Good Nutrition and Better Dance Clothes: A Ballerina’s Prized Possessions

Good nutrition is one of the most essential aspects of being a good dancer. But because of the need to fit in those dainty dancing clothes and also be light enough to perform pirouettes correctly, most ballet dancers fall victims of various eating disorders. So to correct common practice of skipping meals just to look good in leotards, here are some tips on how to eat well, look good and perform like it’s the last time you’ll dance on stage.

First, you have to be aware that restricting calories is not encouraged. Calories are important because they are later converted into potential energy. You will not able to keep up with the energy requirements in practices and dance routines if you do not have the energy to move. So instead of limiting your calorie intake, you must focus on eating power foods. To help you identify power foods, here are some tips:

• Choose foods are digested slowly so that you’ll have enough energy to last for a long time. Examples of these foods include whole wheat bread, brown rice and yellow vegetables. If you are serious about your diet, stay away from foods with refined carbohydrates such as white rice, white bread and deserts and so on because they contain white sugar that is easily digested by the body. If this is the case, your system will release insulin quickly and thus, your body will be forced to ask for more food to produce energy.
• Being a ballerina and a red meat lover won’t go well together so in order to be the former, you have to go really light on the latter. Red meat is rich in protein but it is loaded with animal fat. Animal fats add to your weight so unless you want to stay in the art of ballet for long, you need to cut down on animal fat.
• Lastly, in order to use those ballet dancing shoes as often as you need to, stock high on protein. Eat fish, nuts and chicken in order to get your needed body trim.

Second, bear in mind that ballet dancing is not aerobic. An aerobic exercise promotes better cardiovascular health because it encourages your heart to act. This means that in order to burn the right amount of calories, you need to move to encourage a faster heart rate. Doing 30 minutes of non-stop activity every day like walking, running or working out will help increase your stamina and at the same time, burn those extra calories. In addition, studies show that these aerobic activities, when done right, do not result in bulky muscles or ruin the long straight legs that are prized by ballerinas.

Lastly, to maximize every cent you spend on ballet dancing clothes and shoes, choose those made of quality materials. This way, you won’t be restricted in your movements regardless of whether you have just eaten or not. Other than that, if you dance equipment are long lasting, you won’t need to buy often and the money could just be spent for your body nourishment.

Every time you eat healthy, you will also be a step closer to your dream of being a prima ballerina. A toast to a better career.

Good nutrition is a matter of choice and interest. You can get the nourishment you need anywhere you look. But better dancing clothes can only be bought from the best sources like the Alyce Dancewear. Visit their website at www.alycedancewear.com.

Tips on How to Improve Your Dance Technique

All types of dancers—be it ballet, modern jazz, lyrical or hip-hop—strive to improve on technique and achieve what, in their respective disciplines, can be described as technical perfection. Hours upon hours of practice are needed to attain some level of competence in dance. We can call technique as the way dancers execute effectively and adroitly the required components of a dance. Before expressiveness, interpretation and artistry, technique, along with physical dexterity, is one of the first hurdles of a novice dancer. No matter what type of dance shoes you fill, we’ve gathered a few tips on how you can improve technique in dancing.

1. Prioritize technique
Learn the basic steps and work towards executing them as well as you possibly can. Don’t be satisfied with adequate. Be fastidious with your posture, extension, standing position and other dance components. Simple steps when done very well can make such a huge difference in your performance.

2. Watch and learn
Educate yourself by watching dance videos, performances and your fellow dancers who are more experienced as they practice. Even if you were a break-dancer, you’d absorb so much from a Martha Graham footage. Ballet dancers in turn have a lot to learn from contrasting styles, such as indigenous dance or street dances. Enrich your skill set by watching others doing their best.

3. Wear proper dance attire
Wear proper dance clothes even when just rehearsing so you’ll be encouraged to perform at your best at all times. If you’re into tap dancing, don’t settle for substitutes, unless you’re trying to learn combinations deliberately without your tap shoes on. Each dance shoe is built according to the demands of a certain dance. Wearing the right clothes increases your chance at improving your technique.

4. Enroll in dance lessons
If you haven’t done this yet, you better get to it—dance lessons are for all aspiring dancers. You interact with other dancers, learn from a skilled pro, and acquire new knowledge on your chosen dance style.

5. Practice, practice, practice
Even when you’re not in the dance studio, it will serve you well if you put on your leotards and tights when you’re at home on Sunday. Practicing can be your regular cardio/aerobic workout, as well as your path to becoming a great dancer.

6. Don’t overwork, learn to loosen up
Like in all art forms, even the moments we do nothing is important to making art. Our minds need to breathe, as well as our bodies. Dance being such a physical art form, requires you to take proper care of your body. Relax, take breaks, and let your body recover from rehearsing.

7. Hire a dance instructor
Get someone who not only has attained some achievement in the field but also someone who has experience in dance instruction. The process of choosing the best dance instructor can be a challenge in itself, but be patient. After all, you are a dancer, and patience is everything. You need an instructor who can guide you as you go through new moves, steps and pieces. Get an instructor who can point out weaknesses and constructively critique your performance.

To get you started with dance, you’ll need the right equipment. For affordable and quality accessories, shoes and dance apparel, visit: www.alycedancewear.com

Why Your Child Needs Dance Lessons

Very young children have so much energy and yet they’re still beginning to learn how to move their bodies. The next few years of their lives will determine how they will carry themselves, physically and mentally, for the rest of the lives. That’s why it’s important to have them engage in physical activity that will shape and hone their grace, poise and flexibility, transforming raw energy into skill and dexterity. Teaching our children how to be more graceful and agile are best achieved through dance. Apart from the skills and fun they will get, dancing is an excellent aerobic and physical exercise that will improve their growing bodies. They’re bones will be stronger, their limbs more pliant, and their muscles developed. So start looking for dance wear for kids and get them to bust a few moves.

Children who learn dancing at an early age gain physical benefits that go beyond dancing. When they leave their dance shoes behind and go into other fields such as sports, they already have a skill set that is just as useful. Your child will have superb coordination, an impeccable sense of balance and agility that all come in handy when he or she take up any sport, be it basketball, martial arts, football, or gymnastics. Dance will have already implanted in them the importance of discipline and physical fitness. Dance can also help process feelings such as stress and anxiety, which can be a concern later in adolescence.

The importance of imagination is nurtured and reinforced in dance. Even if your child won’t end up as a professional dancer, he or she will still retain a dancer’s creativity and expressiveness, which are helpful in facing tasks and developing a clearer perspective.

Dance also improves your child’s social abilities. They will have a strong sense of self worth through dance, being aware of their bodies and movement, and the force that moves it from within. Dancers are among the most confident and poised people, at ease with their bodies and possessing a great sense of the physical space around them. Your child will absorb important social skills by working with other dance learners. Collaboration and teamwork, both valuable later in life, is introduced early on inside the dance studio.

Scientific studies have continuously linked artistic development help foster excellence in other fields. Children learn to focus and be creative and in turn apply the skills they acquired from the arts into other endeavors, including schoolwork. Start going through a list of lessons you child can take part of. Ballet is a rigorous discipline which trains your child the fundamentals of balance, rhythm and grace. Young girls also love donning ballet dancewear, such as tutus, leotards and ballet slippers. Many children enjoy the movements of tap dancing, which they may have seen on children’s shows and movies. Modern jazz can encourage them to combine emotional expressiveness with movement. And hip-hop is probably the most accessible way to introduce kids to dance.

To get your kids started, see the available children’s dancewear and accessories at Alyce Dance Wear. Visit www.alycedancewear.com