Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Help! I have no space to practice dance!


Do you live in a tiny New York City apartment?  Or are you dwelling in a dorm room?  Some residences are not well-equipped with spaces where you can practice your dancing.  Sometimes, you may need to rent a studio or go to a different location for in-depth practice.  However, some simple exercises can be performed in small spaces.

1.       Do you have a kitchenette, a bathroom with a sink, a desk, a chest-high window, a footboard on  your bed, or a chair with a back?  Then you have a barre.  You may not be able to do travelling combinations, but you can at least do plies.
2.       Do you have an area of hard floor (tile or wood) in the kitchen, bathroom, or entryway?  Then you can practice basic pointe.  Again, you probably won't be able to travel, but releves and bourres can be done in place.
3.       If you don't have an area of blank wall, try doing wall-sits or standing push-ups against a closed door.
4.       No floor space for stretching or pilates?  It doesn't necessarily facilitate good technique, but some exercises can be done on your bed (especially pilates series done while laying on your side or back).
5.       To help work your dance brain, create a combination for yourself (I like working on small, quick jump combinations) and practice saying the names of the steps as you mark the combination with your hands.  This is great practice for picking up combinations quickly and executing them with fewer mistakes.  It's also good work for budding teachers and choreographers.

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