What Types of Exercises Can I Do to Improve My Dancing?

There are many reasons why people pursue instructor-led dance. From social interaction to physical benefits, dancing is a great form of artistic expression, stress relief, and exercise. For those who want to strengthen and sculpt their bodies in order to enhance their dancing, there are other exercise disciplines that will complement your dance practice and help you to meet that goal.

WIM Yoga Instructor, Karen

Yoga  

Yoga stretches the body while relaxing the mind. Yoga is a low impact way to stay limber and prevent
strains and sore muscles sometimes associated with dancing. Yoga is a gentle way to start and end your
day. Some of our instructors incorporate yoga poses as part of their  warm up, cool down and stretch routines, and it provides a terrific method for strengthening those all-important core muscles essential to good dance posture and technique.

Resistance training

Long lean muscles, often a hallmark of strength and grace, can be acquired through weekly resistance
training. The Mayo Clinic warns muscle mass naturally diminishes with age. Instead of allowing your
body to turn it into fat, gentle strength training can rebuild lost muscle and help you develop greater stamina.When performed properly as part of an overall fitness plan, you can control the amount of bulk gained so that you can become as toned and sculpted as you would like to be.


Pilates

Pilates is an excellent way to strengthen the body, especially the core. Pilates is low impact, requires controlled breathing, and uses your own body weight.. Incorporating Pilates into your fitness plan will

improve your posture and flexibility - necessary qualities  for budding and veteran dancers alike. It is adaptable to your  fitness level and needs and improves both energy and posture- critical elements of dance.

Cardio

There are many ways to work extra cardio into your day in addition to a structured program.  Aim for
ways to add concentrated bursts of cardio to your daily routine to improve circulation and endurance. Even taking 5 minute walk at lunch, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or parking further from your destination will help. The benefits of cardio in dance include greater endurance during long practice sessions and in performance. Dancing is no fun if your heart and lungs are unable to keep up!

 





Visualization 
Learning to see yourself as the dancer you want to become in your mind’s eye and developing imagery of your dance will enhance your memory and performance. Sports psychologists and brain imaging techniques have demonstrated that visualizing a motor skill utilizes the same brain regions as actual physical execution of a move does, and that when done together, physical and mental practice leads to more enhanced performance than either technique alone. Learning and remembering new moves is a balance of your mind and your body working together. Visualization techniques in combination with practice and physical exercise will teach you to become more focused and will benefit you in other areas of your life other than dance.

Only your health care professional can determine which type of exercise program is best for you to
pursue.  Dancing can be as much or as little of a lifestyle as you choose. The time spent in the studio is
disproportionate to the time living daily life outside of dance, but by beginning or improving your exercise routine, you not only improve your dance but your overall health for wherever the music takes you!