Dance Around the World

This week's Spotlight of Dance:

Flamenco Dance

As dancer's our creative minds wonder to anything that is new, fun, and challenging. It's in the blood of a dancer to learn more, learn new steps, routines and learn from other cultures. This week's spotlight of cultural dance is the Flamenco Dance. 

To understand a new culture or dance, it is best to learn some history of how it originated. The 'Flamenco Dance' is Southern Spanish native dance and music. It is a combination of singing, guitar and dance and they are known for their rhythmic sound of hand clapping and finger snapping. The Flamenco we watch today is influenced greatly by multiple cultures. Early Greek, Roman and Indian music helped flourish this intensive passionate Spanish dance. 

The dancing style expresses strong emotions, pride through the rhythm of the feet. This style of music and dance is based on personal improvisation and the spontaneous traditional performance is a visual of their immediate feelings expressing the dancers personal emotions by interpreting the drumming and singing. Often the motionless start to the dance is the moment the dancer is feeling the beat and will then spring into a flamenco dance with inspiration from the music.

Flamenco dancer (Bailaor) will express the great history of flamenco and its culture. This is often shown with graceful arms while enormous energy is put into the strong movement of their feet creating the iconic beat that is flamenco. 






Shoes are very unique in the way they feature a small area of nails embedded in the toe and heel to create the sharp rhythmic clapping sound. The incredible footwork within the Flamenco dance is all involving precise heel and top beats to add to the music. 

Native Spanish dancing is a beautiful and powerful tradition for this culture. Here is a quick video from the streets of Spain, with spontaneous and passionate artists playing for the tourists. 

Happy Dancing Xx

Dance Around the World

Dance Around the World. 

______________________________________________________________________

It's amazing how dance can help each individual and every culture to love externally. Pure love for our traditional dance enables us as humans to connect and understand that we are all equal. It is the power of peace and acceptance that we then learn new life experiences from those around us. 

EXPLORE the language and world of dance! The best way to develop a greater and passionate love for dance is to step out and learn from different cultures and styles. 

* Cambodian traditional dance consists of elaborated costumes and performed in the spirit of prayer. 

♥

 ______________________________________________________________________

* Children engaging in the spirit of the Pow Wow. It is the Native American's way of coming together to share stories through dance and singing to create relationships between families. 


By looking closer into these beautiful communities and acknowledging the many deep and meaningful reasons as to why people are loyal and dedicated to their own beliefs of dance can widen our own appreciation of this art. 

 ______________________________________________________________________

♥

* The Hawaiian Hula was originally performed for the volcano goddess and was performed to poetic chants. 


Without sharing our experiences and stories of cultural dancing, we as a nation would not have grown wiser and more creative in this art of dance. Be grateful for the expressions of the Tango, Swing, Indigenous dance, the lively movement of Cha Cha, Salsa and Samba. Each has a different part to COLOUR THIS EARTH.

♥

To all my gorgeous dancers

To all my gorgeous dancers out there, 

In a world that is constantly comparing us to them and them to us, it is easy to join in with the voice of justification. Constantly comparing yourself to those around. Whose the strongest? Whose turns are the best? Turn out? Jumps? Flexibility? Grace? Musicality? The list never ends.

Don't get me wrong, healthy competition is fine, it will even bring out the best in you when you know its down to you and your decision to bring your finest to the floor no matter what! But, when that need to win at all costs outweighs your dignity and behaviour towards your fellow peers then we need to stop and ask ourselves, what's it for? Am I dancing because I love it, I love the joy and colour it brings to an otherwise grey world or do I need this win to feel whole? 

Dancers come in all shapes, sizes and colours. And ethical inheritance does not determine body shape or dance ability. Stereotypes are incredibly inaccurate and can be very hurtful. It is everyone's responsibility to be aware and to educate themselves - so that you can respect everybody, regardless of whether you agree with them. Australia is very diverse, and home to more than 200 different cultures. Some of these cultures are more reserved and private (not all dancers are comfortable changing costumes in front of each other), some have dietary preference that you are not used to (comments do not need to be made). Every culture and ethnicity are individual and are just as valid as each other.

I believe each and everyone of you are created to just be you. With your strengths and even your weaknesses, just as a flower brings beauty, colour and perfume to this world. A bouquet of flowers however brings delight to all who is honoured to be given such a gift, as the combination of individual flowers placed together creates an overwhelming statement of beauty in all its glory. 

Please precious ones, don't compare yourself to each other any more than you need to. Speak encouragement to each other. Demonstrate grace for You are all wonderfully unique. When you see that you will then be free to appreciate others uniqueness.

Harmony day is the 21 March, and celebrates the cultures within our society and the freedom we have to all live together in peace. Purpose celebrated on the 21 March to coincide with the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. So, to my beautiful dancers, remember, you are all here for the same reason; the same passion. So respect each other, as you'd want to be respected.
All my love xx

Frequently asked Questions about Dance

Most frequently asked questions about 

DANCE..

Dancers or dance mums or even the society can be full of questions that haven't been answered before. Dance in general can be confusing and stereotyped. Here are some answers for those newly introduced to dance or just have a common question.

1. Q: Do you call male ballet dancers Ballerinas?

A: Ballerina is the Italian term for female ballet dancer, where as for males in Italian is 'Ballerino' meaning dancing master. The French also have a different title for the male ballet dancers, 'Danseur'. 

2. Q: How long do pointe shoes last?

A: The time frame for a pointe shoe depends on the students foot shape, the students timetable and how often they are practicing. A younger dancer who is dancing twice a week will most likely grow out of their pointe shoes before wearing them out. It will also come down to how well the dancers are looking after the shoes by airing them out after each use.  

3. Q: How do you break in pointe shoes?

A: The best way to break in new pointe shoes is to go through demi pointe up onto full pointe allowing the box to weaken. Raises in first position will also help strengthen the ankles and muscles needed for beginners. 


4. Q: Classical or Contemporary Dance? What is the difference?

A: There is certainly a difference between the two dance styles. Classical Ballet is known for its 'set rules' and unique technique. It incorporates pointe work, turn outs and extensions. Where as Contemporary dance is not as strict to body alignments and has a wide range of free movement. It combines classical dance with flexed feet and hands as well as floor work.

Hope these answer any of your long over due questions.. Please ask us if you have any more questions about anything dance Xx

Turn Out

Turn Out

So one thing you need to remember is that it's not going to happen straight away. It will take time and regular practice for your turn out to improve. If only we could wave a magic wand and have amazing hip rotation like Svetlana Zakharova. ➝

Here are a few exercises you can do at home to help improve your turnout.

Warm up:

Warming up your hip/bottom/thigh muscle first is a must! Gently swing your legs forwards, backwards and sideways to increase blood flood to these areas.
Hug your knee to your chest and hold for 8 counts, repeat opening up your turnout by pulling your knee towards your shoulder.

Butterfly Stretch: 
Sit with your legs bent and so the soles of your feet should be facing each other. Make sure you keep your back straight and your head up too. 

Prone Butterfly Stretch:
Lie flat on your tummy and draw your knee up, keeping your feet together and attempting to get your feet to touch the ground. The shape made should be similar to the exercise above.

Back Straddle Split:
Lay on your back with your legs up in the air at 90 degrees, feet turned out and toes pointed. With resistance, lower your legs out to the side,  into a straddle split and then draw your legs back up into a closed position 90 degree position. Repeat.

Cool down:
Stretching out those hip muscles is again very important. You've just worked and stretched them and they need to recover. Repeat the 'Warm Up' exercises.

How to relax over Christmas

Relaxing over Christmas, without losing form.

Keeping up with your fitness over summer is very important but so is RELAXING! You've worked hard all year, busting your gut over eisteddfods and exams and concerts; you deserve a little break!
It can be very hard changing your mindset as we come into Christmas where chocolate, cake and biscuits seems to be the only food in the house. All year you've maintained a healthy balanced diet and now it

seems to be going to shreds, BUT this is okay. Christmas happens once a year, take the opportunity to reward yourself for all your hard work and know that one (or two) days of eating like Queens and Kings will NOT have any long term repercussions. Remember that Christmas cake is essentially dried fruit with a tiny bit of egg and flour to stick it together. A roast dinner is a good source of protein with a lot of vegetables available.

The flip side is exercise. Flexibility and strength work are important to keep up with over summer, but there is no need to be excessive. Do exercise to your hearts content, Do what makes you happy but Don't let it become the focus.
Pick up a summer hobby that is fitness but a lot of fun, maybe something you wouldn't normally have time to do in the rest of year due to dancing. Take some skating lessons, or ice skating lessons if your area offers it. On the Sunshine Coast, we have a trampoline facility (a very large room with floors and walls entirely covered with trampolines. Or maybe pick up a fun dance class over summer - if you've never done Hip hop, consider that class, etc. or even a gymnastics class, a silks acro class or a Pilates class. Keeping up your fitness is important, but not at the expense of enjoying your summer. Another idea is to do this fun exercise with friends/family who aren't from dancing, for a change.

It all comes down to your attitude, are you avoiding Christmas cookies because you genuinely don't like them? Are you hammering yourself everyday because the energy makes you feel alive? Or are you looking over the next few weeks with dread?

Fab Abs!

Fabulous Ab's !

Dancers require strong core muscles, not only to help execute the steps but also to protect the lower back as weak abdominal muscles can lead to low back vulnerabilities.

Sit-up and crunches are popular ab exercises however they can put stress on the neck or back. An alternative exercise to sit-ups is the Plank.

Plank exercise:

1. Starting in the push up position is the easiest way to get into the plank.

2. Lower both your forearms to the ground so that both your elbows and fists are flat to the ground, and directly underneath your shoulders.

3. Curl your toes under. Straighten your body but keep your neck and spine neutral. Imagine that you’re a plank of wood, and that you’re straight as an arrow.

4. Engage your abdominal muscles and squeeze your glutes. These are the two major muscle groups you’ll be working out in this exercise.

5. Hold this position, for at least 30- 60 seconds, rest, and then go for another 30-60 seconds. Keep your eyes on the floor in front of you. Avoid raising your behind. Your body should make a straight line from your heels to the back of your head.

Another really good exercise to strengthen you abdominal muscles is Crisscross.

Crisscross exercise:

1. Lie on your back with your hands layered, palm over palm, behind your lifted head and with your knees bent tightly into your chest.

2. Inhale slowly and twist your torso to the left until your right elbow connects with your left knee, straightening your right leg forward and holding it a few inches above the floor. Curl the chin and shoulders off the floor up to the base of the shoulder blades.

3. Exhale with control and twist to the right, connecting your left elbow to your right knee and 

extending your left leg. Continue alternating sides. Complete  

There are many more exercises you can do to improve you core strength you can it up online or even book a few Pilates classes to make sure you are doing it with the correct technique. 

Good Luck and Happy Dancing!

Relaaaxxx....

Sometimes in our busy lives, we forget to step back and take a break. 

This is especially true for dancers. There is school all day, then straight to dancing, then home to do homework and then its bed time. For many of us, this happens 5 days a week, plus rehearsals on Saturdays. We have very little time to take for ourselves to relax and recoup.  It is so important for your body to take time out to relieve strain on both our body and mind. We can see and feel the effect on our body but often we forget about how tired our mind can get from running around all day, every day. School is mentally draining with its facts and figures and this is due here and that has to be done by that date, And it’s the same in your dance classes. Remember tummy in, posture up, pull your thighs up, hold your head high, pointe your feet, turn out your legs. I’m already overwhelmed and I haven’t even mentioned remembering the routines.

Every now and again, it’s a good idea to take 10 or 15 minutes out (try at least 3 times this week) and without any interruptions, simply relax. Here are a few ideas to get you started: 

•  Read a book
•  Take a bath, light some candles even (get parents’ permission for lighting candles)
• Sit in a tree/swing/seat outdoors and listen to some happy, feel-good music
• Are you artistic? Paint a picture
• Are words your medium, write a story.
• Journaling is always a good idea, even if you don’t particularly enjoy writing. I write lists in my journal of everything that is annoying me, overwhelming me, or just simply stuck in my head. You can draw pictures in your journal. You can buy a wreck-it journal  (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lTwgEylMpo)
• Rent a movie (or a series if your timetable will allow the time). Go to the movies, with someone you don’t always see every day.
• Give yourselves a mani (maybe pedi, depending on school and dancing constraints). Though manicures don’t always have to involve nail polish. If nail polish is a no-go, work on your cuticles, hand massage and shaping of your nails instead with maybe a clear coat of nail polish. Youtube is a great place for ideas.

Tell us what you enjoying doing to relax!

Sore Back Relief

Sore back?

After class you need to make sure you stretch out your back especially from all the back bends and walkovers you do. Below you will find a few stretches that you can do at the end of your lesson. 

Hug Your Knees - Lie on your back. Grab your knees, pull them toward your chest and breathe. Slowly push your lower back into the floor. Repeat this a several times.

Side Knee Drop - Lie on your back. Grab your knees, pull them toward your chest and breathe, Hold onto your knees with one hand/arm and extend the other arm onto the floor. Gently drop your knees to the opposite side. Breathe and switch sides. Repeat several times.

Traditional Toe Touch - Keeping your knees straight roll down and touch your toes. If touching your toes is now too easy wrap your arms around your legs and bring your chest to your knees. Then release and roll back up through your spin. Repeat several times.

A little trick to relax your body, lay on your back, bend your knees and feet flat on the ground. Make sure feet are apart so you can rest your knees against each other. Wrap your arms around your neck until your hands are resting on the ground. Lay in this position for as long as you want maybe even put on some relaxing music as you do this. 

Fueling your body for dancing

Fueling Your Body For Dancing

Are you looking for a quick and easy recipe for a light meal to take to dancing? Then have a look at the link below. Cous Cous Salad is high in energy and a good source of fiber but still light on the tummy. The energetiks blog has some great simple and easy recipes especially for dancers! 

http://energetiksblog.com.au/blog/3667 

The article in the link below has so much useful information about how to make sure you are eating enough of the right foods for the amount of exercise you are doing!

http://www.actsafe.ca/wp-content/uploads/resources/pdf/dancernutrition.pdf 

Excising: Stretching and Warming Up

Eisteddfods

http://dance.about.com/od/stepsandmoves/ss/Splits_5.htm

Now that eisteddfods are just around the corner, it is so important that you are warming up and stretching properly before you dance so that you don’t hurt yourself. Warming up and stretching are two different things. Warming up is about increasing the blood flow around your body and increasing the temperature in your muscles. Stretching is pushing your muscles to their limits so you can stretch them even further. It is so important that you warm your muscles up BEFORE you start stretching them.

We all know how difficult it is to warm up and stretch in eisteddfods where the walls and floors are covered in bags and even the chairs are covered in bags. So how do you properly warm up in the tiny spaces? Easy, clear enough floor space to be able to stand in first position and tendu – then do your plies and ‘bar exercises’ in the ‘Centre’. After that, jump up and down, star jumps if, there is room, to get your blood flowing! When you’re all warmed up, start your stretching using your friends as a temporary wall.

Because we can’t access the wall for all the bags, balancing on your friend is the next best thing. Link arms and do leg mounts, hold each other’s shoulders to do your grande battlements. If floor space permits, lie on your back and have your friends pull your leg up towards your head in a split. There are many things you can do in the limited space, just make sure you are warming up FIRST then stretching! Good Luck with the eisteddfods.

Dancer's Tips and Tricks: The Perfect Bun

The Perfect  Bun

The Bun Enhancer is a great tool to use to quickly and easily throw your hair up into a bun. It only takes 6 steps and is very similar to the Bun Doughnut. Instead of wasting time fiddling with pins and bun covers, the Bun Enhancer does the job and is extremely versatile (Look for the steps down below!) Want a clean smooth bun for your ballet classes, simply twist the Enhancer tighter. Need a loose stylish bun for that Jazz routine or night out with the girl? Leave the twisting looser.

Step 1: Pull your hair back securely into a pony tail, at the height you want your bun to sit

Step 2: Open the gap in the Bun Enhancer and pull your hair through and close the gap tightly.

Step 3: Lift both ends of the enhancer and slide it through your hair until it reaches the end (but don’t pull to far or you’ll pull it off!)

Step 4: When it’s at the end of your hair, hold both ends, and twist it downwards until you reach your scalp

Step 5: Twist the ends of the Bun Enhancer into a round shape, adjusting as you need.

Step 6: Even the distribution of your hair around the Enhancer until you can’t see the Enhancer and you are happy with how it looks. Bobby pin if there are loose strands.

You now have a fabulous bun that can be modified for all different occasions! Try braiding part of your hair and pulling it into a side bun for a shabby chic look or pull up high on the head for a more sleek appearance. Most importantly, chuck it in your dance bag for those days when there doesn’t seem to be enough time to do your hair before class!

(The Bun Enhancers are available from Showtime in Blonde and Brown)

Here an awesome video to help if you’re having any troubles!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-1H6vYzgqs

Stretch! (Tips for parents)

Stretching for improvement!

Practicing and stretching at home is so important for a budding young dancer! Once a week in class does the basics; your child learns the basics and correct techniques, but to maintain and gain these abilities they must practice at home. Since the classes for a lot of young dancers only happen once or twice a week, it’s a good idea to encourage your child to go through the steps for memory’s sake as well as stretching to help keep their flexibility from week to week as this builds muscle memory. Take it from someone who has been able to achieve the splits one week, only to be disappointed the next week when I’ve not been able to do it again. Consistent and continual striving for flexibility will gain the best results. Dance is a sport, and just like any other, they get to be the best by training constantly.  There are many ways to help your child, firstly by just reminding your child to practice. At this stage, even just going over the exercises without music will help their mind and muscle memory. Secondly, YouTube! YouTube tutorials are a great way to find new stretches and exercises. The third tip is to physically help you child stretch. Maybe you could even stretch WITH your child to help encourage them; get them to teach you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5Ic4dOwrWA is a great starting point!

Dancers Feet.

Sore Feet??...

Soak your feet in Epsom salt for 10-15 minutes when you come home from dancing, the sooner after dancing, the better. Don't put them in hot water that will increase the risk of swelling, instead use room temperature water or ice cold water. After soaking your feet, get mum or dad to give for feet a little massage to help relax your muscles. Then get a good night sleep!!!