Lessons from Left Shark

Katy Perry gave a fun-filled, high-energy performance at this year's Super Bowl. Everyone has been talking about the seemingly off performance of the Left Shark when she was singing "California Gurls." This week we bring you lessons you can learn from Left Shark.

Even the pros make mistakes. As dancers we put so much pressure on ourselves to be perfect. But guess what? That was a pro dancer in the Left Shark costume. He/she was getting paid for that performance and still made a mistake. Stop putting so much pressure on yourself, making mistakes is part of being human.

Fake it 'til you make it. So the choreography didn't match up completely with Right Shark's crisp moves, but Left Shark didn't care. The best thing he/she could do is keep going on. Can you imagine if a shark went running off the stage because it forgot its choreography? The better option was clearly to have fun even though it wasn't exactly right. Remember that if you blank, just keep moving, it's way less obvious.

Dance is fun. No doubt that whoever was in Left Shark was having a ball. Just being on stage is a gift itself, but a Super Bowl stage, now that's the experience of a lifetime. Left Shark undoubtedly was loving dancing for the sake of dancing.

Baby you're a firework! You've heard it a million times, but dance like no one is watching. This is by far the best way to enjoy dance. Ignite your light and let it shine!

Stand Out at Conventions

Dance conventions are one of the greatest ways for dancers to improve their skills and try styles outside of their comfort zone. It is also super rewarding to be called out during class and possibly be nominated for an All-Star group or scholarship. This week we bring tips on how to get the most out of your dance convention and how to get noticed by your choreographers.

Brightly Colored and/or Unique Clothing. Wear clothes that you are comfortable dancing in and that show off your lines nicely. Remember that bright colors are more likely to catch a choreographers eye, and if you can do this, then your dancing will keep their attention on you.

Take Every Class. Some dancers like to skip a class or two that they have never taken, but that doesn't help you grow as a dancer. If you have never taken a tap class, conventions are a great place to try it out. Just slip on your jazz shoes and try to get the jist of the movements. 

Front Is NOT Always Best. If you've been to a dance convention you know how there is always a rush to the front of the stage. All these sweaty dancers pack in next to each other so they can be as close to the choreographer as possible. Then when it's time to dance, they end up kicking and punching each other while performing the movements. Try taking a middle-to-back spot. This less dense area will give you room to perform full out. Trust me, full out dancing is a lot more admirable than giving the girl next to you a bloody nose.

Don't Get Frustrated. Conventions are supposed to be hard. You're going to be trying movements that are unfamiliar and awkward and that is GREAT! Treat conventions as times for expanding your repertoire and improving upon your own style. Have fun, and who knows, you may find that "Funky Jazz" class is something you really like, and you want to do a "Funky Jazz" solo next year.

Ask Questions. Can we go over that part again? Can you have the front half kneel, it's difficult to see the moves back here? What would  you like to see our faces do? Choreographers love getting questions like these because it shows that you are interested in their material and improving yourself.

Flaunt Those Facials

Performance is one thing that can really set dancers apart. If you put two great technicians onstage next to each other and one looks beyond bored while the other one is rocking his/her face, you will obviously remember the one with the rocking facials. We bring you tips on how to utilize your face to make the most impactful performance.

Sassy Jazz Dance. Yes girl, this is where your inner sass gets to show. Channel your inner selfie faces. Puckered lips with raised eyebrows are great. Also don't be afraid to show your teeth in a confident smile. Really use the tilt of your face to sell this style. By angling your chin downward and keeping strength behind your eyes your audience will feel the fierceness inside you.

Light, Airy, Lyrical. In this kind of dance you want to seem happy, but plastering a giant smile on your face for this routine can make you look fake and frankly, pretty darn creepy. Using your breath is essential for this style. Use your exhalations to release the tension in both your face and body. Also try smiling with closed lips for brief intervals. By matching your face with your natural breathing pattern, your performance will come across more genuine.

High Energy Tap (or Jazz) Number. This is another style many just keep one smile on throughout the entirety of the dance. While this is passable, it's way more fun to watch a dancer who changes up his or her smile. Again using your natural breathing pattern, try adding a closed lip smile or a great grin with your mouth open. Keep your chin up and a sparkle in your eyes. That's how to sell a high energy number.

Sad, Heart-wrenching Dance. This is perhaps the hardest performance to naturally sell. A lot of times dancers cannot stop gasping for air like a fish out of water. There are much better ways to express sad feeling than these. Practice your facials in the mirror so you know which sad face looks best on you. Once you find it, do no overuse it! The best way to pull off this performance is to keep your eyes and eyebrows not strained looking. You also should keep your breathing in your chest. This will help accentuate your passion without looking like fish.

Soothe Your Sore Muscles

"OW!" "Everything hurts." "I can barely walk!" That's how you know you had a good practice! It's that time of year when you have to start kicking it into high gear. Every practice has to be to the maximum so you can edge out your competition. While not being able to walk is a trophy you can show off, there are things you can do to ease your discomfort and keep your body healthy.

                                                 

The hot vs cold debate. Many people do not know whether to ice or heat their soreness, so here's what is actually happening. Icing your sore muscles will provide temporary relief. It desensitizes the neurons so you have less pain signals alerting your brain and reduces inflammation. On the other hand, heat will help bring blood to the muscle. The more blood that reaches your muscles the faster healing is promoted.

Stretch it out. Try some light stretches to your sore areas. Do not pop into the splits or anything drastic, just give it a little pressure to help increase that blood flow.

Massage your muscles. Using a rolling pin, tennis ball, or foam roller massage work out your sore muscles. Use smooth back and forth motions to work out knots that may have developed.

Pack in the protein and water Sore muscles need protein and to rebuild. Eat lean protein like poultry, nuts, and fish to treat your muscles. It never hurts to drink water. Try drinking an extra glass or two after a hard day of practice. This will speed up recovery.

Ease back in. Before your next practice take 15 minutes to get your sore muscles warm and stretched. This will prepare them for an entire class and prevent further injury.

Inspiration for Incredible Improv

Improvisation is an integral part of being a dancer. It undoubtedly one of the hardest tasks as a dancer, but it is also extremely rewarding. We have some great tips to help you improve your improv and find inspiration to dance.

                                             

• Find Your Style. Whenever you get a chance to improv, it is your time to try out different styles of dance. Find movements that you feel comfortable and confident in. Also try varying the tempo of your movements to make your dancing less monotone and more interesting.
• Challenge Your Body. See how you feel about different movements try isolating parts of your body that you normally do not focus on. Try concentrating on finger movement, pelvis placement, and rib cage isolation instead of your flexible legs. 
• Limit Tricks. Improv is much more meaningful when you are not focusing on how many pirouettes you can whip out or how high you can kick your leg. It is about finding what unique moves and details look and feel good to your body. You can work your flexibility and technique constantly in class so use improv opportunities to find yourself.
• Work Different Levels. If you don't know how to start your improv, start on the floor spend time playing with movements to get you standing and even jumping. Spend time in all levels especially lunges to create interesting movement.
• Listen to the Music. Use the music as your guide. Even if you aren't familiar with the song, let it provide you with inspiration for movement. You won't necessarily match up exactly to counts, but that is not as important as finding your comfort zone where your body takes over and your mind is set free.
• Embrace the Awkward. There is no such thing as a wrong movement when doing improv. If something feels or looks awkward stay in the moment and make it feel right. Working through these spots is what makes a great improvist.
• DANCE LIKE NO ONE IS WATCHING. This is the most important thing to remember when doing improv. It doesn't matter what others think of your movements, good or bad. Improv is for you and no one else. Embrace these opportunities and have fun with it!

Stocking Stuffers for Your Dancers

It's that time of year again. The air is chilled, the holiday decorations are going up, and your dancer is probably very excited for the upcoming holidays. So what is your dancer looking for in his or her stocking? We have some great ideas for the essentials your dancer may be wanting for the holidays.

• Customized water bottle! Take an eco-friendly stand this holiday season. You can cut back on the endless cases of plastic water bottles with a super cute water bottle that your dancer is sure to love. Plus they fit perfectly in a stocking! (Click here for the ones pictured)

• Really cool fake eyelashes! And by really cool we mean full of glitter and rhinestones and maybe even unconventional colors like purple or blue.

 

New half soles! Half soles tend to have short lives. Why not get your dancer a practice pair that is a bright color or has a unique pattern! (Click here for the ones pictured)

• New black spandex shorts! Your dancer probably has a ton of black booty shorts, but one more pair never hurts. Plus it might be time to get rid of the faded ones or the ones that are a little too small.

• Two words: Yoga legwarmers! These sock/ legwarmer/ stirrup tight combination are perfect for dancers on mornings when the studio is cold. They allow simultaneous grip and warmth while being super cute. (Click here for the ones pictured )

• Small, portable speaker! Dancers love to have a speaker with them at competition. They can just plug their music in (or link it via Bluetooth) and practice their dances wherever they can find a spot. Any dancer would love to find this in their stocking.

7 Minutes = Clean Dance Bag

Is your dance bag disgusting? We have an exclusive list of the things you do and do not need to keep in your dance bag. It's time to clean out that bag and keep it that way for good. So take the next 7 minutes to go through your bag and use this as a checklist.

                                      What you'll need: 

• 2-3 dryer sheets
• Air freshener
• Paper clip
• 3 sandwich or snack size ziploc bags  
• Permanent marker
• Snacks
• Filtering water bottle (optional)

                                                 What to Do:

1) Unzip all the pockets of your bag, turn it upside down and shake vigorously. This should shuttle all of the contents straight to the floor.

2) IMMEDIATELY throw away whatever was inside of your bag that made you gag after dumping it. (Trust me, you don't want to be smelling that 3 week old half of a sandwich for the rest of the night.)

3) Take all unpaired dirty (maybe even crispy) socks to the laundry room and start a load.

4) Place dryer sheets on the bottom of your bag. Generously spray bag with air freshener (scent of your choosing). These should help control your nasty foot stench.

5) Place all necessary shoes in your bag as pairs. Tie laces from each shoe in a bow so you can pull them out as a pair. If you have jazz or tap shoes without laces, put one shoe inside of the other so they stay together. If you have half soles, use a paper clip to keep them together. When you need to wear them, simply attach the paper clip to the strap of your bag so you can re-clip them after class.

6) Label plastic bags with permanent marker as follows: Bobby pins, Hair ties, Safety pins. Sort the mess of these items on your floor into their appropriate bags, zip the top of the bags, and place in the front pocket of your dance bag. If you don't want to buy bobby pins and hair ties every two weeks STOP THROWING THEM INTO THE BOTTOM OF YOUR BAG and just place them into their ziplocs.

7) If you do not have a makeup bag, get one (or use another ziploc). Put all your makeup in this and keep it in the same pocket as your bobby pins, hair ties, and safety pins. Put a brush and/or comb and small bottle of hairspray in this pocket as well. Also for everyone's sake, put an extra deodorant in there.

8) Add snacks to one pocket of your dance bag so you don't have a plethora of granola bars floating around your shoes. Don't forget to pack a water bottle. I suggest one with a filter so you don't run out, you can keep refilling it!

9) Anything else that is still on your floor cannot go in your dance bag. Either throw it away, or find a better place for it. Chances are, it's just cluttering the thing up.

Voila! Your dance bag is clean, and you now have a system to keep it that way!