Dance Stretches | SocialBallroom.Dance

July 15, 2017October 28, 2018

Dancing for Life, Part Three: Stretchin’ Away the Pain

Injuries are a super-bummer for anyone - and for a dancer, it could limit how long they can enjoy dancing. Since most dance-related injuries occur from a tight area being over-extended, we need to stretch these areas to improve our 'range of motion'.

From our conversation with Noel Miller, we learned that stretching is the best thing we can do as individuals to protect ourselves, and developing our body awareness helps us identify where we need it the most. But the journey doesn't end there.

In today's video, we cover the various kinds of stretches out there, so you can choose the best ones for you. We also look at some general tips you may not have thought of, which help improve your stretching enormously.

CAVEAT: I'm talking about stretching areas which are tight and at risk of injury. I'm NOT talking about areas that are already injured - stretching these areas could aggravate the problem. Consult a health professional for any chronic or acute pain. Continue reading "Dancing for Life, Part Three: Stretchin’ Away the Pain"

February 2, 2016October 31, 2018

6 Ways to Increase Your Hip Flexibility

Don’t get me wrong, proper technique is essential for Cuban motion. Once you have the basics down however, you might be asking yourself: How can I do more to capture the look of a Latin dancer? And a big part of that comes from increasing your hip flexibility, which gives you more range of motion on the dance floor. Here’s 6 ways to do that. Continue reading "6 Ways to Increase Your Hip Flexibility"

May 25, 2015November 1, 2018

The 6 Killers of Proper Posture

So, want to look sure of yourself on the dance floor? Reduce your chance of injury? Strike better superhero poses? Now that we’ve covered how proper posture can change your life and how to do it, time to move on with 6 common problems that play havoc with our body-lines. Continue reading "The 6 Killers of Proper Posture "

March 7, 2015November 2, 2018

Ballroom Dancer Training for Stronger Muscles

We have a decent understanding now of what muscles we frequently use to make strong and controlled ballroom movements. But what dancer training exercises can make them stronger - and give our dancing more power, speed and endurance?

As there are countless exercises out there, and this is just an overview, I’m giving the most effective exercises I know, one for each major area of the body. Continue reading "Ballroom Dancer Training for Stronger Muscles"

February 28, 2015November 2, 2018

Ballroom Dance Muscles You Need to Know (P2)

Last week, we looked at the major ballroom dance muscle groups we use to make magic on the floor. Now let’s get specific. These muscles we often forget about, either because we’ve never heard of them, or because, well, they just don’t seem that important. Apologies in advance for some of the longer Latin words below - they may be hard to pronounce, but you’ll sound very impressive while using them. Continue reading "Ballroom Dance Muscles You Need to Know (P2)"