Dance Life

A dancer’s body is her most important asset, and without her muscles properly working, she can never master her craft. When a dancer understands how her muscles work, she’ll be better able to confidently execute moves and combinations. Because of that, dance students all need a basic understanding of kinesiology, the study of human movement. […]

The constant movement involved in dance is a great form of exercise but can cause various body parts, especially joints, to make lots of different sounds. In Part 1, we’ve already looked at possible causes of and solutions for neck and back cracking and hip popping. Now we’ll turn our attention to the next joint […]

If you’ve been a dancer for any length of time, you no doubt have noticed that your body can be a bit noisy. This is especially true when you’re practicing in the studio or performing on the stage. If you’re new to dancing, you may be alarmed by this phenomenon. Dancers Can Expect Their Bodies […]

Whether you’re choreographing a dance solo for a student or for yourself, it’s definitely a skill that you’ll be glad you’ve honed. If you’re trying your hand at choreographing a dance solo for the first time, the process can seem a bit daunting. If you take it step-by-step, though, you’ll be able to achieve your […]

What’s your general take on dance competitions? This topic seems to be fairly polarizing among students and parents as well as studio owners and instructors. Whether you’re an enthusiastic proponent of competitions, a definite nay-sayer, or undecided, we think you’ll find this information helpful as you consider the best path for you, your daughter, or […]

Bullying is definitely not something anyone of us wants to experience. But when we learn how to respond in a way that deescalates the situation, it can be truly empowering. And learning how to handle various forms of relational aggression will certainly be a life skill you’ll be glad to have honed early on. Sometimes, […]

Bullying in the dance studio is definitely not fun. But it happens (see Part 1). And the first step to dealing with it is to realize what’s happening and to name it (to both yourself and others). Bullying, or a pattern of relational aggression, definitely doesn’t have to turn physical in order to be hurtful. […]

To bully someone is to “intimidate” or “domineer” over that person, and a bully can be defined as someone who “habitually badgers and intimidates smaller or weaker people.” Sometimes bullying takes the form of physical abuse, but it doesn’t necessarily have to turn into that in order to be a problem. Can you think of […]

A dancer’s feet aren’t the only aspects of a dancer’s body that require extra TLC. As we discussed in Part 1, a dancer’s hair takes a lot of abuse. Between the sweat and the tightly wound coif that the dancer life requires, a dancer’s hair takes a bit of a beating. Today, we’ll look at […]

Part of the dancer life includes having pretty dancer hair! No matter how healthy your hair may be, you won’t be able to keep it up without giving your hair some extra TLC! If you’re pulling your hair up into a classic “ballerina bun” day after day, you’re putting a lot of tension on both […]

Hopefully we’ve convinced you that protein is extremely important for a dancer’s diet! While healthy meals should mean that your dancer doesn’t need to snack often, there will be those times when she needs some extra energy. Instead of carb-heavy or sugary snacks, protein-rich ones can provide long-lasting energy without the spikes and drops in […]

Keeping nutrient-rich foods like fruits and vegetables handy might seem easier than adding in protein-rich ones. But protein is so very important for a dancer’s body! And once you come up with a few great options for keeping protein-rich snacks accessible, it can easily become second nature — honest! Realize the Importance of Protein Protein […]

Your dance studio can offer the best of everything — well-organized classes and teams, exceptionally talented instructors, varied and frequent recital and competition opportunities — and still fall short of helping your dancers reach their full potential. Why? So much of what allows any dancer to perform at his or her top level is contingent […]

As summer approaches, and your dancers may take a break from their usual classes and teams, it’s important for them to maintain a healthy diet. So many fresh fruits and vegetables are available, yet so are summer treats and sugary drinks that can drag them down. Increase Your Water Intake Because approximately 60% of our […]

Eighty percent of a dancer’s physical fitness is determined by _________. If you had to choose one word to fill in that blank, what would you suggest? Well, if your guess is anything but “food” or “eating,” you’d be incorrect. No matter how dedicated her studio time and skillful her rehearsals, no dancer can be […]