Thursday, January 30, 2014

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)

Sunday, January 19, 2014

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.

(387)


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.

(403)

Thursday, January 16, 2014

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.

(440)

Sunday, January 12, 2014

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.

(389)

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)