Occasionally I get stuck; I feel like I’m not improving or learning anything new. I get frustrated with myself. You know the feeling, right? Here are some techniques that you can use to ramp it up a notch.
1. Work-out outside of class
Ask yourself (or your teacher) “What do I need to work on outside of class? Core Strength? Cardiovascular fitness? Flexibility?” It can be tough to find the time and motivation to exercise outside of class, but it doesn’t have to be a major commitment. I love the Ab Ripper X DVD (from the P90X box set). That work-out is only 15 minutes, and I can usually persuade someone in the house to do it with me. Another option is the gym at my office where there’s a core strength training class that’s only 30 minutes one day a week. Yoga and Pilates are both terrific complements to ballet and are readily available. There’s a studio within walking distance of my home that has classes every day of the week including the days when my dance studio is closed. Some studios have Stretch and Tone classes specifically designed for dancers that you can avail yourself of. One variation of that theme are Ballet Barre classes for non-dancers that have been popping up in larger cities. They’re sort of a ballet-style boot camp workout, that is to say that they’re very intense but are designed not to build bulky muscles. Sadly, there aren’t ballet boot camp classes where I live, so I work-out at home to DVDs. I like the ones from Bar Method. Another workout DVD that I like to do at home is the P90X jump training, Plyometrics. It does wonders for my jumps and cardiovascular fitness. I’ve also seen some gains from having my boyfriend help me stretch out, although I can’t count on that regularly. For foot flexibility I recently purchased a wooden foot stretcher on line from a European company. I don’t know if it’s working yet, but it sure does feel good on my arch and I can use it while I’m lazing about watching a movie.
2. Moonlight
Per my warnings in previous blogs you have to be careful about moonlighting as it can be seen as disrespectful to your teacher. That said, if you’re lucky enough to find another teacher who you want to take 1 or 2 classes per week from, go for it. Different teachers give different corrections and different types of combinations. Taking from another teacher occasionally can be quite instructive. As an adult I feel that I have to be careful about over-doing it and injuring myself but if you ramp up slowly by adding once class at a time, and listening to your body, you should be fine.
3. Summer Camp
Summer camp is not just for children anymore. There are ballet summer camps for adults too. I haven’t been to one for years but this can be a terrific vacation where you meet other adults who love to dance. And when you come back you’re re-energized. Look on line for camps or ask around at your studio. A dance buddy of mine sent me a link to this camp: http://www.sunkingdance.com/about.htm. I don’t know anything about this particular one, Sun King Dance, but it looks good from what I can tell from their web site. Or if you can’t find a summer ballet camp for adults that you like there are other vacation options like yoga retreats. A few years ago I attended an ariel arts day camp with my niece in Denver, Ariel Dance over Denver. It was a blast!!!
4. Private Lessons
Taking a private lesson can be highly instructional. One can make some great strides in a short time from taking a private lesson because all of the teacher’s energy is focused on you. Summer is the perfect time to take private lessons as this is when most studios are closed or ratcheted back on classes, so the teachers have some free time. It’s expensive but you only need to go once or twice to realize a benefit.
5. Write a Blog Post
This might seem a bit lame as it’s not doing anything to actually help you get better, but it does the trick for me. Writing about dance gets me thinking and motivated.
I hope that this post helps you to find some inspiration so that you can make some significant gains over the summer, so that you’ll be noticeably improved when The Nutcracker auditions roll around again in the Fall.
Flower Number Seven 