competitive dance Archives - Page 3 of 3

A Dancer’s Ultimate Snack List Guide

May 1, 2021

Dancers are artistic athletes who use their bodies to tell a story and express their art through movement.

So, it’s crucial that they keep this essential tool in top shape by eating the right foods. Dance uses up a lot of energy and burns many calories, making what your dancers eat imperative in helping them master their art.

Certain foods give dancers’ bodies the nutrients they need at specific times. These foods help them perform at the highest levels and will help them recover from an intense class or a long day at a competition. Dancers must have the nutrition they need to perform their best, both in class and on stage. Want to make sure your dancer is snacking smart? Keep reading for the dancer’s ultimate snack list.

Hydration is key.

Hydration is just as important as healthy food choices! Dancers need to stay hydrated to help them push through classes or tough competitions and keep their muscles lubricated and bodies flexible. Dancers need to drink plenty of water before, during, and after dancing.

EDC dancer Lexi Deffinbaugh explains more, “The foods I eat are super important for a competition weekend and really for my entire dance week. I start drinking extra water two days before a competition to make sure I am really hydrated. That is a big thing for me. As for snacks and food, I eat a lot of nuts, yogurt, eggs, and fruit. Fruit is my favorite! Most of the time, I eat fruit for dessert instead of sweets. Sometimes sugar hurts my stomach, so I don’t eat a lot of it. My food makes a big difference to me. I can feel it easily if I don’t eat right, and it doesn’t feel good. So, I try hard to eat healthy foods.”

Plenty of water paired with healthy snacks will set dancers up for success!

Timing is everything.

Dancers often know what foods are healthy and best for fueling their busy day, but many struggle with timing, especially with snacks. When a dancer eats can be just as important as what they eat. Going for long periods without fueling properly can affect performance and energy levels and increase a dancer’s susceptibility to injury.

Dancers should keep a few snacks in their dance bag. Being prepared for mid-day classes or a long day of rehearsal is a great way to make sure they are dancing their best and simultaneously taking care of their bodies.

[Want to know what’s in some of the top-performing dancers’ bags? Click here!]

Before class snacks.

Dancers should never work on an empty stomach, so if snack time falls within 30-60 minutes before dancing, then consider an easily digestible carbohydrate to maintain your physical stamina. These snacks should be lower in fiber. Pretzels and fresh fruit are examples of smaller, easily digestible carbs that won’t leave your dancer feeling sluggish. Some other examples include:

Dried or fresh fruit.
Applesauce or a fruit smoothie pack.
Homemade protein-packed “energy balls.”
Apple and peanut butter.
A fruit-based snack bar.

During class snacks.

If your dancer needs a snack in the middle of a long practice, rehearsal, or competition day. Here is a list of low-calorie snacks that are great for your dancers to keep in their dance bag:

Mini pretzels.
Seedless grapes.
Low-fat yogurt.
Graham crackers.
String cheese.
A small amount of microwave popcorn.
Red pepper slices with some hummus.
Carrots with ranch for dipping.
Almonds or peanuts.

If there is little time between school and dance class, for example, getting an energy boost from snacks such as low-fat yogurt, peanut butter, granola bars, fresh fruit, or cheese are simple options. Something is better than nothing!

After class snacks.

Snacks after class should be rich in protein. Once dancers leave the studio, they need to start to rebuild and replenish muscle. To aid in the recovery process, implement a quality strategy of protein to carbohydrate ratio. The protein will help rebuild the muscle tissue that was damaged while dancing and the carbs replace the energy used during class.

The after-class snack should be timed anywhere between 30 minutes and 1 hour after class ends. Muscle recovery is significant for dancers who are taking classes multiple days during the week. Here are some snack ideas for dancers to have after class:

Peanut butter on a rice cake.
A fruit and protein smoothie.
Cottage cheese with some whole-grain cereal.
A peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
An apple and a few sticks of string cheese.

[Need more tips on keeping your dancers’ body in shape? Click here!]

Just like warming up or taking lessons, proper nutrition is key to mastering your craft. Educating our dancers on how nutrition can improve their skills and longevity will set everyone up for success!

Keeping our dancers mentally and physically healthy is extremely important to us at EDC. For more dance tips and essential class information, be sure to follow our informative blog and on social media.

Photo Feature: Lexi Deffinbaugh (Dancer/Model)

With a proper balance of eating well, hydrating often, and conditioning daily, our EDC dance athletes are able to perform above and beyond!

Is dancing in the classroom just like dancing on stage?

April 1, 2021

All the classroom is a stage, or is it the other way around?

The hours of sweat and tears while training in the studio helps dancers perfect their technical skills and style, while also teaching them valuable skills in preparing for the “real” world. Dancing in the studio and dancing on stage are great ways to prepare yourself for future success, inside the world of dance and beyond.

Keep reading for six ways that being on stage prepares you for the future.

Inspires confidence and poise.

Dancing on stage can be an overwhelming experience. Stepping onto a stage and performing in front of an audience requires a tremendous amount of confidence and self-esteem, as you’re presenting your talent. In these situations, it’s natural to feel some nerves, but as a professional performer, you need to harness and use these nerves to better your performance.

A confident and poised attitude will help you stand out in job interviews and when securing work experience.

Instills improvisation techniques.

Success on the stage requires the ability to respond to unexpected developments. Maybe the music cuts off, your partner is off, or you have a costume issue. The ability to respond quickly in these situations is valuable; as the saying goes, the show must go on.

Bringing that attitude to the business world means that you will be highly adaptable and able to overcome problems. Stage performers know how to expand when the situation calls for it.

Teaches resiliency.

Due to the industry’s competitive and highly skilled nature, dancers will likely experience rejection and criticism at some point.

To cope with these challenges, resilience, and tenacity are essential traits. You need to use these experiences to hone and develop your craft and bounce back better than before.

Helps with communication skills.

On stage, you are in full view of the audience and your fellow performers. The ability to stand in front of people and deliver value is crucial. Once you build up your foundation of confidence, you can develop the other habits of highly effective communicators.

As a performer, you quickly learn that presentation and communication are about the art, not you, and conveying the story to the audience is part of your job.

[Want to know more about the world of competitive dance? Click here!]

Reiterates the importance of marketing yourself.

Many times, in dance, you will have to audition to secure a part, so it’s vital that you’re able to sell and market yourself and your abilities. This essential skill will come in handy when applying for college or for a new position in the career world.

To get your name recognized and help secure work, you’ll need to employ your networking skills learned in dance and work to make those important connections.

Teaches the importance of hard work.

As you work to improve and perfect your dance for the stage, long hours are needed. The mindset to keep working to reach a result is priceless when preparing to be on stage. It also makes a substantial difference in the professional world. The ability to put in long hours to achieve a goal is a vital success trait.

Being on the stage can be a rewarding experience for the dancer and their parents when they notice the positive changes and growth. The excitement of stage competition and the sense of accomplishment is a fantastic thing to experience.

Are you ready to take your child’s dance to another level with competition dance? Contact the expert and high-trained staff at Evolution Dance Complex today!

Photo Feature- Emily Dorman (Dancer/Model)

6 Steps to a Front Walkover

March 1, 2021

A well-rounded dancer must perform a wide array of athletic tricks that can take choreography to another level.

These can include cartwheels, back walkovers, ariels, needles, back tucks, and more. One elemental maneuver that should be in every dancer’s toolbox is the front walkover.

If you are ready to add this move to your repertoire, keep reading for six steps to mastering a front walkover.

What is a front walkover?

To learn how to perform a front walkover, it’s important to fully understand what it is. A front walkover is an acrobatic maneuver that involves lifting a leg above the torso in a back-bridge position. The legs then fully rotate so the dancer both starts and finishes in an upright standing position.

The front walkover resembles a fusion of a cartwheel, a handstand, and a round-off. But it is definitely its own unique maneuver that utilizes a comprehensive set of skills.

Work on your flexibility.

Before beginning to master this new move, ensure you are working to improve flexibility. Doing a front walkover requires a lot of flexibility in your back, legs, and core. If you improve your whole body’s strength and flexibility, you will have an easier time completing this exercise.

Stretch properly.

Movements like the front walkover can put a lot of strain on your shoulders, wrists, and back, so it’s a good idea to stretch before beginning. Following a light warm-up, loosen up those muscles and joints. Some examples of good stretch’s include:

Raise both arms high, then reach across your body as you lean from side to side at the waist.
Lie face down on the floor and push your torso up and back to limber up your lower back. Flex both wrists to get them ready to hold you up.
Sit on the floor with your back straight and centered. Extend your legs outward as wide as you can. Carefully rotate your torso towards the right then move your torso over your right leg. Remember to breathe and go slow.

Never neglect your warm-up and stretching routine. You’re at a much higher risk of injury if you force your body to perform intricate movements before it’s ready.

Ensure to follow safety procedures.

Set up a private lesson with a dance instructor, to be your spotter, as you work on any challenging new skills. A spotter can support your weight and help guide you as you run through the movements, which lets you focus on your technique.

In addition to a spotter, grab some padded mats. Mats and protective surfaces will help prevent injury in case you land incorrectly. They will also take away some fear, which might be holding you back. Once you get more comfortable with the skill, you can slowly build up the courage to do it without pads, or a spotter.

Break it down.

You can break the front walkover down into other more straightforward exercises that you can master before trying the full skill. They include:

A well-controlled handstand is a setup for the front walkover. So, it will be beneficial to make sure you have it down first.
The bridge and backbend translate perfectly to the second part of the walkover. Lying on your back with your hands and feet planted firmly on the ground beneath you, press up so that your body forms an arch. Support yourself by keeping your arms and legs straight and strong.
Master your cartwheel to get used to the action of kicking up to your hands, which will carry you over when doing the walkover. Set your hands down on the floor one after the other as you swing your back leg up. Drive through with your kicking leg to lift yourself into an inverted position, then rotate around and set it back down, followed by your opposite leg.

Get into position.

To do a front walkover, you need to stand as if you are going into a handstand. Put your legs in a split position. Start with whichever leg is more natural for you.

Then kick your back leg up into the air. As your first leg is approaching a vertical position, kick your other leg up into the air. Move your weight to your arms and shoulders.

[Want to know more about what’s it’s like to be a competitive dancer? Click here!]

Stick the landing.

Shift your weight back to your leading leg as it touches down. Then, push off the ground with your hands. You should end in the same position you started in. Make sure that you plant your feet as you land. Keep your arms flexed as you stick that landing.

Make sure you stay using the proper form throughout the whole movement. You should press your hips forward and ensure that you don’t stand up too fast.

Other important tips.

Wear comfortable clothing that doesn’t inhibit your movement.
Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.
Improve your conditioning and overcome your fear of being upside down by spending a little bit longer in your handstand and bridge each time.
Don’t get discouraged if you’re not progressing as fast as you’d like. A positive mind frame is a huge part of being a strong dancer.
After you perfect your front walkover, use your understanding of the technique to start working on more difficult skills.

Most importantly, don’t overthink it, be patient, and have fun! Want to master the front walkover and other essential dance tricks? Take your talent to the next level with Evolution Dance Complex. Contact us today about our company teams or recreational dance classes!

Photo Feature- Noel Gockerell (Dancer/Model)

Video Feature- Rileigh Burrows and Tilley-Gray Cheek

A Day in the [Dance] Shoes of a Competitive Dancer

January 31, 2021

Behind the doors of the typical dance studio, people imagine adorable little girls in tutus leaping on the hardwoods or stretching over a barre.

The average person pictures a simple, carefree world, where students listen for the rhythm, learn some choreography, and spend time with their friends.

While fun and carefree is a part of this dance world, the effort put in by a fully committed competitive dancer is a lot more than what is shown at a recital or on TV. Competitive dancing consists of many hours of training, various technique classes, and relentless choreography. Dancers and their teachers put their time, blood, sweat, literal tears into their craft – and they wouldn’t trade it for the world. The feeling of improvement and hard work or placing in that important competition is more rewarding than anything else.

As a highly motivated competition dancer, Valadie will give us a glimpse into the life of a 14-year-old competitive dancer.

Valadie’s story

I started my first dance class a few months after I turned one and have loved it ever since! I started dancing at Evolution Dance Complex the year it opened, in 2014. I started getting very serious around nine years old and went to several competitions and conventions. Our family was traveling quite a bit, and with school, it became somewhat of a struggle.

It was a lot to go to public school while being out of town for a convention almost every weekend, but I made it work until 6th grade. Then in 7th grade, we decided to start online school. It is still hard to manage school while dancing 20-30 hours a week and being gone for conventions and competitions on the weekends, but both are so important to me, so I make it work. That means constantly doing schoolwork at midnight after dance class. Even with so much hard work, dance has provided me with some fantastic opportunities which will help me continue to succeed in my future.

One of those opportunities was being chosen to model for a dancewear brand named Second Skin Costumes! I auditioned to be a model for them, and I got it! I made so many wonderful friends from this experience, and I also found a new love for this awesome dancewear brand!

Another amazing opportunity and experience I had was being flown to Arizona to film a new and inspiring project with Missy Moffitt that will help dancers for many years to come. It is an app where dancers can do intricate training exercises at home. I am one of the demonstrators on the app. Intricate training is an excellent tool that helps better a dancers’ technique, and I suggest all dancers give it a try! I am so happy that we added an Intricate Technique Class into the EDC schedule this year because it really helps me become a stronger and more controlled dancer. I’m so excited, and I was honored to be a part of this project.

I also had the chance to tour with the Revel Dance Convention as a pro-reveler and assistant, and I was a Top 13 Core Performer Finalist with Radix Dance Competition last year. These are two of my favorite dance convention honors that make me very proud.

In addition to dancing, I have a passion for performing in the theater. I do one to two community shows each year where I can showcase my dance abilities and my acting and singing skills. I’m so grateful for all the opportunities dance has brought me, and I will cherish all the memories forever. Dance has been my best friend, and I’m so thankful to have this art form in my life. I’m so grateful for the Evolution Dance Complex and all of the amazingly talented teachers that help me better myself every day. I am very grateful for Brooklyne; she has offered the dancers of EDC a gorgeous facility to train in and a challenging environment that is preparing us for our future in dance. She continually pushes me to be my best and has and has made the best studio in Wilmington in my eyes! I love my dance family and look forward to this upcoming competition season!

The benefits of competitive dance.

Valadie’s story shows that while competitive dance isn’t easy, the reward is truly worth the work. Some of the positive things that competitive dance has to offer include:

Gives dancers a sense of purpose and achievement.
Provides many learning opportunities.
Prepares dancers for life challenges.
Implements poise and confidence.
Provides experiences and memories that last a lifetime.
It’s a great way to network.
It opens up so many doors – even outside of dance.

Competitive dancing can be a rewarding family experience for dance parents when they notice the positive changes, growth, and confidence in their child. The excitement of competition and the sense of accomplishment is an amazing thing to be a part of.