As we wrap up the summer and head into our new season of dance, you might be faced with a brand new team filled with varying levels of dancers. Whether you lost a bunch of seniors or you have a huge incoming freshman class, it's important that you take the time to...
Dancers who are excited to improve their skills and reach their splits often ask me: How often should I be stretching? While this varies for everyone, dancers can stretch daily. Stretching for a minimum of three days a week is recommended by the American College of...
Splits on the floor but not in the air? Here’s how to fix it. Are you a dancer who has their splits on the floor but doesn’t have a full split leap in the air… yet? If so, you can stop stretching your hamstrings and start strength training your core and...
There are a lot of pieces to think about when you do a turn. Many dancers struggle with perfecting each piece at the same time. Forget about one part and you look like the leaning tower of Pisa. If you don't have a strong foundation, everything on top is just...
Summer is a great time for dancers to shift their focus from performing and competing to improving skills with strength training. Although your dancers may use this time to recover from the previous competition season, the school year, and other demands — now...
I think we can all agree that having enough strength and mobility to hit a full split at the top of a split leap is hard enough. Now imagine needing to hit that while your body is diagonal or quickly changing leading legs mid-air! The skills we’re talking about...
Have you ever noticed that whenever skills don’t go as planned we tend to increase core work and run the skills over and over again? Although core strength is important for balance, there’s something else that’s needed for strong skills. What if there...
A Dancer-Fitness member recently asked me — “How do I train my dancers to see progress in their skills, technique, and strength?” She wanted to know HOW to structure workouts to make sure she wasn’t going too hard or too easy on her dancers. She wanted to get...
Whether you’re a dance team dancer or coach or part of a studio, there are three seasons throughout the year for dancers who compete. Those seasons are: off-season, in-season, and competition season. The difference between in-season and competition...
What's the silliest thing you've ever heard about increasing your flexibility? I've heard that sleeping in a frog stretch or watching TV in the splits is the fastest way to increase flexibility. (Yikes!) Unfortunately, when flexibility is your dancers’ main focus,...
How to: Bridge The Level Gap on Your Team!How Often Should Dancers Stretch to See Results?Splits on the floor but not in the air? Here’s how to fix it.3 Exercises to Help You Stop Leaning In Your Turns