The More I Move, The More I Learn: The Benefits of Cross-Training

When I was growing up, my parents provided me with opportunities to try many different after-school activities. I was an active kid, eating up everything: bike riding, jump-roping, roller skating, soccer, ballet - anything, so long as it tuckered me out.  As my love for ballet grew more focused, time for my adolescent cross-training seemed to dwindle.  I was assured by my instructors that all I needed was ballet and was even encouraged to pursue being excused from Physical Education at my academic school on the belief that running was an undesirable activity for ballet training.  This was the old way of thinking.

Nearly two decades and a professional dance career later, I'm back to my original habits.  I still love taking ballet, Pilates and yoga classes, but I've gotten heavily involved in social dances such as Argentine Tango and Lindy Hop.  I'm an avid cyclist and have recently taken up indoor rock climbing and slacklining--I tried the roller skates a few years ago, but we didn't mesh as well as we did when I was six.

What I have discovered about taking on all of these different activities is that they compliment each other so well - where one activity puts heavy stress, another balances it.  Diversifying one's physical activity is not detrimental, in fact, I have found it to be highly beneficial.  My Lindy Hop has improved from my focus on my Argentine Tango, despite the fact that these dances use partner connection in very different ways.  My cycling has gotten better from my increased upper body strength from climbing.  Each activity challenges your body and your brain in new ways, which for me, is a huge motivator to keep coming back for more punishment.  Cross-training in a variety of sports has also kept me relatively injury-free and helped with the healing of old injuries.  Because of these activities, I am able to stay in shape enough to even do a few professional dance gigs here and there, without having to re-train in ballet six days a week.

From my own experience, I encourage my students and fellow movers to cross-train in every aspect of their life: diversify!  Now who wants to go try some AcroYoga with me?

Some articles which inspired me today:
Body Shop 52: Ballet On Belay, Urban Climber Magazine
Big Men Stretching, Slate
Cross-Training And Injury Prevention

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ballet Épaulement.

Image
I've had many students ask me to clarify what I mean when I ask them to use their  épaulement  (ay-pohl-MAHN)  while dancing.  Correct  é paulement , or placement of the head and shoulders while dancing, can mean the difference between looking like a student and looking like a refined dancer. É paulement requires that the dancer angle his or her head .   I often say to "offer one cheek forward, as if presenting it to receive a kiss."   Exceptions, of course, are the  é cart é   positions, where the head is turned either toward the elbow ( devant ) or away from the arms completely ( derriere ).   Below is an illustration of the correct  é paulement , dependent on the position of the body.  The position that is labeled quatrieme (fourth)   is also referred to as en face (opposite [the audience]). The sooner you memorize the positions of the head and shoulders, the sooner you can start incorporating them into your dancing! Here are a few more links: The Importance of
Read more

Preserving The Life of Your Pointe Shoes

Image
Pointe shoes—those tiny, shiny, glorified piñatas, which today, make it possible for ballerinas to dance complete, three-act ballets on their pointes .   They can be expected to last anywhere from 3 months to 3 hours, depending on the demand placed on them.   For a dancer in a professional company, they are considered work supplies, and the cost is put on the company she/he dances for.   In the case of students, the cost of these educational tools, which can run between $40-$85 a pair, is often on the parents or the student themselves to cover.   The more the student is dancing, the quicker this pointe shoe budget adds up.   Why do the shoes break down so fast?   The answer is simple:   most pointe shoes are made from natural materials (leather, cardboard, burlap, layers of paper, glue, and satin).   These materials create a supportive structure that is also pliable enough to move with the dancers feet.   As the dancer’s feet bend and pound these little fortresses of strength
Read more

Pointe Shoe Prep

Image
I received some questions this week about sewing and prepping shoes, so I'll attempt to answer those and include some additional information.  During the week of September 1st-5th, I will be spending the first half of class making sure everyone knows how to sew their shoes, but here are some pointers for how it's done. Elastic and Ribbons Elastic should be 3/4" wide.  Dancewear stores will typically give you enough to sew one elastic per shoe, unless you specify that you wish to "criss-cross" your elastics, in which case, you'll need double the amount. Criss-crossing can help if you find that the heel of the shoe is slipping off with only one. Be advised that dance elastic is much stronger than what you will find at your local fabric store, and more readily comes in pointe shoe-appropriate colors.  Melting the edges of your cut elastics will prevent fabric fraying, but don't let the elastic actually touch the flame--burnt elastic smells pretty nasty. 
Read more