Dance Practice Drills

[pygmalion]

We've talked a lot about dance practice an many threads, but no one has ever spelled it out, other than Latin motion. What do you do to practice. Do you use drills? How do you develop strong legs and ankles? Proper posture? Good footwork? Other?

[dancersdreamland]

Ditto...please post, I would love to know as well.

[pygmalion]

Since no one has answered yet, I googled dance practice drills. Guess what was the first match? MY OWN posting from the "Keeping Practice Exciting" thread. dance-forums.com is a force to be reckoned with. :D :lol:

[Giselle]

Hello! I am new to the forums, but I have been reading yalls entries- just waiting for a topic that I could knowedgeably comment on....its a great forum, by the way.

Though ballroom is something I have recently become addicted to, I have a strong ballet and jazz background. I think it was mentioned before that ballet is a good complement to ballroom, but I am going to just elaborate on that... Every exercise and drill in ballet is a great way to strengthen legs (plies, battements, sauters) and is great for ankles (relevers, tendues). Especially if you are about to shorten that achilles tendon for hours in high heeled dance shoes.

[SDsalsaguy]

Glad to have you with us Giselle :D

Yes, ballet is excellent conditioning for all dancing. The only thing I find ballet trained dancers sometimes having difficulty with is opening up the hips, especially for Latin, but as practice drills, ballet is top notch!

And, again, welcome to the forum family :D

[Vince A]

And watch out for that flying pink tutu . . . . . . . . . :wink:

[borikensalsero]

Hmmmm...
One exercise that I find myself doing every so often is a quad exercise to maintain them "aqcuainted" with body weight.

It goes something like this.

1- standup with one leg/foot in front of the other
2- front foot should have toes pointed slightly outward
3- raise back foot up to the back of the calf of the other leg and hold it there while touching the calf
4- While other leg is still up, lower yourself to half a squat and pause for a second
5- come back up and while coming up start lowering the lifted leg bringing the back foot down to start position
6- I do it about 10 times then switch legs

To change it up I do it interchaging legs each time I go finish the squat which results in moving forward. But instead of bringing the lifted leg down back to original position I bring it in front of the other leg. Hope I was clear enough. I'm on the run to leave work...

[dancergal]

Let’s see if I can remember during one workshop what dance drills you should do before every dance (I don’t remember to do this). Let’s see if I can write it out.

Head Roll (moving your head right//forward/left/back)
Shoulder Rolls (forward/backwards)
Upper Body Shifts (R, Front, L, Back)
Hip Rolls (same as above)
Side Steps (side-together-side, go right then left)
Side Step then Crouch, go right and then eft
Foot Tap Cross Behind (First R tap- together,then L tap-together) (as in a sailor shuffle 1and 2, 3 and 4)
Foot Tap Cross In Front (same as above)
Pratice Spins and Pivot turns

I know there’s more, I just can’t think right now.

[pygmalion]

Hello! I am new to the forums, but I have been reading yalls entries- just waiting for a topic that I could knowedgeably comment on....its a great forum, by the way.

Though ballroom is something I have recently become addicted to, I have a strong ballet and jazz background. I think it was mentioned before that ballet is a good complement to ballroom, but I am going to just elaborate on that... Every exercise and drill in ballet is a great way to strengthen legs (plies, battements, sauters) and is great for ankles (relevers, tendues). Especially if you are about to shorten that achilles tendon for hours in high heeled dance shoes.

Hey Giselle! Welcome to the forums!!! :D

[hunnybunny]

in my dance class, we do isolated movements to warm up. First we turn our heads from side to center to side and repeat. Then fwd, center, back, repeat. Then, neck rolls. Next, shoulder rolls (fwd and bkwd), hip (front, side, back, side, reverse) and rolls.

and continue to the feet. then we do yoga.

[pygmalion]

Hi hunnybunny. Welcome. :D

[Mitra]

Well, for me, what I do to keep in shape and my body able to move in ballroom dancing is actually doing belly dancing and trying to jog every day to help with my endurance. My dance studio doesn't really do warmups before lessons or dances, we just have to be ready for the worst ^_^

[Twilight_Elena]

in my dance class, we do isolated movements to warm up. First we turn our heads from side to center to side and repeat. Then fwd, center, back, repeat. Then, neck rolls. Next, shoulder rolls (fwd and bkwd), hip (front, side, back, side, reverse) and rolls.

and continue to the feet. then we do yoga.

Welcome to DF, hunnybunny! :D Most dance classes (including mine) do isloations for warmup, but I'e never heard of yoga exercises in dancing classes. Care to elaborate?

Twilight Elena

[Medira]

Welcome Giselle and hunnybunny!

I agree that ballet is great for flexibility and practice. I find that I also use a lot of my old turning drills, mostly spotting-related to practice as well. In addition, I try to find two or three evenings a week where I go into the aerobics studio at the gym and work on the steps I've learned without a partner. I do that for a couple of hours each time I go in.

[dTas]

here's what i've said in another thread...

1) "twists": stand with your heels together and toes facing out (about 90 degrees). raise your hands/elbows so they're above your waist (to engage the back muscles). now... trist your hips back and forth holding your hips in the twisted position for a second then switch to the other side. try not to bend your knees but allow them to flex if necessary.

the trick here is to rotate your hips around your spine. right hip goes forward the same amount as left hip goes back and visa versa. its very easy to "settle" your hips back behind your spine allowing your lower back to "curve". (aka... do not stick your tail out behind you and wag)

2) "toe raises": this is done in a lot of different forms of dancing. stand with heels together, toes apart (about 90 degrees). hands/elbows raises abover the hip level. now... raise up on your toes as high as you can BUT DO NOT SEPARATE YOUR ANKLES! control your motion up and down, do not "thump" down or allow your weight to roll back onto your heels.

this is great for balance. also be sure to engage the abs and butt! it also teachs you about forward poise and conditions the inside edge of foot.

3) "shifts": same as "toe raises" but with your feet apart (either side/side or forward/back). raise up on toes (try to use same part of foot as "toe raises") and lower one foot to shift weight. then raise up on both toes and lower the other. shift your weight back and forth, forward and back.

4) swivels": step forward onto a foot. now pull the other foot closed while turning the foot you just steped on 90 degrees (on the ball of the foot). stop and hold in 3rd postion still standing on the first foot (now turned 90 degrees).

then (after all momentum is gone) point the free closing foot in front of you (with no weight) only after pointing that foot do you shift weight through the toes like in the previous excersise; "shifts". repeat with next foot.

the sequence should go: point, shift, rotate. point, shift, rotate. when you turn the supporting foot 90 degrees be sure to concentrate on rotating the hips as much as possible and ending in 3rd position ("T") with the free foot infront of the supporting foot.

this helps teach the hips about rotation and using power of the hip to move the body. try doing it to a rumba counting 1 - point, 2 - shift, 3/4 rotate and hold.

5) smooth/standard: its easy! don't do 1 - 4 8)
edit: actually no.2 is good for either.

[pygmalion]

here's what i've said in another thread...

1) "twists": stand with your heels together and toes facing out (about 90 degrees). raise your hands/elbows so they're above your waist (to engage the back muscles). now... trist your hips back and forth holding your hips in the twisted position for a second then switch to the other side. try not to bend your knees but allow them to flex if necessary.

the trick here is to rotate your hips around your spine. right hip goes forward the same amount as left hip goes back and visa versa. its very easy to "settle" your hips back behind your spine allowing your lower back to "curve". (aka... do not stick your tail out behind you and wag)



This drill rocks for helping develop spins. 8)

[dTas]

here's what i've said in another thread...

1) "twists": stand with your heels together and toes facing out (about 90 degrees). raise your hands/elbows so they're above your waist (to engage the back muscles). now... trist your hips back and forth holding your hips in the twisted position for a second then switch to the other side. try not to bend your knees but allow them to flex if necessary.

the trick here is to rotate your hips around your spine. right hip goes forward the same amount as left hip goes back and visa versa. its very easy to "settle" your hips back behind your spine allowing your lower back to "curve". (aka... do not stick your tail out behind you and wag)



This drill rocks for helping develop spins. 8)

whoops... i forgot to mention one thing about this drill... don't move your shoulders. shoulders should stay square with the mirror you're looking at.

[pygmalion]

Exactly. (That used to trip me up, big time) As one of my former coaches used to call it, the separation of church and state -- isolating your top and bottom halves. Kewl. 8) :D

[dancersdreamland]

...is actually doing belly dancing...

Is belly dancing not the BEST form of dancing in the whole world! I stumbled upon belly dancing and absolutely fell in love with it! I recently picked up classes again and may be performing at the end of June...I love it!

[pygmalion]

Performing? Do tell. 8)

[Sagitta]

Performing? Do tell. 8) Yes, do tell.

[westernballroom]

My wife and I have had the tendancy to get so focused on one dance that we begin losing our edge on the others, so we've developed a type of check list matrix. We dance all the American style dances as well as country western. Generally we take a private lesson every other week. Our matrix lists all the dances across the top and dates down the side for several months. Our intent is to focus on two dances each week, the dance we're taking lessons on, and another dance we're wanting to improve on. We may take private lessons on one dance for many weeks, but we rotate through the other dances weekly.

As we work through the matrix we mark off what dance we worked on. We video ourselves so we can critique as we go. So here's the drill:
1> Isolation excercises to warm up.
2> Reveiw the most recent instuction; new step, technique and execution. We may practice a lot without music but we always finish each sesson to music.
3> Review the other dance we're also working on, target any steps we need to and always, always work on technique.
4> Then we reserve each Saturday morning to dance every dance we know. We may not have time to a full song in every dance, but that's the plan.

We've gone through several cycles of this routine and it keeps us feeling pretty sharp and like we're making progress. We get out of sync sometimes and may miss session, but this routine works us back into shape fairly quick. The video camera was a great investment for us. Some things feel okay but just don't look right when you get to watch yourself.

[dancersdreamland]

After MONTHS of searching, I finally found a belly dance class in my area...

A quick interjected update - I moved about an hour and a half away from my old town. I used to dance with a performance troup and had the pleasure of performing a group belly dance in October 2003. I took a year off to work on wedding plans and then moved in October 2004 right after our wedding. Since then I have been trying like crazy to find some sort of dance.

...I just restarted belly dance about two weeks ago and I suprisingly am still flexible and remember most of the dance moves. Anyway, in the class I am currently in two girls perform with a troupe in a town about a half hour from us. They invited me to perform with them if I can pick up the dance by the end of June. I'll be sure to keep you guys updated as I find out more.

[pygmalion]

Good luck. Sounds like a blast. :D

[naz]

the way i practice to dance......is by dancing.

[Sagitta]

After MONTHS of searching, I finally found a belly dance class in my area...

A quick interjected update - I moved about an hour and a half away from my old town. I used to dance with a performance troup and had the pleasure of performing a group belly dance in October 2003. I took a year off to work on wedding plans and then moved in October 2004 right after our wedding. Since then I have been trying like crazy to find some sort of dance.

...I just restarted belly dance about two weeks ago and I suprisingly am still flexible and remember most of the dance moves. Anyway, in the class I am currently in two girls perform with a troupe in a town about a half hour from us. They invited me to perform with them if I can pick up the dance by the end of June. I'll be sure to keep you guys updated as I find out more. Nice. :D

[Sagitta]

the way i practice to dance......is by dancing. Sometimes if you are too sick for practice... :? You gotta make do...you gotta make do... I have been praticing a lot on my own. Hope it works out at advanced group practice tonight as i have missed 2 weeks and they have learnt a lot of new stuff since then.

[Twilight_Elena]

here's what i've said in another thread...

1) "twists": stand with your heels together and toes facing out (about 90 degrees). raise your hands/elbows so they're above your waist (to engage the back muscles). now... trist your hips back and forth holding your hips in the twisted position for a second then switch to the other side. try not to bend your knees but allow them to flex if necessary.

the trick here is to rotate your hips around your spine. right hip goes forward the same amount as left hip goes back and visa versa. its very easy to "settle" your hips back behind your spine allowing your lower back to "curve". (aka... do not stick your tail out behind you and wag)



This drill rocks for helping develop spins. 8)

I do it all the time, but my spins are still sucky. Have developed great abs, though. :P

Twilight Elena

[mamboqueen]

I practice each of my dances every day; really focusing on the basic movements and trying to get them look good and achieve balance. I really break everything down slowly, especially the spins (I had a tendancy of going up on my toes). So, other than general exercising, warming up stretches, I just keep doing the basic stuff over and over.

dtas - printed your post and going to try practicing some of those.

Just waiting for this nagging knee to hit the road (Jack).

[Tenshi_no_Pocky]

I was on the dance team in high school and here is something that we used to do to strengthen ankles:

MUST keep posture while doing this...
1.) get on a step on a staircase or a small elevated platform of some sort and stand on it so that the ball of your foot is on the step and the rest of your foot is not.

2.) slowly raise and lower your heel, flex and point with the entire weight of your body on it. (you may wish to hold onto something or only do this a few times and then stand on the ground doing it and then step then ground yatta yatta...)

3.) When your ankles get unbearably tired, stand on the ground and do this for a while and then go back to the step when you are alright again.

I hope this helps somewhat. Practice posture and remember to point and flex every day whether it be to strengthen like in the above excercise or just when you are sitting out of boredom. This helps prevent injury and improves any moves where you have to pivot or turn on one foot.

[dTas]

I practice each of my dances every day; really focusing on the basic movements and trying to get them look good and achieve balance. I really break everything down slowly, especially the spins (I had a tendancy of going up on my toes). So, other than general exercising, warming up stretches, I just keep doing the basic stuff over and over.

dtas - printed your post and going to try practicing some of those.

Just waiting for this nagging knee to hit the road (Jack).

g'luck! i hope it helps. it certainly helps all of my students. once they get the strength built up they find that they have much more control and power.