Dance. Rest. Pain. Repeat. Ever wonder why they keep stationary bikes on the sidelines of professional sports like basketball and football? To keep warmed-up, right? Correct. But also to keep that burning lactic acid from building up in muscles, to keep muscles from stiffening up, prepping the nervous system for “flight” or “fight” (or [...]
We asked a cobbler, former professional dancer and current “Chicago-style” Stepper, Hatshepsut Pakeman Symister, what she recommends when choosing the right shoes to get you through many nights of dancing without overloading or injuring your feet and knees. Schedule monthly shoe physicals. Rip out your old insole and replace it with a memory foam insole. [...]
This is a big topic because although most dancers know that they should stretch, many use a inappropriate “dosage” (timing, duration, frequency, sets, or reps). Your Stretching Prescription: Prep your muscles for stretching by warming them up and “smashing” and “rolling”. For better muscle performance, try dynamic stretching (vs. static) before dance [...]
What is it: warm up? The key word here is warm. Simply put, you are trying to increase the temperature of your your tissues specifically, those your about to use). When you move faster and for a prolonged period time or increase your intensity,your heart pumps more blood to the working muscles, which, [...]
Enjoy your dance with less pain. Avoid post-dance muscle soreness and achy joints. Learn the correct “dosage“ for warming up, stretching and cooling down. How many dancers out there are dancing with pain, expect to have knee pain during or after dance, or are relying on pain meds to “keep the edge off”? [...]
