packing that we forget about even the littlest, most practical things. Things that we normally would remember if we weren’t so rushed or stressed. In order to pack efficiently and successfully it’s important to plan ahead. Make sure you start to pack at least a day or a couple of nights before you’re supposed to leave. So you’ll have plenty of time to check your packing and make sure you have everything. I always seem to pack the night before and I end up rushing and forgetting stuff later. It’s better to have time to spare than to not have enough time at all. My dance coach has a check list of all the main things we’re supposed to remember, like our uniform and tights, and hands us this list a week before our competition. She’s been using this list for years now and I find it very useful. Being able to check things off the list while I’m putting them in my suitcase is really helpful. It helps me visual what I have and makes it easier to see what I have and don’t have instead of having to remember it in my head. Because when you’re rushed or stressed you definitely don’t remember things very easily because you’re so distracted. So I really recommend having a list that you can look at and go off of to pack from.

Being organized is really important in making traveling easier and more efficient. Being organized will really help in making things seem less cluttered and you won’t feel as stressed if everything has a place and is where you can find it. When you pack you make a mental list of where everything is, you remember where it’s at when you pack it. That’s good and will help you find things later but organizing your suitcase or duffel bag, folding your clothes, and putting things in in a neat fashion will make getting thing out and finding things later a lot more easier. Instead of having everything piled and shoved into a suitcase having it organized will make you feel more controlled and less stressed. Organizing will make traveling easier too. Having things organized will help in making repacking your suitcase when you leave the hotel easier. If everything has a place then it helps in repacking and fitting everything back into your suitcase later.

Planning ahead and being organized will really help in your travels as a dancer. You won’t forget things as much and will feel better about packing than if you did it the night before, last minute and rushed. You’ll have less troubles packing and traveling. Organizing and planning will make traveling easier and more efficient, and therefore more enjoyable you and your whole team or family. (626)

Shoes

The shoes a dancer wears is very important. The wrong shoes could cause the dancer to be uncomfortable or mess up if their shoes are too big or too small. Dance shoes are suppose to be close fitting and snug to the dancers foot. This enables maximum flexibility and movement for the dancer with out the shoe getting in the way. There's different shoes for every different style of dance. jazz, ballet, hip hop, lyrical, etc. Sometimes the fit and certain style just depends on the person, some are more picky about their shoes than others. But as you get into higher levels of dance, professionally or not, your shoes are more important and matter more to what you're doing than just recreational stuff that you use to do when you were younger. Having the right pair of shoes will help prevent injuries as well as help you perform your best.

jazz shoes are made out of leather or canvas and are either low or high rise styles. They come in slip on or with shoelaces and some have a split sole that allow the dancer to point their toes better. Ballet come two types. Ballet flats and ballet pointe shoes. Ballet shoes have the most history as  you can also read about in my blog post on Tutu's and the history of the tutu and how it evolved. Ballet shoes evolved by dancers wanting to look as weight less as possible. Pointe shoes are worn mostly by women. lyrical dancers often wear half ballet shoes, where half the foot is covered by a leather or canvas material. Although some jazz and pom teams and people wear half ballet's as well. It again, depends on the person or organization. hip hop normally uses a specific type of hip hop shoe which is black and bulky, they look like tennis shoes and have rubber soles with an easy turning bottom. For hip hop most people just wear regular tennis shoes or sneakers as well. Ballroom dancing shoes are very light weight and close fitting to the foot. A thin heal makes it easier to turn on, but a thicker heel provides more stability. it's important to have good traction as well on the soles of the shoes so they don't slip and cause you to fall but too much traction will cause knee injuries. As stated in the website about different types of dance(http://aboutdance.wagnerdanceandmusic.com/different-types-of-dance-shoes/) There are many different types of dance shoes that come in a variety of styles. It's important that you have the right size and fit for your shoes so they are comfortable and provide the most benefit to you.

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Packing Less Is More

I recently went to a competition about four hours away and my mom bought me a new suitcase. It’s bigger than my older one that I use to have. I was away at this competition for about three days and two nights. You know when you have a lot of room in your suitcase and you keep putting things in there until its full, well that was my problem. I probably over packed about two-thirds more than I should have. I didn’t even wear most of the things that I packed. I know you don’t want to forget anything or wish you would have brought something, but it’s better to pack less and not have too much junk and unnecessary clothing that you have to carry around with you.

 When packing, make sure you have the right size of suitcase for your trip, not too big, not too small. Make sure you only pack the necessary clothing as well as the right kind of clothing. Don’t pack so much stuff that you’re not going to wear or use it because it’s too much. It’s important that you have just the right amount. You’ll appreciate having to carry a lighter and smaller suitcase or bag rather than a heavy one. So try and control yourself to not packing so much or not choosing a large suitcase. Besides, with all your dance stuff already you’ll already have your hands full let alone have another suitcase to care along with your dance bag or duffel. Only pack the necessities and make sure you have everything you absolutely need.

 It’s easier too when you get back home, if you don’t have a lot of things to wash or put back it makes coming home and have to unpacking much less of a hassle. You won’t have to empty everything and put most of the clothes in your suitcase away or wash them all even though you didn’t even wear them. It’ll make coming home and getting settled back in more efficient and less annoying and troublesome. So make sure you choose wisely the suitcase you are going to use and make sure you pack only what you need, not what you think you need. You don’t need a ton of extra clothes just the essentials. So have fun and pack wisely. Remember, less is more, in the long run anyways (400)