A Dancer’s Guide to At Home Exercises and Stretches

A Dancer’s Guide to At Home Exercises and Stretches

            The Chinese New Year is right around the corner which means that you get to spend time with your family and loved ones! This time of the year also means that you are away from the gym and your weekly dance classes. Although you will not have normally scheduled classes, there are still some at home stretches and exercises that you can do in the comfort of your own home! A lot of people do not have access to dance floors at home, but luckily there are plenty of exercises that you can do this holiday season! 

            If you want to keep progressing in dance, it is important that you take the necessary steps on your break and practice at least once a day. Simple stretches and exercises to improve flexibility, balance, jumps, and your ability to pick up choreography are easy to do while you are at home. The good news about these stretches are that it only takes about thirty minutes a day to complete these exercises and stretches!

            The first set of stretches is to improve your flexibility. Flexibility is an important element of dance because this is usually one of the first things that dancers loose if they stop dancing for a few weeks. There are two exercises that you can do at home while you are watching T.V. or taking a break from your holiday fun!

Exercise #1: Leg Holds on the Floor

 This first exercise is done while lying down on your back and holding your leg. This exercise can be done by yourself or you can have a family member help. Start by lying on your back with both legs straight down. Extend your leg and hold at the ankle keeping your back flat on the ground. Pull your leg as close to your face as you can with both hips on the ground and both legs straight. Hold your leg for thirty seconds and then do the same for your left leg. Repeat this two times on each leg for a total of two minutes of leg hold stretches! If you need more resistance you can get a family member involved. Have them stand facing you and have them push your leg further down to deepen the stretch.

  Exercise #2: Splits

  Splits are very important to do every day because they help with flexibility and they keep you limber. Make sure that your body is warm before you start your splits to avoid injury. When you are practicing be sure to do all three of your splits (right, left, and middle) and hold each split for one minute. If you already have your splits make it more difficult and do over splits. Find something that is slightly raised such as a pillow or a ledge and continue to push yourself down into your splits. Start with something small and when you feel comfortable work your way up to higher objects to enhance your splits.

            The second set of exercises target a dancer’s balance. Balance is key to a dancer’s success because it is the core of your dancing. Without balance a dancer would not be able to perform certain skills and things such as a pirouette would be more difficult. 

  Exercise #3: Core

            Your core is very important in dance and that is why it is always incorporated into warm ups in class. Each day when you wake up do two sets of twenty full sit ups and do the same thing every night before you go to bed. Engage your core in each sit up and use proper breathing while you crunch. Doing this twice a day will strengthen your core and you will find your balance to be much better when you dance.

Exercise #4: Passé Holds

            If you are in a pom or jazz class these are excellent exercises to do at home to keep your turns on point! While you are cooking, watching T.V., or even brushing your teeth you can work on passé holds. Grab on to the counter with your left hand and pull your right leg up into the passé position. Slowly rise up to relevé and engage all of your muscles. Focus on squeezing your core and hold for thirty seconds. If you feel stable try taking your hand off of the counter and balance without holding onto anything! Repeat on the other side and do the same thing on the left!

            This third set of exercises will help your jumps look effortless! Jumps are another big part of dance and practicing these once a day will only make your jumps easier.

Exercise #5: Sauté Jumps

This jump exercise will allow you to focus on using your plié, pointing your toes when they leave the ground, and help your upper body strength. Start by putting your feet in first position with your heels touching, then place your hands on your hips. Take a big plié and jump as high as you can while keeping good form. When doing this exercise it is good to focus on landing softly and engaging your leg muscles to control your jump. Do twenty jumps in a row and repeat this exercise three times. Even though you may start to feel tired, really push yourself and maintain good form while you jump.

Exercise #6: Leg Pulses

            The final exercise focuses on the inner thigh muscles which are essential for jumps such as a toe touch. For this exercise start by sitting on the ground with your legs in the middle split position. Lean back slightly with your left arm in the front and your right arm behind. Lift the right leg and pulse twenty times without letting your leg touch the floor. If you are doing it correctly you should feel some tension in your inner thigh and hip. Once you have finished twenty leg lifts on the right, continue and do twenty on the left and that is considered one set. Complete three sets of leg lifts on the right and the left side to finish out your at home exercises.

            On your break away from the gym do not forget to have fun and dance! Watch some videos on the internet and get inspired to try new things. You can even listen to your favorite songs and make up routines with dance moves you have learned in class. Create a routine and get your family involved and teach it to them! Have fun this break and complete these exercises once a day so that you can come back to the gym in March ready to learn new and more challenging skills and dances! Just because it is Chinese New Year does not mean that you have to take a break from dancing completely! 

 article written by Miss Taylor!

Taylor Amerson was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada.  She graduated from The University Of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) in May of 2015 with a Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice and a minor in Communications.  While attending UNLV, Taylor was on the dance team known as the Rebel Girls for four years.  In 2013 she was ranked a National Champion in the UDA Hip Hop Division 1A category and ranked third place in the UDA Pom Division IA category.  From then on, UNLV has been one of the top 3 schools in both Division IA Hip Hop and Pom.  Along with dancing on a college team, Taylor also became an instructor for UDA in 2013.  Over the past three summers she has taught many camps at the high school and collegiate level teaching different styles such as Pom, Jazz, and Hip Hop.  She just returned home from Chile where she was teaching in Santiago and Antofagasta.