Chapter ??

2

Warming Up and Cooling Warming Up and Cooling DownDown

C H A P T E R

How can the three parts of a dance class help you meet your personal goals as a dancer?

Objectives

• Explain the structure of a proper warm-up and create your own personal warm-up.

• Learn about expectations in a dance class and etiquette when taking a dance class

• Reflect on what was learned in a dance class and set goals for the next class.

• Design your own cool-down and stretching ritual.

Lesson 2.1Your Personal Warm-Up

Move It!

Before warming up, carefully move the major joints in your body to note where you feel stiff or sore. Move your shoulders, elbows, knees, hips, wrists, ankles, and spine.

Types of Movement for a Personal Warm-Up

1. Warm up each joint, exploring full range of motion and using gentle movements.

2. Use aerobic movements to bring blood flow to large muscle groups.

3. Lengthen large muscle groups.

4. Use curl-ups and curl-downs for abdominal strength.

Take the Stage 2.1

Make a short dance using all of your personal warm-up movements.

Take note of how your body reacts to the movements in your warm-up dance. Ask yourself how your body feels at the end of the warm-up dance. Did the stiff and sore places in your body feel better?

Self-Evaluation of Warm-Up Dance

1. Does this warm-up dance include the components that should be included in a warm-up?

2. Does the warm-up reflect my personal needs as I have outlined in lesson 2.1 Take the Stage?

3. What do I have to do as a next step in building an extended personal warm-up?

4. How will I modify this personal warm-up for different situations? (Which of my exercises will I use?)

Lesson 2.2 Dance Class Basics

Lesson 2.2 Dance Class Basics

Move It!

1. Create a dance combination in any form (ballet, modern, jazz, or other) in which you are comfortable and knowledgeable.

2. Teach this dance combination to another student.

3. After watching your peer dance, give comments that will improve the performance of this combination.

4. Learn another student’s combination and make improvements based on the comments.

5. Discuss with your partner or class how this activity improved dance skills and understanding.

Typical Structure for a Dance Class

1. Warm-up

2. Body of the class

3. Cool-down

Take a Bow 2.2

Write a journal entry or an essay on the importance of the dancer’s ritual of taking dance classes.

Lesson 2.3 Stretch What You Strengthen

Move It!

1. After taking a full dance class in your school, share your favorite stretch with the members of the class. Be sure to demonstrate carefully and have your teacher watch for correct alignment and performance of the stretch. Be sure to tell the class which muscles and areas of the body that the stretch is targeting. You may also want to explain which dance moves will benefit from the stretch of those muscles.

2. Learn other stretches that your classmates share.

3. Pay special attention to stretches that target the areas of your body that are tight (as you noted in lesson 1.4).

Tips for More Effective Stretching

• Stretch what you strengthen. After class, pay attention to the muscles that seem fatigued or tight. These are the muscles you should stretch.

• Use your breathing to aid in the stretching process. Exhale and relax into the stretch.

• Do not bounce in a stretch. Bouncing actually shortens the muscle.

(continued)

Tips for More Effective Stretching (continued)

• You should feel stretches not in the joints but rather in the center of the muscle. If you feel a stretch in a joint, try bending the joint a little or place a rolled towel under the joint for support.

• Most important, do not stretch when the muscles are cold. Stretching sessions should be reserved for after a class or performance.

Take the Stage 2.3

Design a cool-down that you can use after taking a dance class.

Base it on the movements you worked on during a class in a specific dance form.

Remember the rule of stretch what you strengthen.

Take your personal physical traits into consideration when creating this cool-down. (Relate this to your knowledge of yourself from lesson 1.4.)

If You Have an Injury During Class or Rehearsal

• Seek medical attention.

• Implement the PRICED method:

Protection

Rest

Ice

Compression

Elevation

Diagnosis