It’s common knowledge that dancers have to warm up before jumping into class, rehearsal, or a performance. But what does “being warm” actually mean? Should it involve intense stretching or exercise? Do you need to be sweating?
The anatomy of a proper ballet warm-up is surprisingly simple, but it might not be what dancers expect. Below, physical therapist Kendall Alway, owner of SF Performing Arts Physical Therapy, shares her best advice for how to tell if you’re dance-ready.
What Counts as “Being Warm”
A proper warm-up prepares you mentally and physically and reduces injury risk. According to Alway, you need to have an elevated core temperature and heart rate to be considered warm. “That happens to be one of the biggest things dancers don’t do,” she says. Ground your routine in simple cardio exercises. “You should feel your blood pumping and breathing increase,” Alway continues. “Aim for a slight sweat.”
How to Get Warm
One of Alway’s favorite warm-up exercises for dancers is the pogo hop. “It’s jumping with stiff hips, knees, and ankles, essentially like jump rope,” she says. “It gets your heart rate up and increases stiffness in the tendons and joints.” While that may seem counterintuitive, most dancers are hypermobile, so improving stability prepares the body better.
Core exercises, like planks, also generate heat. Rather than crunches, Alway suggests starting in a one-legged downward dog with the working leg extended back, then moving into a plank while bringing the leg into passé. (Weight-bearing on the hands helps activate the shoulder girdle, which dancers often forget to do.) When in doubt, opt for active, full-body movements: “Motion is the key to an effective warm-up.”
Short and Sweet
Alway says that a regimen only needs to take about 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the dancer. She recommends doing three 30-second bouts of pogo hops, alternating with core and strength exercises or dynamic stretching between each round. (To get a sense of differences in leg strength, you can also experiment with 15 seconds on each.) There’s also no perfect order of operations; that depends on the person and their needs that day. “If you know you’re rehearsing something that’s all jumps, you better be well-warmed-up for that,” says Alway. For rehearsals or shows without class beforehand, opt for a longer, more intense exercise regimen, or add a short barre on top of your usual exercises.
External Factors
While it may feel nice to roll out or self-massage, Alway warns that it hasn’t been shown to warm up the body effectively. “That said, if somebody feels that it’s the only thing that makes them feel good, I’m not going to tell them not to roll,” she says. But it shouldn’t constitute the entire routine; treat it as an add-on.
Wearing layers helps generate heat, especially if the room is cold. “Insufficient heat in the studio is a huge problem,” says Alway. In those cases, she suggests warming up at home and donning layers as soon as possible to contain that warmth. On the flip side, “just because you’re sweating from heat outside doesn’t mean your body is ready to dance,” she says. (The same goes for using heating pads.)
Prepping for Pointe
To get your feet and ankles ready for pointework, Alway recommends foot and ankle exercises with a TheraBand—like pointing and flexing with the band wrapped around the metatarsal. She explains that TheraBand exercises improve motor control and activate articulation, helping dancers get “dialed in to their feet” before class or rehearsal. (Prances at the barre are also great.)
Keep in Mind
Ready your brain: Mental preparedness is an important part of being ready to dance. While you’re warming up, focus on your breathing to start to center yourself. Alway suggests starting with 10 deep breaths, eyes closed, to draw your focus inward. Distraction can lead to injury, she warns, and you won’t get as much out of your dancing if you aren’t tuned in to your body.
Keep it moving: Gentle, dynamic stretches (like standing leg swings and arm circles) are great before dancing, but they should not form the entire warm-up. “Sometimes, tension is the result of insufficient strength around the joints. When you wake up those muscles and get blood pumping with movement, things release, and you can move better.” Aim for exercises that move through each joint.
Nobody’s perfect: Things happen. If you’re pressed for time because of traffic or other scheduling conflicts, prioritize elevating your heart rate with cardio. “If you don’t get in your full warm-up, you haven’t failed,” says Alway. “Don’t let it affect your whole class or day.” Remember that warm-ups should be flexible; you can use the beginning of barre to ease in.
Find a friend: If you’re nervous about being the first person in your class to do a different warm-up, try it with a friend. Before you know it, the whole class may catch on!
The post Are You Actually Warm? The Anatomy of a Proper Ballet Warm-Up appeared first on Pointe Magazine.