Sophie Dance

 Looking for easy workouts for dancers? If you want to dance stronger, become more flexible, and have more control, then you need to condition your body properly. Strength & Conditioning Coach and Dancer Karl Flores recommends these 5 exercises as the perfect, full-body workout plan for dancers! 1. To dance stronger and faster: Burpees 3 SETS OF 6 WITH 90 SECONDS REST workouts for dancers Targeted areas: arms, chest, quads, glutes, hamstrings, core. This high-intensity exercise is a great warmup because it works out your entire body! 2. To increase your stamina: Cardio 15 MINUTES A DAY workouts for dancers Stop being out of breath in class or when you freestyle! Build up your stamina to be able to dance all night. Tips: Jump rope, jog, swim, or DANCE! 3. To dance stronger: Squats 3 SETS OF 10 workouts for dancers This builds muscle in our entire body. You'll have stronger foundation in your legs, and be able to hit moves harder. Tip: Start with just your body weight, then slowl...

 With the passing of the last performance of the year, another season in the community comes to a close. Dancers have full months until the next round of auditions, competitions, and new faces and teams to get to know. With that close comes the inevitable 5 pounds that “came out of nowhere, I swear!” But you don't have to succumb to "letting go. "So how can a dancer’s body maintain or achieve its peak physical condition in the off-season? Follow these 4 tips to stay fit, sexy, and ready for the first rehearsal back. 1. Stay Active! Your body has gotten used to burning an inordinate amount of calories with a certain active lifestyle. So with this jarring change from rehearsing 3 times a week to not at all, you're left with excess calories that lie unburned! So what’s the solution? MOVE. See Related Article: Grow Into A Better You At The Lab Creative Arts Studio Go take class, after class, after class, after class! See Related Article: How To Get The Most Out Of Dance C...

 Why is it important to take care of your body as a dancer? A dancer’s passion is such a powerful force – It’s what keeps us up late during hell week rehearsals and gets us up early at the crack of dawn for call times. It’s what motivates us to take class on our days off from school, work, and rehearsal, because we love it.It’s what pushes us out of our comfort zones and tests our limits with new styles, environments, and challenges. Dancers are relentless. (See Related Article: Why I Enjoy Hell Weeks) ‍But the same relentless passion that can push someone to want to be a better dancer – is also what can make us over-stress our bodies to the point. It can make us train to the point where it becomes counterproductive. (See Related Article: 5 Simple Daily Practices To Improve Your Dancing Ability) ‍In a way, over-training can be even more detrimental than under-training. To avoid the risk of getting sick or injured, make sure to take care of your body – your tool as a dancer – so tha...

 The key to a great dance workout is… that it actually teaches you how to dance! That’s why we developed our newest Dance Workout series with professional dancers who are experts in fitness, physical therapy, and dance. Wanna build muscle? Burn fat? Squeeze a little HIIT into your day? Your instructors, Jayen Wells and Rachel Woods-Oshiro, will show you how to do it ALL while building your dance foundations and grooves. Get the full scoop from Jayen and Rachel in this video: Plus, you can use the STEEZY Studio app features to take full control of your workout experience! Scheduler - stay on top of your weekly workout routine by scheduling your classes in advance and getting reminders on workout days. Speed Controls - slow down challenging sections whenever you need. Looping Mode - want to increase your reps? Play any section of the class on repeat while you drill. Switch Views - see every detail from the front and back. STEEZY Party - invite up to 9 friends to work out with you!

 What if the answers to our dance problems... are in the food we eat? Our diet can help us prevent injuries, provide sustained, balanced energy, and keep us strong – both physically and mentally. Below are some problems you may face as a dancer, and natural ways to improve them through your diet! Want to prevent/ease muscle or joint pain? Eat red raspberries! Joint and muscle pain is very common for dancers. They are usually a sign of inflammation. Long hours of practice or taking multiple back to back classes in one day can trigger joint and muscle pain. Although inflammation is a natural defense mechanism and plays a part in healing, too much of it can cause problems, like tissue destruction. The high levels of Vitamin C in red raspberries will help alleviate your joint and soft tissue inflammation. Red raspberry tea is known to help reduce inflammation and relieve pain specifically in joints. Drink it before you dance, or after a long rehearsal or workshop. Want to stay hydrated...

 Do you want faster footwork? Cleaner footwork? To be able to pick up footwork more easily? Just copying steps and practicing them over and over won't get you to that Bam Martin level of speed and perfection. You have to train your footwork the right way. Follow this guide to improve your footwork training so you can finally take your footwork skills to the next level. When a section of complicated footwork comes up, it’s natural to want to focus on the moves. But don’t focus SO hard that you tense up!When you squeeze your muscles, they want to lock into place. This makes it harder to move quickly and fluidly! The key to moving fast is to move with ease. ‍ Breathe through your movements, allowing your body to relax and move freely. If you feel like you’re gasping for air every time you take a pause, practice that section again. This time, focus on your breathing rather than on your feet. If you don't move your feet quickly enough, you’ll fall behind in the piece. Or worse... tr...

 Do you ever watch someone dance and get how it's done... but can't seem to execute movement yourself? In order to execute movement, you have to understand and practice moving your body in different ways. The better you execute movement, the better you can showcase your musicality, perform choreography. You'll also have more freedom to be creative when you freestyle because your body can actually do the thing! Read on to learn more about how to execute movement – the way you want to! 1. Execute Movement: Hitting When you flex your muscles, you are creating a "hitting" effect. Understand Hitting better: What Is A Popping Hit? Practice how you execute with these tips. Hit with the RIGHT amount of energy You don't want to be too soft and undersell the move, but you don't want to go TOO full out and overkill it.   The goal is to become/embody music, not to compete with it! Imagine your energy levels as following the pattern of an audio visualizer. The louder t...