The Dancer's Thread

[fultonator]

Wow! I love your second goal so much! I have only limited experience with social dancing, but a dearth of leaders has been very common in my experience. 

 

Are you doing any strength training? I bet, in particular, upper body strength training would help you be a lighter, stronger leader. 

 

My strength is awful right now, especially my upper body. Currently doing the Beginner Body Weight routine and hoping to work my way up to more intense strength workouts. I'd love to be able to do actual push-ups... still doing knee push-ups at the moment.

[paulapalooza]

I wonder if the lifting strengthens your core, leading to increased connectivity between your leg and torso? I think fouettés, as with most turns, rely heavily on hours of practice and good timing.

 

Are you working en pointe?

 

It's kinda weird how sometimes you have off days on your turns where you fall out of every double, but other days you're landing triples perfectly. The strengthening of the core leading to better turns makes a lot of sense. I do, after all, have to put a lot of work into my core to make sure when I'm squatting the bar doesn't pin my torso to the ground.

It's the dream to someday go en pointe. But alas, I've never been en pointe before. I can imagine turning to be really really hard on that.

[Lara]

Hi! In the beginning turns do make you pretty dizzy.

 

Are you practicing spotting? Pick a spot to stare at, in the direction you're facing or moving towards, and keep your gaze focused on that spot until you must turn your head around. When you have to turn your head, find that same spot again as quickly as you can.

Hi Olivia,

 

thank you for your advice. I've tried to do as you say and I find it very difficult, by now. It has made me discover how much I keep on looking at my feet, and so the slightiest turn makes me feel dizzy because my head is facing down. I'll try to practice a little bit everyday, but it is so a unpleasant feeling...

 

Thank you again and have a nice day!

[Prairie]

Dropping in late here, but I love the vernacular jazz dances: Swing, Lindy hop, Charleston, Balboa, etc. I've recently started contra dancing, which is good stuff.

 

Tap is on my bucket list, as it fits nicely in with the swing family as well.

 

Thank you so much for giving me a term (vernacular jazz) for a concept I've been trying to articulate for years. I love this stuff, particularly swing and the Charleston. And tap! You definitely need to fit it in sometime - so fun!

[Sea Level]

Thank you so much for giving me a term (vernacular jazz) for a concept I've been trying to articulate for years. I love this stuff, particularly swing and the Charleston. And tap! You definitely need to fit it in sometime - so fun!

 

If you'll indulge me:

 

Here is some great vernacular jazz in 7/8 time! Lindy Focus X - Unsquare Dance Performance - 12/29/2011

[AnnaBJoyful]

YAY! I just found this thread and I'm so stoked that there are so many other lindy hoppers!!  Obviously we all know there's a huge correlation between nerdiness and swing dancing, but woot anyway! 

 

I started dancing about 2.5 years ago, and it's the only thing I've ever done that I am naturally good at.  I adore all the swing dances including the solo jazz vernacular, but Lindy and Bal are my favorites.

[Amy_Pond]

Oh yay, a dance thread! <3

 

I'm a bit of a "dabbler" dancer. As an actor, I've done some jazz and tap for shows, and took a couple months of beginner's ballet back when i was interning at a dance studio. For fun and exercise, I've tried a bit of hip hop and belly dance. I've yet to try ballroom dance, but I'd love to in the future!

 

One thing I'd like to improve upon in dancing is my balance - I noticed this a lot in tap, when I had to balance on different parts of my feet and would have trouble at times. My teacher had suggested yoga, do any of you more experienced dancers have any other recommendations?

 

Another thing that has plagued me is trouble with my knees. They just tend to be a bit sensitive, and will sometimes get sore depending on movements I'm doing (particularly noticeable in plies.) I've wondered if there are any physical therapy techniques out there that might address this.

[I-Jo]

Hi Olivia,

 

thank you for your advice. I've tried to do as you say and I find it very difficult, by now. It has made me discover how much I keep on looking at my feet, and so the slightiest turn makes me feel dizzy because my head is facing down. I'll try to practice a little bit everyday, but it is so a unpleasant feeling...

 

Thank you again and have a nice day!

spotting and turning takes practice- learning to keep your feet on beat and counting REALLY helps- and using that core to REALLY stop you or hold you up.  Very important.

 

But just doing it more- is just they do it more- and get your feet right and spot spot spot.  

 

 I think its really a question of style i.e. what do you want your dance to look like.  Good luck and Happy experimenting!

[Lara]

spotting and turning takes practice- learning to keep your feet on beat and counting REALLY helps- and using that core to REALLY stop you or hold you up.  Very important.

 

But just doing it more- is just they do it more- and get your feet right and spot spot spot.  

 

Thans, I-Jo. It's improving a bit, but far from what I need it to be. Time and practice, I guess.

I've discovered what you say about using the core to move through the turn. It is easier to turn with it than thinking only of my feet and head.

[pyjamazombie]

Hooray for dance!

 

I used to bellydance with a tribal-fusion style troupe in Denver, but since moving to the South Suburbs of Chicago, I haven't really found anywhere to dance.  I did find a studio near me that does hoop dancing classes, though, and I'm going to drop in next Tuesday.

 

Has anyone here ever done anything with hoops?

[Hanksdottir]

I'd like to correct the shimmy comments.

Suhaila teaches glut flexes as a way of controlling your shimmies.

Flexing left-butt, right-butt.....

Try it some time :-)

she says that if you can't isolate then you can't do a proper hip-shimmy.

[chiahj]

A dancer thread!

 

Well prior to a month ago, I did not have any dance experience at all. Currently pursuing contemporary dance and I'm on my third lesson.

 

Troubleshooting--->I'm a guy and I would really like to do a split. I'm almost there but something seems to be impeding me. Any tips to train the muscles in that region better? Also I would like to know what muscles are involved in contemporary dancing so that I can shift my focus to them outside of class as I'm currently on a 6 week challenge.

 

Goals--->I really want to do a perfect pirouette

 

 

[CutePixieDancer]

Yeah! Dancers!!! I am so excited to meet you guys! I am a bellydancer and LOVE it but I really need to cross train. I look forward to getting to know you all!

[Prairie]

A dancer thread!

 

Well prior to a month ago, I did not have any dance experience at all. Currently pursuing contemporary dance and I'm on my third lesson.

 

Troubleshooting--->I'm a guy and I would really like to do a split. I'm almost there but something seems to be impeding me. Any tips to train the muscles in that region better? Also I would like to know what muscles are involved in contemporary dancing so that I can shift my focus to them outside of class as I'm currently on a 6 week challenge.

 

Goals--->I really want to do a perfect pirouette

 

 

There's no trick to splits, unfortunately; just stretch your hamstrings, glutes, psoas and quads, then do splits. The best way to work splits is to do splits - just stretching the various involved muscle groups individually doesn't have the same benefit. But of course you want everything to be loosened up and stretched out beforehand. Work on it every day if you're able to. 

 

Congrats on starting dancing!

[JessFit]

I'm in chi too, but more south! And a belly dancer?thats badass. I have done a lot of dance but never belly dancing

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[starsapart]

Ooooh, I'm late to the party, but I'm thrilled to see this thread exists!

 

I have a long history of ballet with a fair amount of jazz, tap, and lyrical, followed by a very bad foot injury at 17 which derailed everything.  I tried to get back into it once I'd recovered, by my foot strength was lacking and the doctor had forbidden me pointe.  Eventually, I swapped to ballroom, and really enjoyed it (also, easier on my poor, injured foot).  I did a little bit of competing up to the Silver level, mostly in International Standard but with the occasional foray into Latin (still prefer the International style to the American, so much more elegant...).  I've also done some swing (East Coast, some West Coast, some Lindy).  When I entered grad school in 2010, I stopped this, too - there was just no time for it with work and school both full time.

 

These days I'm not dancing in a traditional sense, but since I refocused on fitness after graduate school stopped eating my life, I've been really enjoying a lot of dance-based fitness classes, most commonly Zumba and Pure Barre (the memories!!!) but also HIIT dance and most recently Oula (I took one class... I'm hooked... and there's nowhere affordable to get more..........).

 

Chiming in on the splits question, though I may be late to the party there, too - I find a lot of men who try to do them especially tend to have their hips up as they're trying to slide down.  Really tuck your butt down and raise your torso, so you sink straight down vertically instead of trying to do it at an angle, and you may get a few additional centimeters.

 

And having read this thread, new goal: get myself to the point of doing hyperextended splits again.  I used to do them in doorways as a teen and suddenly feel nostalgic.

[I-Jo]

I'd like to correct the shimmy comments.

Suhaila teaches glut flexes as a way of controlling your shimmies.

Flexing left-butt, right-butt.....

Try it some time :-)

she says that if you can't isolate then you can't do a proper hip-shimmy.

I don't think you need to correct them.

There are multiple ways of doing it. Neither is right or wrong- they are end goals and what do you want out of your dance. 

It's a tool.

 

Suhaila's method gives you a lot of freedom- but a lot of people prefer a specific look.  That is fine.  they are not "wrong" but they do miss out on some other fun things you can do because if you learn doing it only the way to get a specific look then it limits you in your ability to layer.

 

But it's dance.  It's hard. There is not a wrong way unless you're doing it in a way to significantly injury yourself. 

 

On that note- damn we got a lot of bellydancers in this joint- makes me happy- maybe we should start a bellydancer thread LOL

[Gwenhwyfar]

 I have only been taught the knee driven shimmy. I didn't actually know there was a different way to do it. That being said it would explain why I struggle so much with traveling doing a knee shimmy. Do you have any helpful videos where I can learn the glute driven shimmy?

From what I understand, it can depend on the style of belly dancing you're doing that would have you doing knee shimmies or heel-lift shimmies.

 

I heard that Egyptian and Arabic style belly dances will be more natural movement so knee shimmies are more commonly used while American style belly dance and tribal fusion involve more straight legs with heel-lift shimmies.

 

I would like to belly dance, but I can't afford to take classes right now cuz of school and my internship.

 

I'll be able to take it when I graduate.  For now, I'll just take to watching How-To videos on belly dancing and this free belly dancing site someone directed to me on here.

 

Edit:    I'm glad there's a thread for dancing here.  So many fellow belly dance enthusiasts here!  I'm surprised!

 

How many people actually dance to stay in shape here?

[I-Jo]

From what I understand, it can depend on the style of belly dancing you're doing that would have you doing knee shimmies or heel-lift shimmies.

 

I heard that Egyptian and Arabic style belly dances will be more natural movement so knee shimmies are more commonly used while American style belly dance and tribal fusion involve more straight legs with heel-lift shimmies.

 

I would like to belly dance, but I can't afford to take classes right now cuz of school and my internship.

 

I'll be able to take it when I graduate.  For now, I'll just take to watching How-To videos on belly dancing and this free belly dancing site someone directed to me on here.

 

Edit:    I'm glad there's a thread for dancing here.  So many fellow belly dance enthusiasts here!  I'm surprised!

 

How many people actually dance to stay in shape here?

 

 

No style recommends straight leg shimmy's- that's bad dance posture.

[WastelandGorgon]

Woooo belly dancers!!

I took a year of tribal/gothic fusion belly dance when I was 18 and haven't been able to get into any classes since moving to Ohio. Everything I have is waaaay too far of a drive or I can't afford at the moment, so I buy DVDs from Rachel Brice and Zoe Jakes and just practice at home. I think DVDs are a great way to go as long as you know you're doing the movements correctly - they're cheap and offer skills techniques, and choreography. However I think if you're just starting, doing a few classes so you can some sure you get your forms down for basic movements would be better so that way you don't end up hurting yourself!

Drilling movements definitely works up a sweat for me!

[Gjorge]

I sometimes do hip hop moves. Do not know more than that. but this thread is great. May be by reading interesting things, I will start doing dance as I used to do in my high school.

[lela gypsypunk]

On that note- damn we got a lot of bellydancers in this joint- makes me happy- maybe we should start a bellydancer thread LOL

[lela gypsypunk]

We totally should, because that thread would be awesome! One more belly dancer here! I'vebeen dancing aaround 3 years total. My goal is more mobility in my thoracic spine and mastering the sidewinder.

[Gwenhwyfar]

No style recommends straight leg shimmy's- that's bad dance posture.

 Well, maybe not completely straight leg but more use of the heels than knees for the shimmies in some styles, I guess.

I just got this from an argument I saw over the criticism of one viewer saying the teacher was using her knees when she should lift her heels.

 

Woooo belly dancers!!

I took a year of tribal/gothic fusion belly dance when I was 18 and haven't been able to get into any classes since moving to Ohio. Everything I have is waaaay too far of a drive or I can't afford at the moment, so I buy DVDs from Rachel Brice and Zoe Jakes and just practice at home. I think DVDs are a great way to go as long as you know you're doing the movements correctly - they're cheap and offer skills techniques, and choreography. However I think if you're just starting, doing a few classes so you can some sure you get your forms down for basic movements would be better so that way you don't end up hurting yourself!

Drilling movements definitely works up a sweat for me!

I've been thinking of just saying "bleh" to it all and just start taking classes right now! XD I can hardly wait, lol!

[Hanksdottir]

I had my first bellydance class and it was lots of fun. And I learned that I still need to work on my walking shimmies. 

...It's kind of like rubbing your tummy while patting your head  ..