The art of balancing the body depends on alignment awareness—ensuring the main areas of your body are in line. This alignment is important to keeping the muscles and bones working together to achieve a certain look or tone with all parts in their proper places. Balancing is the key regardless of the activity a person…
For people who aspire to be better physically, be it as a runner, a swimmer, a bicyclist or a weight lifter, they need to choose how to train. For many, it may make sense to jump in and train with a single focus. Let’s take running for example. You want to be the best runner you can…
All athletes lose. And, as parents, it’s up to us to provide encouragement when our child’s cheerleading team doesn’t quite make the cut. Knowing how to approach this event is a crucial skill that will truly make a difference in an athlete’s career. First of all, realize that at some point every cheerleader will fail at…
Dancers typically indulge in a wide array of rituals prior to performing on stage. These rituals are often described as being “crazy,” or even “mildly superstitious” and always involve some form of repetition. According to those that partake in the rituals prior to performing, the activities help the dancers focus and prepare for the stage.…
As I read this piece, I kept seeing images of Sue Sylvester in my mind. If you have ever seen “Glee” (and face it, the list is shorter for those who haven’t seen “Glee”), you are familiar with Sue’s obnoxious bullying and angry tirades. They may seem over the top, but not by far. Let’s…
A ballet dancer’s appearance is one of the most important attributes aside from the skill, experience and talent. The costume and conditioning of the athlete is important, but equally crucial is the appearance of the hair which is coiled up into a tight bun, enhancing the clean lines of the performance that is being danced.…
The use of emotion and feedback among reality show contestants and participants is one of the questions concerning the reality show “Dance Moms” and the negative feedback that has ensued. It is possible to become over enthused about the skill and talent levels of young dancers and a number of dance moms can take the…
Cheerleading is often taken for granted or thought of as an activity not requiring as much time, dedication and skill as a regular sport such as football or basketball. A good cheerleading team will be able to use the times when they are not on top of the game or ahead in points to learn…
Song choice is an important part of dance performance. The right song can get the piece flowing and add emotional punch to the movement. Of course, the wrong song can be creatively stifling, keeping dancers from showing off their full potential. When you’re working to choose a song that will make your dancers shine, make…
Fatigue: it’s a common problem many dancers will experience during their career. This occurs when the body is no longer able to force muscle into contractions. Sometimes experiencing fatigue is good, such as working out to the point of fatigue, then letting yourself recover and repeating the cycle. But when fatigue becomes a constant, dancers will…