Articles & tips
Quick tip: “Do Post-Competition Workouts”.
Alright, so you just rocked that dance competition and you're feeling pretty darn accomplished. But before you kick back and relax, let's talk about the importance of an after dance competition workout.
You see, your body has been through some serious strain, with all those intense rehearsals and performances. It's crucial to give your muscles a little TLC to prevent any potential injuries or soreness from creeping up on you later.
How you can help your body?
A gentle warm-up, maybe some light stretching or foam rolling to release any tight spots.
A low-impact cardio routine to get your heart pumping and flush out any toxins in your system.
Focus on increasing flexibility and stability. If your choreography contains a lot of backbends — do active core exercises or pain on the next day is promised. It’s good to give those exercises some time frame, like under 5 min core routine or something like that.
If you feel like dancing a little bit more — that’s also fine, as long as you're focused on doing right things.
After dance competition workout will leave you feeling refreshed rather than wrecked, and also, it’s another great opportunity to get better.
Keep up the hard work and be creative!
TOP 5 Must-Have vs TOP 5 Must-Not Shoes for Latin Dancers.
Hopefully, you're not too attached to anything…
The Dynamic Duo: FLEXIBILITY AND STRENGTH.
TIPS, ADVICES, ANSWERS.
Passive stretching? Pff.. it’s like trying to do the splits with frozen limbs. Not pretty or pleasant. Learn basic principles of active stretching to step into your new & bendy life without injuries or frustration.
FAQ: nutrition on a competition day.
As an athlete, your nutritional needs are critical for peak performance, especially on your competition day. What you eat and when you eat it can make all the difference in your ability to stay focused, energized, and perform at your best. To help you navigate through this complex and confusing subject, we've compiled a list of frequently asked questions to help you make the best plan.
How to understand that you need more advanced training?
Demotivation.
If you feel demotivated, it’s natural to think that you might need more rest. However, in some cases - if you feel this way - it only means that you need more training. Whether you have to set higher goals or develop your body first to see where you can go with it, new challenges always give you needed boost of energy.
Decline in your results.
Sometimes capable and promising kids might experience difficulties when competing against less skilful but yet more established dancers. This happens for several reasons, starting with the body type specialties finishing with the difficulties in formulating and expressing more advanced ideas. Whichever reason prevail, it’s a clear sign to look into more advanced training techniques, so that you will be able to fully use your body and deliver better and clearer pictures.
No visual changes for several seasons.
Stability is good, but not if the level clearly must be improved. We all know that “better” is the enemy of “good”, but will you be satisfied with that in 10 years? If you are tied to competitions, it’s necessary to produce yourself with a thought-through plan and at least 1-2 month of off season training to lift your skills to a new level and make some significant changes.
Video footage doesn’t match your imagination.
WORK. UNTIL IT DOES. If you already have an image, you must do what it takes to deliver it.
You struggle with implementing new movements.
That’s most likely a technique failure or a mechanical restriction, or both. In any case, you must increase your regular time spend on basic training and work on mobility of your joints. Develop your overall level in harmony and you won’t struggles adding new elements.
What do you know about AFRO-FLAMENCO?
Phyllis Akinyi
was raised in Copenhagen by Danish Kenyan parents, got an injury during hip hop on a concert in Denmark (2003) after which she turned to flamenco and now lives in Spain, performs internationally and pursuing a graduate degree in flamencology at Barcelona’s Conservatory of Music.
She describes flamenco as “a melting pot of outcast cultures” and is amazed by the variety of emotions that a dancer allowed to have while dancing it. Anthropology studies (from her university days) help her establish Africanisms in flamenco — starting with whole sense of the movement and its polyrhythms, finishing with using isolated shoulder movements, making the softer (as it seems from the outside) approach.
Yinka Esi Graves
Is a Londoner and a woman of African and Caribbean descent, previously studied ballet and Afro-Cuban genres, after spending many years learning and performing flamenco also discovered that Afro-Spanish ancestors had worked for the legacy of flamenco.
Aliesha Bryan
Born in New York, has Jamaican parents, she has studied ballet, modern/contemporary, continental and diasporic African genres, — came to the similar conclusion about the diversity of flamenco dance and promoting afro-flamenco style, that is more agile and contains a lot of movements in the middle part of the body - compared to “traditional” Spanish flamenco.
TASKS: 1) Find and check videos. 2) Think about how this “afro approach” can influence some flamenco elements in Paso Doble? 3) TRY IT ON!
Dance Conditioning “musts”
Stretching
Stretching helps to increase flexibility and range of motion.
Stretching should be done both before and after a dance class or rehearsal.
It is important to remember to stretch all major muscle groups, including the arms, legs, back, and core. Hold each stretch for at least 30 seconds, and take deep breaths to relax the muscles; for dynamic stretching do 8-10 reps or use extra weight.
Strengthening
Strengthening exercises help to build muscle strength and endurance. These exercises can include squats, lunges, and leg lifts, as well as core exercises such as planks and crunches.
It is important to focus on form and technique when performing strengthening exercises, as improper form can lead to injury or change your body structure into not suitable for dancing. It is also important to take breaks when needed, and to listen to your body. Usually, day 3,6&7 are free of weight training.
Cardio
Cardio exercises help to build endurance and stamina. These exercises can include running, jumping, and cycling, as well as more traditional dance-based exercises such as salsa and hip-hop — dance different styles to improve stamina on days off.
It is important to find a cardio exercise that you enjoy, as this will help to keep you motivated.
Nutrition
Nutrition helps to fuel the body and provide essential nutrients.
Eating a balanced diet that includes lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats can help to keep the body energized and ready to perform.
It is important to stay hydrated, as dehydration can lead to fatigue and muscle cramps. It is also important to limit processed and sugary foods, as these can lead to weight gain and energy crashes. Salt keeps water in your body…
Non-fitness components of sports training — technical, tactical, physiological, intellectual preparation.
Technical prep:
The aim of technical preparation is to create and improve your dance style skills and add specific individual adjustment of technique — create a style.
Tactical prep:
Developing a pre-prepared plan of actions in a specific competition. + Further analyzes and searches for possible solutions of individual competition situations.
Psychological prep:
When it comes for psychological preparation, we are dealing with:
modeling training / directing thoughts / interpersonal relationships / influencing the personality of a dancer.
Intellectual prep:
Intellectual training is needed for understanding the essence of your dancing activity without which high achievements are unthinkable. As well as it develops the ability to think independently & creatively.
6 BASIC LAWS OF BEAUTY EVERY GOOD CHOREOGRAPHER KNOWS:
The beauty of a movement is more attractive than the beauty of a static form.
Beauty is perceived only by the mind. Beautiful choreography is an expression of intelligence. Understanding what’s beautiful is the work of mind.
The highest beauty is the one which expresses the noblest emotion.
The beauty which does not reveal emotion but admired for the form alone will always have its limit — it’s the beauty of configuration only, — because the highest beauty arise from spiritual forces.
Curved lines/poses are more beautiful than right-lined figures. But! Symmetry (especially in rectilinear figures) is more beautiful than irregularity.
It is considered highly beautiful when the unity is pervading the diversity.
Are you a good judge of artistic sports?
You are! If you can answer following questions:
How the efficiency of motor activity is judged in artistic sports?
What is an aesthetic ideal?
How and why aesthetic ideals were changing in history of mankind?
Why beauty of movements and human health are closely related?
For a correct judgment it’s important to have an idea of an aesthetic ideal.
Artistic sports are distinguished by two features: an extraordinary variety of technical elements and a very specific approach when it come to judging participants’ skills.
The kinematics (external picture) of motor activity is the most important, while dynamics and energy play a secondary role, meaning that those become tools for delivering better picture.
Knowledge about aesthetics is just as important as knowledge about technique.
TASK: Find answers and reflect!
Why start Latin American Dancing?
Latin American dancing is a vibrant, energetic form of dance that has roots in many different cultures. It is a unique blend of traditional and modern dance styles that has become popular around the world.
The dances have been influenced by African, Native American, and European cultures, creating a unique and exciting style of dance that is full of energy and life.
From the upbeat rhythms of Cha-cha-cha to the intricate arm styling of Paso Double, Latin American dancing is a great way to express yourself, educate yourself and have fun.
Benefits —
Latin American dancing is a great way to get exercise and have fun at the same time. Not only is it a great way to stay in shape, but it also can help improve coordination and balance, as well as increase confidence and self-esteem.
It is also a great way to socialize, as many Latin American dances are done in pairs or in groups. It can be a great way to meet new people and make new friends. So if you are looking for a fun way to stay in shape and make new friends, Latin American dancing is a great option.
Learning —
Learning Latin American dancing can be a fun and rewarding experience. There are many different classes and lessons available, so you can find one that is right for you. It is important to find a teacher or class that is knowledgeable and experienced, so that you can learn the proper technique and steps.
It is also important to practice often, as this will help you become more confident in your dancing. With practice and dedication, you can become a skilled dancer and have a great time doing it.
If you are looking for a fun and rewarding way to stay in shape, Latin American dancing is a great option!
“What a dancer’s body works for”
More versatile you are —
more stories you can tell
That magical poetry of everyday: practices, rehearsals, conditioning. New methods of developing the body are tried out on (and by) dancers every day — a marathon towards one goal: to make unnatural for the body movements seem natural; to reach the excellence of the shape. Somehow, while the improvement of the external is significant and is blooming, the matter of “why” we improving shapes and “what for” we improving it has been lost. So today is about what’s and why’s.
Firstly, let's define the term “A dancer’s’ body” and how is it different from a “normal” one. The dancer's body [Latin dancer’s body] is an extraordinary creation, without a doubt not usual, — a fusion of good genetics with particular (but different for each) cultural memory, which is now also adapted to high intensity trainings through years of developing persistence and is adjusted to the physical demands of certain dance techniques [in our case — Latin].
However, even such a truly and extraordinary machine wouldn't be driving that well without a fuel; and the fuel here is the brain. The brain produces the connections which forces a better dancing: better coordination, balance, speed, accuracy; which motivates a dancer and interests a dancer in different processes. Two of them are the most important for the development — the process of learning and the process of competing, where the second one mostly always outshines the first one, which is why the external form became so much better, and the cause for improving that form was forgotten.
Since the invention and then further popularity of the contemporary dance, and its particular kind — an abstract dance [a dance without a plot] — the absence of an idea was even more justified in competitive dancing. Although it’s pleasing for the eye to witness beautiful movements flow one after another (given that a dancer won't stand on the way of that form); does it really root with latin origins and should it be the main direction? Hardly so. Not because it’s wrong (‘cause it’s not), but because it just won’t be excellent latin. Why not?
It is a fact, that in order to speak you must first learn how to listen. Because if you can’t, you won’t speak in the way that people can hear. Even so in dancing we talk with our bodies, the rule is still applied. Without knowing what people expect to see, you won't be able to appeal to their feelings. And what would excite anyone who came to a couple latin dance competition?
When we come to a latin dance competition, we’re entering another reality, that has a specific language which can only be shared with the people who are also engaged in this activity. And who isn’t involved in the activity of having a conversation? Adding to it a certain historical background of the five dances we present, we then get an infinite source of inspiration for finding and then telling remarkable and moving stories that the audience desires.
Why not just read some book? Easy. Because a person gets a feeling through a movement faster than a brain gets it through a written text. So it’s an experience of the movement, that is exciting, the enjoyment of constant reactions between the two, which are collected into a thoughtful narrative and concentrated in a short period of time [two minutes]. In some ways a competitive form of the dance is the fastest form of moving delivery of a thought or a feeling, and the more ways your body knows of how to place words into a physical shape and the bigger your body’s vocabulary is, the better success you will have with the public.
We get to know man and woman, latin culture, soul and body, nature, memory, inside and etc. through words that are different than spoken-words, with the language that was invented in the moment with the particular music, in the particular environment. When people say, that dancing [competitive latin] is easy, they are probably talking about a very primitive form of it, because it is not easy to have those pieces in harmony within ourselves and with a partner. Therefore, coming back to the very start of the conversation, the dancer’s body works for the versatility of its dance vocabulary and for the clarity of the pronunciation of given ideas, while dancer’s brains should be working on the significancy of the ideas one wants to portray.
The other key-word here is the entertainment. How would you entertain with quality? Quality of the movement and the intention..
The best idea would be to explore as many different styles of dances as possible: jazz, ballet, contemporary, modern, tap, flamenco, — anything. However, it all adds to your vocabulary and stimulate creative thinking, helps to adjust movements into latin stylistic, and when mastered well, it also could build different perceptions for public, for example when they can watch you dance and neglect the meaning and just concentrate on the rhythms, and silences, shapes..
And that’s exactly where versatility helps, for the reasons that our form already suggests constant changes of speed, mood, reactions, let alone quantity of rounds and competitions, that forces you to come up with something new more often than normal; so one must excellently know the background of the dances and have the basic elements trained to the automatic motion to at least have a chance for smart instinctive interpretation of the knowledges one has.
To sum up it all, a dancer’s job is to create a calligraphy by body to then go from movement to lines, from moving to “moving”. To make the connection between the physical movement and the motion of the mind so clear that anyone would get it. But it’s impossible to achieve such clarity without raising the level of the intelligence of the body and gaining the knowledge of what makes the form fall into its place. Therefore it’s a hard job, a constant job for both, the body and the mind, so don't believe anyone, who says that's easy.
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