Dancing can take its toll on both the body and mind, and some dancers can find they burn out by pushing themselves too intensely and can even become disillusioned with the performing arts industry. It is important to look after yourself to work at your best right the way through your dancing career, and this can be done in many ways.
Listen to your body in order to avoid injury, by working correctly and not taking shortcuts or cheating yourself out of adequate training and preparation. Throughout a dancer's training there is huge emphasis on correct technique, alignment and placement, however performing professionally seems to encourage 'cheating' movements in order to appear more aesthetically pleasing to the audience. Shortcuts can therefore produce even serious injuries, but avoid this by listening to the body's aches and pains, regardless of how minor they are.
During training in the studio or learning choreography for the stage, don't be afraid to ask questions if there is something you are unsure of. This may be a particular metaphor used in order to convey a message to the dancers or an individual correction. Simultaneously it is important to understand your body's limits, and work within those for a long and happy dancing career. You may feel that taking another technique class to learn new skills or learning from a different teacher can do wonders for your training, even if it is for the fact they explain corrections in a slightly different way. These different perspectives are important to view your training and ability objectively.
Take care of yourself and your body, be it by ensuring you have adequate rest, the right fuel in the tank to enable you to dance or cross-training with other techniques and fitness workouts. This keeps the body strong and capable. As with all new dance styles, pay attention to what you are doing and stop if you experience any niggles or pain. Don't work through an injury: it can cause long term damage to both body and mind.
Dancing mantras
Dancing can take its toll on both the body and mind, and some dancers can find they burn out by pushing themselves too intensely and can even become disillusioned with the performing arts industry. It is important to look after yourself to work at your best right the way through your dancing career, and this can be done in many ways.
Listen to your body in order to avoid injury, by working correctly and not taking shortcuts or cheating yourself out of adequate training and preparation. Throughout a dancer's training there is huge emphasis on correct technique, alignment and placement, however performing professionally seems to encourage 'cheating' movements in order to appear more aesthetically pleasing to the audience. Shortcuts can therefore produce even serious injuries, but avoid this by listening to the body's aches and pains, regardless of how minor they are.
During training in the studio or learning choreography for the stage, don't be afraid to ask questions if there is something you are unsure of. This may be a particular metaphor used in order to convey a message to the dancers or an individual correction. Simultaneously it is important to understand your body's limits, and work within those for a long and happy dancing career. You may feel that taking another technique class to learn new skills or learning from a different teacher can do wonders for your training, even if it is for the fact they explain corrections in a slightly different way. These different perspectives are important to view your training and ability objectively.
Take care of yourself and your body, be it by ensuring you have adequate rest, the right fuel in the tank to enable you to dance or cross-training with other techniques and fitness workouts. This keeps the body strong and capable. As with all new dance styles, pay attention to what you are doing and stop if you experience any niggles or pain. Don't work through an injury: it can cause long term damage to both body and mind.