Warming Up - Is it Really Necessary?

“If you do not have enough time to warm up correctly, you do not have enough time to train.” – Author Unknown

It’s time for the rehearsal to begin, and there is only a short amount of time so it may be tempting to skip the warm-up and just jump right in.  What happens during the warm-up that makes it so important anyway?

We are given one body and our job, as dancers, is to make certain that we care for our bodies and insure that they are working at an optimal level.  A warm-up not only prepares us mentally by focusing our thoughts, it also leads our body through steps to prepare for the demands we place upon it.

When we first begin to move, our bodies are able to create energy immediately by using the phosphate that has been stored within our muscles as a substance called ATP.  ATP stands for adenosine tri-phosphate which is a substance made up of three phosphate molecules.  When the molecules are separated, energy is released. Although this energy is readily available it can only last for 8-10 seconds.  After those ten seconds, the muscles must use the glucose, or sugar, that is available to create energy for the next few minutes of exercise.  Our muscles are able to create energy for this brief period of time without having to rely on oxygen.

As this energy is created and the warm-up continues, the autonomic nervous system receives a signal to stimulate the nerves around the heart.  The heart receives a signal to contract, or beat, faster and stronger.  The stronger the heart’s contraction, the stronger the release, resulting in more space in the heart for a greater volume of blood.  This greater volume of blood means that, when the heart contracts, more oxygen and nutrient filled blood is pumped out and circulated through the body with each heartbeat.

At the same time, the nerves that control the blood vessels are activated and signal the vessels to constrict, or get smaller, meaning there is less blood flow to all parts of the body.  Concurrently, the energy creation, or metabolism, that is occurring within the muscles overrides this signal, and the blood vessels in the muscles get wider, or dilate, which results in greater blood flow to the muscles.  Therefore, blood flow is diverted away from the organs so that the working parts, the muscles, may receive an optimal amount of nutrients and oxygen.

As all of this is occurring in the circulatory system, the brain stem, which controls our breathing, is receiving signals to stimulate and increase the activity of the respiratory system.  As a result, our breathing speeds up to supply more oxygen to the blood, which is being rapidly delivered to the muscles.

This oxygen is used for the next step in creating energy as the warm-up ends and more rigorous physical activity begins.  This process is called aerobic glycolysis and allows the body to continue to breakdown stored glucose to create energy for a sustained period of time.

As a result of all this activity, the temperature of the muscles increases, leading to increased flexibility.  Additionally, the heat that is generated during the warm-up serves to liquefy the synovial fluid that is in our joints.  While we are resting, the fluid becomes jelly-like, but as heat is generated, the jelly breaks down into a liquid that is able to lubricate our joints and keep them “well-oiled” and moving smoothly. 

Our bodies are amazing machines that are equipped to do so many things.  However, much like a computer, the human body is wired to complete tasks in a series of steps.  In order to be able to provide the optimum physical performance required for a class or a rehearsal, the body needs to be able to sequentially go through the above steps.  We, as dancers, demand so much from our bodies.  Our bodies will definitely respond, but we need to make sure we are going to let them.

This post originally appeared on Access Dance for Life's blog - a blog that promotes health and wellness within the dance community - this past January.  

Improving Balance

            “BALANCE – The ability to equally distribute weight and remain upright."                                                        Merriam-Webster Dictionary                                                                                                     

            Balance, equilibrium, steadiness, stability – a goal for a happy life and a necessity for a dancer. Balance is regulated by our body in three different ways: through our eyes, through the vestibular system of our inner ear, and through sensory receptors in our muscles that provide proprioception. 

            We constantly use our eyes to determine where we are in space, and this optical sense is the body’s most dominant way of establishing balance.  The optical righting reflex helps ensure that we remain upright since it works to keep both eyes constantly on the horizontal plane.

            The vestibular system helps the body maintain balance through the anatomy of the inner ear.  This system gives the brain information about the body’s position during movement.  The ear canals are filled with fluid and lined with cilia, or tiny hairs, that are sensitive to the movement of the fluid.  When the position of the head shifts during movement, the cilia send signals to the brain to activate the muscles that keep the head vertical.

            Our body also uses proprioception to determine if we are balanced.  Proprioception is the body’s awareness of its position and movement in space.  There are sensory receptors located in the body’s muscles, tendons, and joints that send messages to the brain, letting it know where the different parts of the body are and how they are moving in relation to other body parts.  The sensors in the muscles respond to muscular contractions, those in the tendons respond to changes in tension, and the sensors inside the joints respond to changes in pressure while those in the connective tissue surrounding the joints respond to the speed of a moving joint.

           

            These three systems work together and communicate with the cerebral cortex in the brain.  The cerebellum controls coordination and stores learned information about muscular actions that can restore balance.  The signals that the systems send to the cerebral cortex are integrated with the information stored in the cerebellum, and the body is able to right itself when it is thrown off balance.

            When one of these systems does not operate correctly, the body must rely on the other two systems.  If an inner ear infection disturbs the vestibular system, the optical reflex and proprioception must be depended upon to maintain balance.

            The proprioceptive sense is vital for a dancer.  A dancer must be able to “feel” the difference between a parallel position and a turned-out position and needs to be able to sense how high a leg is being held.  When turning, dancers need to be aware of the position of the gesture leg, and dancers need to be aware of the position of their arms.  Mirrors can be used as a tool when dancers are first learning a skill, and the eyes and vestibular system can be used to establish balance when the training is at the beginner level.  However, as dancers grow more advanced, learning skills like tilts and advanced, inverted jazz turns, it becomes difficult to rely on these two senses, and when a dancer performs onstage with lights, the optical sense is taken away.  Reliance upon the proprioceptive system becomes a dancer’s lifeline.

            Since this system must be relied upon so heavily, it is important to help students develop it in the studio.  Although the mirror can be used effectively as a tool, dancers often become dependent on it.  Having dancers perform combinations facing away from the mirror forces the dancers to rely on their proprioception to determine where they are in the space and what positions they are in.  Another way to work on the proprioceptive sense is to ask the dancers to perform stationary combinations with their eyes closed.  When this idea is first introduced, the combinations can be simple port de bras exercises and then progress to exercises that include développés, grands battements and even jumps.

            Our bodies come equipped with three systems meant to help maintain balance, yet we often do not use all three effectively.  Dancers can improve and strengthen their technique and performance skills vastly when they are aware of, learn to use, and practice training the proprioceptive system.

When Visions of Sugarplums are Taken Away: Teaching Dancers to Deal with Disappointment

            “The getting back up is so much more important than the getting knocked down.” – David Dorfman on A Chance to Dance

            The school year has started, dance classes are now in full swing, and dance schools have begun to hold auditions for annual Nutcracker productions.  Students crowd into studios vying for coveted roles, knowing that there are many more parts for corps dancers than there are for soloists.  The auditions end, and the dancers go home and wait to find out which role or roles they will be dancing in this year’s production.

            Some students will be lucky and be given the roles they have pined for while others will be disappointed, and in some cases devastated, to learn that they will be dancing a corps part or a part they may have danced previously.

           

            Dance teaches much more than simply technique.  Dance teaches lessons of discipline, dedication, and responsibility, and dance teaches that sometimes life is not fair.  It is difficult for students to imagine that sometimes roles are not cast on the basis of talent or skill level.  Casting is quite often determined by available costumes, the number of students auditioning, dancers’ heights, and the amount of time necessary for costume changes.  Selecting a cast for large productions is often more a matter of logistics than skill levels.

            When the cast list is posted, there are going to be students who are disappointed.  Disappointment exists in dance and in life.  As the students get older, there will be bigger disappointments in their lives.  They will apply for scholarships that they do not receive, they will apply to colleges that do not accept them, they will have friends that prove to be disloyal, and there will be interviews or auditions for jobs they do not get.

            American psychoanalyst, teacher, and scholar, Heinz Kohut, believed that disappointment promotes growth because it motivates people to work harder and fight back.  Those who always receive what they want and hope for will be satisfied with the status quo and may not push themselves to improve, while those who are disappointed tend to push themselves harder, reach beyond previous boundaries, and grow as people.

            As logical and promising as that theory sounds, disappointment is still a very difficult part of life for both dance students and their parents.  A parent’s first reaction is to protect his or her child and try to speak with the director in an effort to “fix” the problem.  Intervening will not help build the child’s coping skills and will make the child believe that every disappointment can be fixed.

                       

            It is important for the student and his or her parents to acknowledge the disappointment and talk about it.  There will undoubtedly be feelings of anger, sadness, and frustration, which are all understandable.  Experiencing these feelings and working through them will help the students learn to cope with disappointments and setbacks in the future and make them stronger individuals.  After dealing with the initial feelings of disappointment, it is also important that the parent help the child focus upon his or her strengths and refocus the child’s energy on working toward future goals in dance.

            Not being cast in a coveted role is hard to accept, it is upsetting and frustrating, and it hurts.  However, standing back up, continuing to take pride in one’s dancing and working harder than before is how dancers grow and prepare themselves to be productive, mature adults who will persevere in spite of life’s obstacles.

A Chance to Dance Offers A Chance to Learn

"Enjoying success requires the ability to adapt.  Only by being open to change will you have a true opportunity to get the most from your talent.” – Nolan Ryan

            Television shows featuring dance and dancers are rapidly gaining popularity during prime time viewing slots.  DancingWith the Stars pairs professional dancers with celebrities in a competition, So You Think You Can Dance pits dancers of various styles and skill levels against each other, Breaking Pointe followed seven company members of Ballet West for six weeks, and A Chance To Dance invites viewers into the audition process.

            All of these shows have engaged a large part of the general viewing audience who might now have a better appreciation for the work dancers do.  The questions that remain unanswered are whether dancers are as eager to watch these shows and if there is anything they can learn from watching them.

            The episode of A Chance to Dance that aired on September 14, showcased the skill levels that each dancer brought to the audition and provided an important lesson for today’s dancers and dance educators.

            The show centers on dancers who have been recruited by Michael Nunn and Billy Trevitt, who have been asked to form a company for Nigel Lythgoe.  This group of twenty-four recruits must be whittled down to a dozen dancers, who will be given “a chance to dance” in the company.  In this episode, Allison Holker from So You Think You Can Dance and David Dorfman, artistic director of David Dorfman Dance, have been asked to work with and continue to audition the dancers.

            The dancers all have various levels of training and technical backgrounds.  Kaitlin describes herself as a “classical dancer”, Shepherd has specialized in hip-hop, and Patrick and Bayli are described as technical dancers.

            Allison’s and David’s approaches are different for many of the dancers.  The dancers are asked to take part in improvisation, to let their bodies dictate how to transition between phrases, to show emotion through their dancing, and to choreograph.  Laura’s statement, “I’ve never had a teacher or a class like that before where you’re just like so free with your body,” after David’s class, gives the audience a clear picture of her background and training.  She is not alone in feeling this way, and many of the dancers struggle with being too technical and feeling uncomfortable emoting through movement and choreographing, or with being too specialized and unable to adapt to different styles of dance.

            A Chance To Dance creates a picture of the demands placed upon today’s dancers and underscores the need for all dancers to study, or at the very least be exposed to, other styles and techniques of dance.  The classically trained dancers lacked the ability to move freely and seemed emotionally detached from their dancing while dancers like Shepherd, whose specialty was hip-hop, needed to be “more rounded”.  Fewer and fewer companies seem to be looking for specialized dancers.  Today modern choreographers like Twyla Tharp and Jessica Lang are being brought in to choreograph for ballet companies, urging dancers to take ballet off-balance and to listen to the music differently.  Even ballet choreographers have begun to infuse their dances with some contemporary elements.

            Dancers who wish to specialize in one technique need to be proficient in others to satisfy the demand of today’s directors and choreographers.  Dance students, regardless of what technique they are studying, need the opportunity to choreograph phrases and learn different choreographic techniques that can be used.  These same dancers also need to be taught how to perform and use dance as a vehicle to relate to their audiences.  The most famous dancers of the past are those whose dancing was technically sound and whose ability to emote through dance was well developed.

            Lastly, today’s dancers need to have anatomical knowledge in order to adapt to the various demands of different dance forms.  Adapting requires strong dancers, healthy dancers and dancers that are comfortable in their own bodies.  One of David Dorfman’s critiques of Chase was that he did not have “the knowledge in the joints”.  By encouraging cross training in dancers, educators help decrease muscular imbalances that are common in specialized dancers, create stronger dancers, and give their students an educated awareness of their bodies.  This awareness is necessary in today’s demanding dance world.

            Unless dance educators encourage exposure to other techniques, provide opportunities for creativity and using movement to communicate, and encourage cross-training to meet today’s rigorous demands, very few dancers will be able to work effectively with today’s artistic directors and choreographers.

            A Chance To Dance illustrates these points to both the general public and to dancers, providing both a realistic view of the dance world and an educational experience for all of those lucky enough to watch.