Improving Dance Performance through Fitness

Most dancers think that the practice they go through is enough exercise for their body. On the outside, the effects of dancing and working out are the same. You lose weight, sweat a lot, and may make muscles to sore. Both can even cause injury if done in too much exertion or without proper guidance.. However, on the inside, their effects are different. Though they say dancing is a form of exercise, things become different when you doi it for a living. Endless practices can cause fatigue and may even hamper the dancer to perform on the event itself. This where the benefit of exercise to dancers comes in. Through exercise, muscles are strenghthened and bones become stronger. For dancers, resistance training is what they should get into. It improves strength, endurance and muscle tone. Just what dancers need so they can withstand the long hours of rehersals. Also, dancers must take into consideration the food that they take. It is best that they undergo nutritional counseling in order to be properly informed of the food that they should be eating. Basically, since dancing is something streneuous, dancers need to have more energy to burn and so carbohydrates must be considered in their diets. However, each diet becomes more personal since dancers differ in gender, height, weight, intensity of physical activity, etc. Dancers must not just adapt any of the fad diets as it may be detrimental to their health considering the intensity of their physical activity. All dancers may be practicing as much as everyone else does, but still we've got different genetic structures, different medical history and needs. So someting as particular as a person's diet must be patterened uniquely to that person's lifestyle.

Moreover, I highly recommend that dancers must do yoga at least a week before their big event or even a day before to keep the stresses away. Yoga is something meditative so it stimulates the alterness of the mind that is needed during the event for last minute changes. For those who do it everyday, they can reap the fuits right away during practice, through being able to focus to get the steps right away. In addition, yoga improves flexibility, which most dancers must have in order to take on any move on stage. Lastly, after the whole-day rehersal, just before the event or even after it, dancers must get a massage. Massage helps soothe tired muscles, calms the mind and makes the dancer energized to dance again for the next event. Most importantly, for all aspiring dancers, before you get into it, get a full medical check-up. This will help in finding out if you have any special condition that needs to be considered or address right away. If you do, all the more you need to exercise to improve on that condition so it would noth hamper you from your dream of becoming a dancer. As for the professionals, have a yearly medical check-up so you would know if you are still in the pink of health. If ever somethnig has been discovered, take it into consideration when you exercise.

Sources:

Strength Training: http://kidshealth.org/teen/food_fitness/exercise/strength_training.html
Resistance Training: http://www.emedicinehealth.com/strength_training/article_em.htm
Picture from: http://www.wentyleagues.com.au/Libraries/What_s_On/exercise.sflb.ashx