I've been having an amazing couple of months, so I thought I had better do a little news post to catch up....
Dancewise my latest big thing was being part of The Juniper Project. I realised recently that this was the first time in 7 years that I have danced as part of a large troupe. The challenge of learning a choreography written by someone else (the amazing Alexis Southall), polishing to the point of uniform consistency and working with a bunch of brilliantly talented dancers was a really enriching, and intense experience. Oh. And the zills. All the zills.
We performed the piece at the Infusion Emporium show. I'm really looking forward to seeing the official videos when they come out in January, because the sneak peeks I have seen are looking great.
Infusion Emporium was also an excellent opportunity for me to get some training in. I took workshops with Piny Orchidaceae who really got me thinking about more interesting ways to move and to generate movement ideas, Amy Sigil, who I find really inspirational as an artist and teacher, and Anasma, who again was pushing me into realms of movement outside my usual repertoire. I came home after 4 1/2 hours of driving and went straight into the studio to start mixing some new ideas into my current WIPs.
Speaking of the studio, my home studio is now up and running. My Monday morning Glastonbury classes will now be taught out of my studio (no longer the Goddess Hall). I'm also getting a lot more work in, having a dedicated, full time training space, with all my props etc at hand.
The dancers of Bridgwater are shimmying on. We've been working on a party theme this term and I have been making them do more improvisation as well as getting a handle on some more social dancers. I am super proud of them for nailing some fairly challenging stuff this term. New dancers are always welcome to join this friendly and enthusiastic bunch.
The Laylet Amar Ensemble, a collective of musicians and dancers from the South West are going to be appearing at the Glastonbury Frost Fayre, Sat 26th Nov, on the Melodrome stage at 13.15. Come along and cheer us on if you are about.
Last of all, the big news is that I have now qualified as a Personal Trainer. Training and qualifying has been an extremely intense process, but it has given me a whole new skillset and understanding that is already adding new depths of understanding and tools for my dance teaching, particularly in terms of postural correction and complementary conditioning. I am also now providing fitness training through Fire Lotus Fitness, which will see me supporting individuals and groups in reaching their own health and fitness goals through in person and online personal training!
I'm really excited to see how the next few months pan out!
This post partly comes out of my recent post about managing my EDS for dance, because managing injury is an enormous part of being a dancer with EDS, however it is also something I have been meaning to write about for general reasons, because every dancer has to deal with this sometimes, whether it is because of ongoing issues, accidents or even a bout of flu.
Illness or injury has the potential to completely mess with your training schedule, knock out your opportunity to rehearse for performances and for a teacher upset your schemes of work and student progression as you plan your classes around your own physical limitations.
When an injury happens, you have to rest it, but I am always aware that while I am doing so, there is a risk of muscle deterioration, which means slipping backwards in terms of the joint stability I have worked so hard to build up, not to mention my general dance conditioning.
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I'm still trying to work out a solid strategy for injury management, but these are the things that have worked for me so far.
Recognising the problem, and not denying it.
Denial is really easy when you are used to regular twinges. It's easy to think "oh that's just a little sore, it'll be fine" and carry on. Well, it might be fine, but even if it is, taking care of it won't do any harm. I use a warming muscle rub on anything that feels tight or sore. It aids recovery from post-conditioning aches and I've also found it helpful for stiff and sore ankles.
An injury needs rest, elevation and ice asap, I usually take some ibuprofen at the time, to help stop the inflammation. There really are no prizes for being a hero here - admit there is a problem and deal with it before it turns into a bigger problem.
Modifying exercises
In my work as a perinatal yoga teacher I am used to finding workarounds for conventional exercises. There's no shame in using props or adapting to reduce impact or exclude a joint that won't tolerate the position. Usually modification means compromise in terms of results, but it's a much better option than doing nothing, and definitely a better option than continuing to work a damaged or weak joint.
Splitting the body
In general I try to work different areas of the body on different days. Core almost always happens, but I have legs days and upper body days and abs days. This is fairly conventional in fitness and allows recovery inbetween. If I have an ankle injury, I will focus on the other areas for a bit. I also keep my conditioning symmetrical, because an injury on one side of the body will strain the other, so that will need some respite and care too.
When I was pregnant and suffering with pelvis instability, I started drilling arm pathways, with weights, while sitting on a fitness ball. There's often a way to rest an injury without stopping completely!
Splitting the work
On reflection I have realised that I can split my practice into a variety of levels, each with their own internal goals, this helps a lot because it means I don't have to drop everything when one part is compromised.
Basic fitness for cardiovascular and metabolic health - this is walking and generally being active.
Strength and stability for joint health - simple hatha yoga, restorative yoga, basic pilates, wobble board etc.
Strength and conditioning for dance - pilates, interval training, ashtanga yoga.
Dance training - drills, technique and rehearsal
Only the first two are essential for managing my general health (though the others do make a marked difference). It is possible to "mark time" in recovery periods by identifying the activities that make the most positive difference for the least harm.
Managing the domino effect.
A couple of months back I sprained my right ankle, I'm not entirely sure how. A couple of weeks later my left ankle buckled under the pressure of compensating for the weakness. It just gave way underneath me and I sprained that too. The right was almost better, but after a day of the left being weak, it got much worse again. Another day later and I was suffering from excruciating muscle pain up the outside of my left calf and the inside of my right quad - as a result of losing the balance and alignment in my walk. The quad imbalance affected my kneed and my kneecap subluxated...
This is a pretty usual pattern in my experience and it characterises how devastating a relatively minor slip can be as well as reinforcing how important to rest.
I've become very aware of how the body compensates for injury, usually by compromising alignment. Appropriate use of supports and splints helps. If I damage one ankle/foot, I will use a support on both, to protect the good foot. I also use a lot of muscle rub, massage and stretching to prevent tightness and imbalance in the muscles that support the joints.
One of my postnatal yoga clients was asking me about using supports for an injury just this week. In particular she was concerned about relying on the support and losing the musculature that would naturally provide support. Ideally what you need to to is talk to a physiotherapist who can let you know exactly how to use supports appropriately. So... this is my personal experience and not advice... When I feel a weakness or pain, I use a support, always. Why? Because I have found that continuing to use a joint that is weak, wobbly or generally unreliable leads to further injury. A slight weakness due to reliance on a support is a much lesser issue than the risk of aggravating the injury or causing further injury. And I'm not convinced that a support will cause weakness, if your muscles/joints needed the extra help in the first place.
Total rest.
Sometimes the best thing to do is just stop and give yourself some recovery time. If you are ill, you need to get better and while in some cases taking a half hour to walk in the fresh air might do you the world of good, in others it might just prolong your illness and keep you out of training for much longer.
It's OK to have downtime, and downtime doesn't have to mean a break from dance entirely. I've written before about how you can improve your dance by watching and analysing video footage. So that's a start. There's also other things like mapping music for choreography (I hate this job but I've found it essential for really understanding all my performance music, improv too), or even just listening to tracks through services like Spotify or even on YouTube to find your next performance peace.
As a teacher I use downtime to plan lessons, or to type up my rough lesson plans, choreography and workshop notes from my notebooks. Or sort out the dreaded accounts.
You could also work on zills or drumming, or costume making. There's lots of ways you can turn a bit of time off your feet into genuinely productive work.
I've spent most of this year working very hard on my cross training, as well as general drill and practice schedule. I've written about what that means in dance terms (tldr: many good things) but I wanted to look at it from another angle.
I've written before about Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. It's a genetic disorder that affects my collagen structure and causes all kinds of fun complications, most of which are invisible to all but those closest to me. In my case, the most invasive symptoms are joint instability, the subsequent injury that causes (sprains, dislocations etc), chronic pain and fatigue.
I like to think of it a bit like this: Imagine you are building a machine, like a car, but where you need cable ties (it's a cheap car) you only have rubber bands, and where you need gaffa tape, you have elastoplast. It's not going to function quite right in a variety of different ways.
It is well understood that certain kinds of physical therapy are good for EDS patients. I had a lot of physiotherapy as a teenager,and some in my 20s but none of it really stuck. Then earlier in the year, I watched this lecture. It's long, but interesting. I'm going to summarise the bits that I found really relevant to my practice.
One thing that really struck me was that they felt that general physical therapy was just as effective as targeted therapy. For me this was super-good news. I have a whole catalog of really boring PT exercises I am supposed to do, but I never do. Why not? Because they are dull. It might sound like no problem to take time out 5 times a day to do 10 reps of a basic exercise, but it never happens because there are better things in life.
"I have never met an EDS patient who can ignore the pain and exercise in the gym and be successful at it" Jan Dommerholt In the video they talk about an external focus. So that patients aren't exercising just for the sake of it, or even thinking about what muscles they are using or where there body is, they are doing a task where correct form is built in, but the goal is something far more compelling (you can see some examples of the speakers' less conventional PT tasks at about 35 min).
Another issue I have experienced this year is the notable lag in progress of my EDS symptoms behind my fitness. I have never in my adult life managed to push through to the point where my joint stability is good enough to match what my general strength and fitness is capable of.
For example, after about a month of daily interval training, I was feeling a lot stronger and healthier, but I was still having to modify some exercises to reduce the impact upon my joints. I kept at it. After 8 months I was finally able to do jump squats and burpees (putting aside a brief point where I let my burpee form slip a bit and ended up having to splint my wrist 24/7 for a month). For most people doing a jump squat is about having muscles strong enough and fast enough to get off the floor, for me it is about having enough stability in my knees not to collapse like a marionette when I land - and that was the hard part. I could do 80 standard squats a day for months before I was able to land a single jump squat.
It is also known that the gains from PT will drop off very quickly if you stop, which is something to consider when dealing with illness, injury or rest periods. In my summer dance-downtime this year, I continued with my fitness training for this reason.
Pain is the last symptom to go, and it never reaches zero. Well, that's depressing. And that's another reason why it is really hard for people with EDS to motivate themselves towards PT. My pain levels have reduced, inasmuch as I don't get particular pain from injuries, slips, trips and wobbles quite so much. The general background aches are still there. The truth is though, there is improvement. Marked improvement, but it is taking work. A short while ago a quote was posted on a Yoga for EDS forum I subscribe to: "he is in so much pain he has to exercise all the time". It's kind of perfect.
My programme
So I want to write a little about the parts of my training which I feel are having a positive impact on my EDS symptoms - it's just what is working for me, everyone's body is different, this is intended as reflection, not instruction. A summary of what I am learning on this year's fitness journey.
Feedback
So the most important thing I came into this year with, was an understanding of my issues. I analysed my posture meticulously. I watched videos of my dance practice and performance, I asked other dance teachers to do a postural analysis on me and I had a session with a physiotherapist for the same reason. With that in mind I started out aware of potential pitfalls, weak spots and problems to "fix".
I have/had: A deep lordosis in my lumbar spine, swayback, femoral torsion with a weakness in my external hip rotators which worsen that, pronation on my left foot, supernation on my right, plantar fasciitis and a few other fun things. A lot of work has gone into all of these and my posture, movement and proprioception are all improving - but that couldn't have happened nearly so well if I hadn't been aware of what to look out for from the start.
Another side to feedback that is important is observing my dance, either on video or in studio mirrors, and being aware of my alignment from an external perspective. People with EDS usually have poor proprioception (the sense of where the body is in space). You can train proprioception, but I have to be constantly mindful to keep my lines healthy and avoid "weird" and unnatural-looking joint positions.
Yoga/pilates
Some people get twitchy about yoga and EDS, because they think that yoga is about being bendy, and EDSers are already *too* bendy. When I practice yoga I am concentrating on good alignment and strength through postures and flow. EDS comes with poor proprioception, we often don't really know where our body parts are unless they are at an extreme of their range. Yoga is about being really conscious of that, and developing good movement patterns which become habits we carry into our daily lives.
Pilates has a lot in common with yoga, but with more ability to spot target and strengthen muscles. Pilates tends to be intense and is often about doing a few reps in good form, which makes it initially quite accessible. My physiotherapist runs clinical pilates sessions, which are a great option for anyone wanting to try it out while keeping a joint condition in mind.
Walking
One of the most basic exercise therapies suggested for EDS is 30 minutes walking a day. That's a good amount of walking, certainly enough to call yourself active for the sake of cardiovascular health etc. The great thing about walking is that you can choose how to pace yourself. If it takes 30 minutes to get to the end of the street and back, it's still 30 minutes walking, right?
I usually walk on a flat surface, like a pavement, although more recently I have been branching out to some cross country things. Uneven surfaces carry risks of wobbles which means ankles, knees, hips, falls, all that drama.
Finding motivation to walk isn't so hard. I started by walking the school run, or just walking into town and back. Then I got a puppy. Now I walk her. Walking with a dog feels much more purposeful. I like going places with her. I've just about doubled my daily distances as a result.
Kit for walking is helpful. I started out using a hiking pole when I am going off road. "Hiking pole" is sports for "walking stick for wobbly muppets who fall over in the mud too much". I find the difference it makes is phenomenal. I have mananged to avoid using a conventional walking stick for about 3 years now, but I used a pole religiously on rough ground while I was developing strength in my walking habit, and continue to use it on wet days or if I'm feeling a bit weak.
The other important thing is shoes. Shoes are a big deal for me generally, they have to be right or I end up with fallen arches, plantar fasciitis, odd dislocations in my metatarsals, all sorts. I started wearing trainer style, low top walking shoes for all my walks. I found them lacking on wet ground. I have old fashioned leather hiking boots, but I find them too restrictive, my feet can't flex and I get cramps and my joints ache for lack of movement (moving joints is really important for keeping the synovial fluid levels at their cushiony best). So I invested in some soft, high top walking boots and they are great, enough flexion in the sole to keep my feet busy, but loads of ankle support.
When I walk I also think about alignment and posture a lot too, just like a do when I am dancing. Is my pelvis level and stable? Are my toes facing forwards? Are my knees tracking over my toes?
I've noticed that the strength training in the pilates and yoga, as well as the more intense interval training, has changed the way I walk, I'm using more muscle groups now and my gait is smoother. I notice these things because I am a movement geek.
There are other parts of my training that are less relevant to my EDS, like weights, interval training and dance practice. Those are all happening too, but doing those parts is the goal, the stuff above is what keeps me well enough to get there.
Keeping track
One of my most surprising discoveries was how useful it has been to use a fitness tracker. I use a Fitbit Charge HR, which I find best for picking up my non-stepping exercise like weights and dance (when my arms are isolated and most of the effort is not in my feet)
So why is this so useful?
First off, it makes me be active every day. It is very easy to have a slack day, then let that drift into a slack 3 days and before you know it you are losing strength, getting wobbly and falling down the stairs again. I am naturally a bit goal driven, so I do make a point of hitting my daily goals and doing this consistently has definitely made me more active and stronger.
The thing that I wasn't expecting to make an impact on my EDS symptoms was the calories in/out tracker. I knew I had a problem with how I was eating on heavy training days. The disruption of travelling, dancing all day, taking short breaks with unusual sources of food etc was clearly problematic. Like many EDSers my digestive system likes routine and I would usually end up with stomach cramps etc due to the disruption. I also used to crash badly the next day. Total fatigue, brain fog, sometimes migraine.
I'd put this down to having exercised/pain managed hard the next day and just having no spoons, but when I started tracking my calorie intake, I realised there might be more than that. On my heavy dance days (and this means teaching/rehearsal days as well as taking classes), I was undereating terribly. It is quite usual, on a Monday, when I run a full morning of classes with rehearsal inbetween, for me to end the day having expended up to 2000 more calories than I consumed. No wonder my body was screaming for downtime after that!
The counter problem to that was that on my rest days I was using half as many calories and eating more. So basically my fuel system was completely upside down.
I use an app on my phone which allows me to record my intake throughout the day, and lets me know if I am on track according to what I am doing. This means I can not only match my intake to my output on a daily basis, but throughout the day, which gives me much better balanced energy levels. This in turn means I am much less fatigued the following day. Energy levels are also really important for pain management. Low blood sugar saps willpower.
Daily goals mean that I am more consistently used to being active, and that has helped a lot with training days too, they aren't such a shock to the system! I still have pain to manage, serious training does still give me a bit of a "hangover" but it is much, much better.
The dreaded injury
Injury is an inevitable part of living with EDS. PT can strengthen and stabilise the body, which makes it less likely, but eventually it will happen.
There are some things I can live with, like my right hip that jumps in and out of place like it's doing the joint Hokey Kokey, or "The Claw" when my hands just seize up from overuse. Other issues can cause more disruption.
This time last year I wrenched my shoulder (while feeding the rabbits, because of course I did). It took a very long time to work through all the issues this caused in my neck, shoulder and upper back. Spraining my wrist meant no burpees for a while (there's the silver lining). I also couldn't plank properly for a while, I had to modify to the elbows.
Earlier this year I managed to sprain both ankles, which caused a whole cascade of issues.
I had so much to say about how I cope when I have an injury, that I decided to put it into a whole separate post.
The final word
So I'm going to wrap this up here. The last year has been quite a journey on a number of levels. From a health/EDS perspective I was determined to see what my body was capable of if I cared for it, ruthlessly. It has exceeded my expectations. A couple of times last week on a dog walk I climbed Glastonbury Tor twice in a row (and went around the base inbetween) with absolutely no extra issues afterwards. This takes constant work though. I have to exercise every day, regardless and that takes commitment and scheduling.
Dr Dommerholt is correct. The pain doesn't go away. But it doesn't go away through rest either, so that's not part of the equation. Being stronger, more physically able and a better dancer has been worth the effort.
EDS affects different people in different ways, and I am very grateful that I have the ability to access this kind of training, many sufferers would struggle with the basic programme I began with, and I certainly wouldn't expect many people to be as driven as I am. Dance is one of my greatest priorities, but I have that luxury because it is also my job.
However, accessible activities are a great thing - I currently have plans to start a low-impact dance class for less able dancers - moving, in a safe and level appropriate way, motivated by something other than simply getting the exercise done is an excellent tool towards health and wellness.
I've been thinking recently about fitness, conditioning and our motivation for working at it.
I cross train, alongside my dance for a host of reasons, and I have noticed that almost almost all of the fitness classes or DVDs on the market have weightloss or aesthetics as a primary focus. That is to say, they are not marketed based on what your body can do, but what it looks like.
My favoured source of non-dance centred conditioning is Jillian Michaels, who does talk a lot about health, feeling strong, getting fit etc, but also spends a lot of time shouting about how we will feel when we get to go skinny jeans or bikini shopping. I know how I will feel incidentally, sweaty and awkward. Even though I no longer feel awkward (there's no escaping the sweaty) while completely owning her workouts.
Recently, when I was part way through writing this post [which has been sat as a draft for a week...] an aspiring professional dancer posted on a social media group for professional performers, asking about their fitness regimes. At the end of her question, she put a little caveat, that was along the lines of "please don't think I'm being shallow, this isn't about looks, it's about improving my dance".
While a commercial dancer will find her job opportunities limited by her looks, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with working to optimise that, if she chooses. The fact that she felt pressured to explain, to a group of dancers, that fitness was important to her in terms of her physical ability to dance, is very telling.
What does a bellydancer's body need?
I've been working on classes that I want to offer and how to market them. I really want to do a class that is purely conditioning and basic drills. Nothing fancy, just the solid foundations, the stuff that Zoe Jakes calls "dance vegetables".
I wanted to call it "body for bellydance", but then I realised that this would likely be interpreted as being slim with a flat, but not too muscular belly that would be considered widely socially acceptable in a skimpy stereotypical 2 piece costume. I am not the postergirl for this concept.
I can live with this as I know that these criteria are not what is necessary in a bellydancer's body. Conditioning is important to reduce the gap between artistic vision and physical capability, not to make a dancer "the right shape". What a bellydancer needs is:
Control
Co-ordination
Strength
Speed
Balance
Flexibility
You can have these at a size 6 or a size 26, but no one gets it without training.
Measuring progress in conditioning should never be about chasing unicorns.
Training goals need to be achievable. If they are not, then we give up. If my motivation for conditioning was centred around my dress size I know that I would never stay motivated on a tough regime. In the last 6 months of intensive dancing and conditioning, my dress size has remained stable while the factors that really matter have come on in leaps and bounds.
They also need to be positive. Any goal that shames your current state is a poor goal. To care for your body you need to believe that it is worth caring for - too many weight loss orientated goals ignore this. At best it leads to apathy or self sabotage, why bother when you are worth so little? At it's worst it leads to unhealthy regimes, overexercising and dieting to the detriment of your health.
What does fitness look like?
I have a bit of a rant, fairly regularly, about the lack of diversity in images of fitness. It becomes very clear as a blog writer, searching for images to illustrate fitness writing. A "fit" woman, according to stock photography is:
Slim built
Lean
Conventionally attractive
White
Usually blonde
Made up
Wears a sports bra and hot pants.
Here she is:
Very lovely she is too, but if this is the only acceptable look for a fit and healthy woman, then I, along with the vast majority of people, am not it. Why is this important? Well, if this is what we are aiming for, most of us won't get there. Not being stupid, most of us will realise this and give up feeling bad about ourselves, losing all the benefits of a good fitness regime.
A few months back I discovered this project, a startling quick reference that demonstrates that a fit body does not have to fit the fitness model stereotype. Athletes at the top of their game, men and women selected not for their look, but for their accomplishments, for the superior physical function of their bodies.
Take a careful look through all the images on the link. Even among top athletes, there is an enormous variety in body shape, size and composition. Even between individuals competing in the same field.
Most have low body fat and high muscle mass, but we see tall, short, broad shoulders, slight shoulders, slender legs and powerful bulky thighs. Fitness doesn't have a single look, so why are we pretending that becoming fit will make us look a certain way?
I love the effortless leg lifts and arabesques that come from hours of pilates. I love how squatting down to pick something off the floor isn't a big deal. I love throwing a 20kg feed bag over my shoulder and confusing the pet store owner. I love being able to dance a 10 minute drum solo without pausing. I really love the strong feeling when I move and I know my muscles are working, but it doesn't feel like a struggle. I love the endorphin rush and satisfaction when I have got through a tough workout. I love how the strength in my leg muscles means I get less joint pain. I am proud of how I can now actually do burpees - hate them still, but I can do them!
I've been reflecting upon and tweaking my daily dance practice quite a lot lately. Over the last few months I have been working on refining my practice to get the best value out of my time and cultivate a schedule that allows me to maintain fitness, progress technically and prepare for performance in a way that works for my body and other commitments.
So after trying out a few variations of my own, I decided to start a clean slate in January with a little hand holding from Datura Online. I know that when I choose my own practice, I'll choose the things I like and find easy. I started their Crazy Train programme, which is around 2 hours a day of conditioning, drills and technique, all set out, for 4 weeks of comprehensive practice. I completed the month on this, and then on reflection, decided what I would take away into my own tailored training. This is what I discovered:
Prioritising is more effective than you might think
At first I thought that finding 2 hours a day for basic dance practice (not including classes and performance preparation) was going to be impossible, but everything is impossible until you give it a go. The very first video on Crazy Train is this from Amy Sigil. She is totally right. You have to prioritise the important things. Dance is my passion and my trade, I can't afford to down-prioritise it. So I dance first, and do the other things later. When you work regular office hours, outside the home, your work comes first. You go to work, you do the work. If there is laundry left to hang up, but it's time to go to work, you don't do the laundry, you go to work. Equally you don't check your emails one last time, or anything else. I have learned to be this brutal about my dance schedule too, because if I let it slip, it's gone.
Reporting back helps
A few months back a dance co-conspirator of mine suggested a challenge, where our group of disparate dancers would attempt to complete at least 10 minutes dance every day. As I've said before, 10 minutes should be easy to achieve and is better than nothing. I was already in a daily habit of weight training, yoga, shimmy drills and core technique drills - on top of class preparation, choreography etc, so I figured it would be no problem.
This was a great challenge, firstly because I learned that actually, I was sometimes skipping out of my basic practice (especially if I was teaching or taking a class that day). I also noticed that "reporting in" to my peers was a motivator. Sharing your accomplishments, even if it is just 20 minutes of shimmy drills, is satisfying and hearing about their exploits was motivating. So I bought a notebook to dedicate as a dance diary. Writing in the diary is really just reporting in to myself, but the process of entering my practice encourages me to have more to write about! It also helps me keep track and check the patterns and roundedness of my schedule.
Dance vegetables are important
In her Flow Drills workshop, Zoe Jakes talks about the importance of "eating your dance vegetables". Foundation drills, strength conditioning, flexibility and cardio are the cornerstones of dance. Zoe talks about the necessity of practicing these on a daily basis, only then can you get down to "playing" trying out new layers and combos, choreography, all that stuff.
I believed her the first time I saw it, but after several weeks of religious vegetable dancing, the fundamental importance of a dedicated regular, grass roots practice has become extremely apparent to me. I've written before about the importance of returning to "beginner" technique, but it's actually about maintaining and improving it. Day by day.
Actual vegetables are also important
I've always had an interest in nutrition, and I know that how I eat reflects in how I feel and how I dance. Dancers are in an odd place of being both artists and athletes. It's tempting to think that we should be able to exist on tea and hob nobs, in a feverish artistic reclusion, but our art is enacted through our bodies. Our bodies are the instrument of our expression and we have to take care of them. Our bodies also often represent the limits of our expression. A stronger, healthier body means more access to more movements and a more versatile toolkit through which to express ourselves.
I've come across many variations in diet amongst bellydancers, some swear by their particular variant, supplement or lifestyle. Our ideal diets are all very individual, based on our baseline needs, budget, ethical choices, tastes and training levels, so I'm not going to make any suggestions here. However I have observed that being aware of (and increasing) the levels of water and protein in my diet has coincided with better stamina and less muscle fatigue or post-exercise weakness.
It's not just about maintenance
Working on the same drills, every single day doesn't just preserve the skill, it gradually refines it. You might not see the difference immediately, but give it a month and the contrast is stark. Getting better at a particular drill means that certain elements become automatic, and when you don't have to think about those anymore, you can focus on refining something new.
There is benefit in boredom
Following on from my previous point, sometimes doing the same drills over on a daily, or even weekly, basis can seem tedious. I considered for a while whether I could do something else while I was drilling. Then I realised that concentrating on the drill itself is really important. When I no longer have to apply my brain power to making the move happen, I have the capacity to analyse and refine it. There is always a reason to focus my attention.
It's not just drills that bear repeating.
I have an enormous collection of bellydance DVDs and downloads, not to mention the streamable Datura library. Everything from conditioning to drills, flow practice to technical breakdown. I tend to use them on a fairly broad rotation. The flow and drills gets used more.
The Crazy Train programme actually repeats videos that I would not have considered repeating at such a tight frequency. Combinations and technique that I might previously have thought once, or very occasionally, was enough. Making myself repeat them I realised that there is a lot of depth you can miss while learning a combination, and going over the technique, from scratch, for a second or third time really allows me to get to the guts of it.
Teaching is not practice
There was a time when I considered my teaching time to equate to drilling time. After all, I am breaking down the technique, practicing it over and over. The problem is that while I am conscious of maintaining good technique, I am also watching my students, analysing their movements, making judgements about what to correct, what to encourage and what to let lie. While I may have revelations about the mechanics of a movement while I teach it, I can't really get into the meat of my own technique while my purpose is to support that of my students. In addition I can't really push myself when I am tailoring the level to beginner or improver level dancers. I have to respect the limits of their stamina, range of movement etc, and that means not challenging my own.
Variety is the spice of success
I've talked before about cross training, but I've also noticed how different types of cross training benefit each other. For instance I regularly use Jillian Michaels' Shred workouts for conditioning, although I have to make some modifications recommended by Shredheads, to respect my joints. I'm not a massive fan of working out, so the high intensity Shred workouts are the exercise equivalent of ripping off a band aid. I don't do Shred daily however. I mix it up with pilates, yoga and dance flow conditioning.
Early on, I found that my ability to keep up with the Shred workout was limited by muscle fatigue. Even on the cardio focussed workouts I wasn't nearing my cardio limit before my legs started to tire. After mixing it up with some pilates for a couple of weeks however, increasing my strength, I found that I had the ability to push harder and reach that sweaty out-of-breath sweet spot when I got back to my cardio circuits.
I also used to have a real problem with burpees. They were (and probably still are) my nemesis. On the other side of things I have been working on tolasana. I started back in October when I couldn't lift my weight off the floor at all. I've found that the core strength from my tolasana practice gives me the extra oomph I need to get my feet back to my hands from plank when I am doing burpees. I'm still not great at them, but I can actually get through a set now.
A committed practice habit has inertia
It surprised me how quickly this set in. I would suppose it took me less than a week of devoting 2 hours a day to basic practice and learning (not teaching, not choreography or rehearsal) to set in my mind that this was what I did now. Usually I do an hour of conditioning in the late morning or early afternoon, then the rest in 20-30 minute slots later in the day. I don't argue with myself about it. It has to be done.
Then I went away for a couple of days and had to break my schedule. I was so grouchy and twitchy not getting my dance fix. It was hard to get back to as well. So I have had to work out ways to maintain some semblance of routine even when my schedule is disrupted.
Missing practice
Missing out a day's practice is really easy when other things get in the way, and one missed day easily turns into 2 or 3. I try to schedule my down days, usually to coincide with times when I know I am going to be busy or tired. I also try to replace my dance practice with something else, like restorative yoga, to maintain the "slot" in my day.
Busy people are happy people
My father always used to say that if you want something done, you should give it to a busy person. Getting down to practice straightaway. Making the decision not to sit down for that cup of tea after the kids are in bed, but to get straight down to dance-business. I don't let up until I get all my "to dos" ticked. It's busy, but it's productive.
Changes are incremental and not always predictable
I can't see from day to day, or even week to week, the improvements that a dedicated practice creates. It's not the instant gratification of an intensive for instance. I have also found that changes I expected haven't manifested as fast as I might predict, while others have been clear and surprising.
Keeping track of progress by filming samples of drills or combinations and comparing them, a few weeks apart makes it easier to see the changes, and gain the motivation to keep going.
Grace in dance is achieved by strength and particularly core strength
I had been dancing for several years before finally someone (Yasmina of Cairo in fact) talked to me about pelvic floor.
As I am a perinatal yoga teacher, I am pretty pelvic floor focused. Pelvic floor control and strength is a big part of my remit and I am very aware of how little understanding most people have of this important structure.
What is the pelvic floor?
When I mention pelvic floor, most people think of the sphincter muscles, but actually, they are at best a part of the pelvic floor and potentially not the pelvic floor at all. So let's get rid of that preconception now. Toss all thoughts of kegels and stopping mid-wee away right now, this is not what we are talking about.
When I refer to the pelvic floor in this context, I am referring to the pelvic diaphragm, the sling of muscle that supports your abdominal organs by creating a hammock in the base of your pelvis, it looks like this:
This is a pelvic floor, all that muscle, let's use it.
It's made up of 2 major muscles (which in turn are made of smaller muscles) the coccygeus and the levator ani. You don't need to worry about what they are called, you just need to know you have them.
And you do have them, they are holding your insides up right now! In my perinatal yoga classes, women are often surprised to find out that pelvic floor weakness is not a consequence of birth, but of pregnancy, it is the strain of carrying the extra weight, while simultaneously not "using" the pelvic floor in a positive, strengthening way that causes the weakness; it has little to do with the delivery of the baby.
So what has this got to do with bellydance?
Well... your pelvic diaphragm is actually a really important core muscle. You know when you are told to "engage your core" or to "keep your core strong"? Well this is your pelvic floor's call to arms! Your "core" is essentially all the muscles that keep your posture strong, it includes muscles around your spine, deep abs etc, but also your pelvic floor.
Engaging the pelvic floor essentially condenses your insides a bit. It kind of solidifies your "centre" and keeps everything stable. When you turn, travel or balance (say, in an arabesque) lifting your pelvic floor and engaging your core keeps you steady and graceful. Try it out in your next practice or dance class.
Finding your pelvic floor
Once you know that you need to use it, finding your pelvic floor and applying it to your dance is pretty easy. Try standing in dance posture, and visualise a trampoline of muscle in the base of your pelvis, like in the image above. Now imagine drawing it up from the centre, like your perineum is taking a day trip up to your belly button. There you go, now your pelvic floor is engaged. Practice this while waiting for the bus. That gives you an extra incentive not to let it show on your face.
That's awesome, how do I cross train my pelvic floor to make it even better?
OK, so first stop doing kegels.Your pelvic floor pretty much takes care of itself by being used properly. That means engaging it when you engage your core, not just dancing, but standing, sitting tall etc. Yoga squats are brilliant for pelvic floor training. Apparently bouncing (on a trampoline or gym ball) is also good. Like any muscle, challenging it gently keeps it in shape.
This is me doing a yoga squat at 39 weeks pregnant.
I make all my pregnant yogis do squats.
There is a theory amongst yoga people that our lifestyle (comfy sofas etc) has led to a weakening of the pelvic floor. Watch how a toddler moves and plays, constantly on the move, never slumping in their seat, squatting with naturally good form, often for very long periods while playing.
So keep active, keep healthy, and don't leave your pelvic floor behind.
We often talk about bellydance as being complete exercise in its own right, and in many ways it can be. Depending on your style and how you train, bellydance can provide you with cardio, core strength, flexibility and endurance.
Fit for dance
Most higher level dancers however, supplement their dance training with other kinds of fitness training, for a number of reasons and it is likely that at some point (as I reported back here) you will feel like branching out a little.
Improving your cardiovascular fitness and stamina is generally helpful for any physical activity. The ability to dance an energetic 20 minute set without becoming noticably out of breath or sweaty is a useful part of the professional dancer's toolkit. Just practising your dance all out is helpful; but it is always worth training at a higher intensity than you would perform, so performance feels effortless.
Drilling your basic movements will help with range of movement, muscle strength and control, but you can support this process and improve your dance skills with targeted conditioning. There are also some advanced moves that are difficult or dangerous to attempt without a prerequisite of fitness that goes beyond the norm. For example level changes, backbends and turkish drops all require strength and flexibility at the outset and attempting the move without it can lead to bad form and injury.
Keeping a balance in your fitness is also important. If you are dancing a lot then you can end up with muscle development geared towards dance. That's not always a bad thing, but it is really important to be mindful of your body's alignment and balance. Releasing that tight psoas muscle, making sure that both sides of the body are equally strong (very important for ATS dancers) and supporting good posture will improve your health as a whole.
Exercise options for bellydancers
There is a huge range of fitness training that can be beneficial for bellydancers. Within reason it is worth considering what you enjoy and go for that, however it is important to consider your ongoing health and avoiding injury. There was a time when I trained WTF Tae Kwon Do, but full contact martial arts means lots of broken feet, which isn't something I can risk as a dancer. Here are some examples of cross training that is common amongst bellydancers.
Yoga
Let's blame Rachel Brice for this one, although I'm not sure she was the first bellydancer to train this way, Rachel's background as a yoga teacher coupled with her impressive strength and flexibility and her extensive influence in the Tribal Fusion community (and beyond) has made yoga a popular choice for bellydancers. Vinyasa flow yoga, an offshoot of Ashtanga that primarily consists of sequences based on an expanded sun salutation, is popular among dancers and great for core strength, alignment and good posture. Restorative yoga is also blissful for those times when you have trained a little too intensively and need to take care of yourself.
Pilates
Pilates is also great for dancers and there are a lot of bellydance specific pilates workouts available by bellydancers who also happen to be pilates teachers.
A pilates workout can be fairly gentle or very intense. It might involve weights and I really like it when it involves things like fitness balls for really good core conditioning. As with yoga there is a strong focus on alignment and good form to get the most out of the exercises whilst minimising the risk of injury.
With pilates you can focus very strongly on areas that you need for dance, like legs or abs, or go for a whole body workout.
Swimming
Another great option for a whole body workout that doesn't put too much strain on the body. The lack of load bearing is gentle on the joints and can be helpful for dancers who are rehabilitating from injuries. It is also a great way to get your upper body working.
Weight or resistance training.
I do very much enjoy lifting things. There is something immensely satisfying about lifting dumbells, and it is easy to slip a few reps in for 5 or 10 minutes now and again. If you like to train in company, you could try a kettlebells class. The upper body is often neglected, but it's important to remember that grace and fluidity in your arm movements will come through strength. Weight training can also be great for core conditioning and posture.
Cardio
Cardio is really important, but it's up to you how you do it. If you are sweaty and breathless you are getting there. Some dancers run regularly, some go to the gym, some do classes. I love a good intense 20 minute shimmy drill to combine cardio, stamina and technique.
Circuits
For a convenient and no nonsense way to combine cardio, strength, endurance and plyometrics, circuits can be a good option. If you don't really enjoy working out, the exercises happen in short bursts and change often, so you don't get too bored. Mixing up the exercises means you get to work on different muscles and you are not putting too much strain on particular areas for too long.
Some circuit exercises can be tough on the joints, but there are usually modifications or alternatives which a good trainer or class facilitator can help you with.
Keep dancing
So there you have it. See what you fancy and give it a try. Keep listening to your body and going back to your dance practice, see what makes the difference for you. It is immensely satisfying to see the results of your hard work manifesting in the quality of your dance!
In August 2014, the Yahoo Contributor Network was shut down. All the copyrights to articles thereon were returned to their authors, so I decided to publish certain articles of mine, originally written for Yahoo UK on my own blogs. This is one of them.
I am going to make a confession here, so please be kind… I was once a terrible couch potato.
Actually I was more of a desk potato. Most of my free time was spent in my study, on my computer, gaming, chatting, writing. Despite having been fairly active in my teens and through my university life, once I was working I didn't seem to have the energy left at the end of the day to do anything active.
I know this is a common affliction. Finding time to fit in a workout can be a struggle for many of us. It's tough to get motivated, particularly in the winter months when it is cold and dark and all the best entertainment options involve being curled up under a blanket.
For me this changed very suddenly one September.
I rode my motorbike home from work, and noticed that my leather trousers were causing a really uncomfortable pressure on my right hand side. Over the weekend the pain worsened, and on the Monday, I was admitted to hospital with appendicitis. I left 5 days later following major surgery, as the infection had gone beyond the realms of keyhole surgery.
In less than a week I had gone from being capable, mobile and apparently healthy, to walking in an excruciating shuffle - via nearly dying from rotten insides. In my convalescence I reflected upon how fragile our health really is, and vowed that when I returned to full health, I would no longer take it for granted.
A couple of years previously I had taken bellydance classes. I didn't really get on with the class, despite being quite keen to dance, it wasn't the right teacher for me, or perhaps the right time, and as other commitments became more urgent, I stopped going.
This time I decided I was going to do better. I did some research and found a really great teacher. I bought a small library of practice DVDs.
I fell in love with the dance. So much that soon I was attending 2 or 3 classes a week. When I came home from work I no longer went straight to my computer. I would put on some music and practice my moves.
I was loving my new hobby so much, I barely noticed how it was challenging my body. I became stronger and fitter whilst having fun, getting out of the house and making friends.
As I improved my teacher asked me to join her performance troupe - so that was another class to attend! Tougher dance moves meant I had to raise my game, and soon I was putting in some intense yoga and pilates practice as well.
In less than a year my whole life had changed . I was out of the house more, I was more active, I was travelling all over the country to perform and train. Most of all I was healthier, happier and more confident.
Now I teach yoga and Arabic dance. I have come to see that mine is just one of so many similar stories. Dance is transformational. To anyone considering bringing more activity into their lifestyle, I would say, go for it. You will never regret giving it a try, and you could find a whole new lease of life.
ETA: When this was first published, the vast majority of comments on the article were regarding weight loss. For clarity I would like to add the following.
The focus of this article is health and fitness. Sometimes this equates to weight loss, or maintaining a slim figure, however this is not automatically the case. I am actually around 5kg heavier than I was before I started dancing, and a dress size larger. This is partly due to the 2 babies I have had, but the point is this: I have better cardiovascular fitness than before. My heart is stronger and healthier. My lungs are stronger and my asthma is better. My bum is undoubtably bigger, but it is made of solid muscle (that's where the sharp hip accents come from). My joints are less painful as they are stabilised and supported by dance muscle.
Being a bellydancer is about being strong and healthy and feeling good in your skin, not about how stretched your knicker elastic is (and if it is, just buy new knickers, it's just a number and you'll be comfier).
In August 2014, the Yahoo Contributor Network was shut down. All the copyrights to articles thereon were returned to their authors, so I decided to publish certain articles of mine, originally written for Yahoo UK on my own blogs. This is one of them.
The mums at my baby group are planning a 5K road run. It's a frequent topic of conversation, and naturally, there came the part I had been dreading. "You should run with us" said one of the mums. "No thanks" said I with the affectation of a committed couch potato. "I don't do running." She continued to attempt to convince me, and I was forced to admit it, "I'm sorry, I just cannot run."
The secret is out. I'm a dance and yoga instructor, I am fit, strong and healthy, but if I tried to run, I would last less than 100 metres before the excruciating pain set in. Not long after my knees would give way and it would all be a bit embarrassing. I have an 'invisible condition', Ehlers Danlos Syndrome - Hypermobility Type (EDS-HM) with recent campaigns aiming to raise awareness, I am going to share my experience of living with and despite the condition.
EDS is a genetic mutation that causes the sufferer's collagen to be more elastic than it should be. EDS-HM is relatively mild, and characterised by extremely flexible joints; sadly flexible also means unstable; sufferers are prone to regular sprains and dislocations, the joints wear and take damage more easily than most, because the movement tends to be erratic and outside the "safe" range. EDS-HM sufferers often have other health problems as all our soft tissues are affected.
I was around 11 years old, when I started to get pain in my knees, and it escalated from there. Growing up with hidden health issues is never a smooth ride. I can recall vividly being shouted at, and called a liar by my PE teacher, because I was limping on the other leg that day.
I spent my teenaged years in an environment where sporting achievement was prized above all. I was the girl who wore supports on both knees, long socks instead of tights so I could more easily adjust the straps that held my kneecaps in place, this did not work out well for me socially. On the other hand I missed double German every week to for physiotherapy.
As an adult I adapted to my personal capabilities. I'm in pain every day. My knees creak and rattle from the damage caused by the joint surfaces mashing together at awkward angles. I have a running joke about how I fall down the stairs. There is a particular point where my knee is bent and it just can't hold anymore, it collapses, and down I go! I always cling to the bannister to take the weight off at that crucial point. Occasionally I find myself approached by someone ascending the stairs, and awkwardly have to choose between facing them down and appearing rude, or letting go of the rail and falling on them!
I have instability in my wrists, ankles, feet and hips, which means I get sprains quite a lot. My hands are always stiff and sore - the medical advice on that was to use my hands less! I bruise easily which does not combine well with the clumsiness that results from wobbly joints. I am very grateful however, that for the most part I can move quite normally within the boundaries that have become second nature to me. As a teen I was told I could expect a wheelchair in my future, but although I use a stick on a bad day, it happens rarely enough that people ask me what I have "done".
It's not all gloomy. As a dancer my natural flexibility serves me well, provided I support it with strength. The right kind of regular training actually eases my condition. Here are my tips for exercising with hypermobility.
- Alignment is crucial. I love gentle yoga for achieving strength in good posture. When you practice regularly you carry those good habits into your everyday actions.
- Impact and load bearing in exercise are tough on joints. I am able to do Arabic dance but I could not dance ballet.
- I always warm up properly, mobilising all the joints, locating the muscles that support them, and establishing good posture. I start my movements small and explore the limits of my safe range of movement safely.
- It is really important to have symmetry in strength training. Poorly balanced muscled drag joints out of alignment.
- Good footwear is essential, as hypermobile feet are prone to fallen arches. All of my footwear is supportive or equipped with insoles.
- I listen to my body and I am aware of my limits. If I get injured, I rest. I understand that I will never run, or do star jumps; but I am at peace with that, as long as I can dance.
In August 2014, the Yahoo Contributor Network was shut down. All the copyrights to articles thereon were returned to their authors, so I decided to publish certain articles of mine, originally written for Yahoo UK on my own blogs. This is one of them.
Are you struggling to keep up your daily exercise regime? Is life getting in the way of your good intentions? Do other people seem to be managing while you simply cannot? As a yoga and dance teacher I regularly speak to students who tell me that they simply cannot maintain their commitment to regular practice and conditioning. Here are some ideas to get you out of that rut.
1. Understand your sticking point
Why are you unable to find the time to exercise? Is it a true logistical lack of time, rather than a lack of motivation, or too-high an expectation of what you feel you should be doing? Be honest with yourself. Ultimately, your friends, your personal trainer or your teacher are not deeply affected by your practice regime, this is for you, and you need to appreciate that.
2. Working out is a necessity, not a luxury
Often it is a matter of priorities. We all (usually) find time to eat, wash, dress and suchlike. When your workout is viewed as another important task to aid your daily function, time can be found to incorporate it. If you aspire to a more healthful lifestyle, fitness should take priority. A morning run, circuit or yoga session will leave you just as prepared for the day as a sit down with a cuppa, it just requires a slight alteration in mindset to accept that choice.
3. Living your yoga practice
Pranayama can be practiced pretty much anywhere. Just the same as pelvic floor exercises! Sitting on the bus, or locked in a toilet cubicle at work for 5 minutes. Any time I feel tense, stressed or overwhelmed is a good time to take a short break, and focus simply on the breath. Taking lunch in the park and putting aside a few minutes for some quiet breathing to centre is a lovely way to break up the working day and recharge for the afternoon.
Also good posture can be practiced at all times. A general mindfulness of balance and posture when standing or seated is vastly beneficial, and in my mind more valuable than the occasional long session of asanas. This can begin by simply asking oneself "how am a sitting right now? Am I upright, are my feet on the floor? Does anything ache?" and making a habit of "checking in" regularly, to catch bad posture habits in the act!
4. Honour your workout window
Regularity and routine will help any form of exercise, become more of an automatic part of your life. Just like remembering to brush your teeth at certain times of day, a short practice can be part of the daily routine.
It's good to keep your practice at the same time of day, studies have shown athletes perform better if their race is at the time of day when they usually train, our bodies come to expect it.
My advice would be to try and fit in an early morning session, first thing when you wake, before you are awake enough to come up with a reason not to. If this means getting up slightly earlier, the vitality provided by the practice will make up for it. Drink a glass of lukewarm water, get straight into your workout clothes, then start with some simple asanas with pranayama. A sequence of asanas in earnest can follow (alternatively another preferred physical activity), then a brief relaxation. This can take between 10 and 30 minutes and is adaptable to each day. Actually practicing something, rather than skipping it because a full 30 minutes is not available, is vital to maintain the routine. If one day all you can manage is a few deep breaths and a sun salutation, that's fine, you are still working.
I actually practice in the evening, because my children are early risers, sometimes I don't start until 10pm, but I sleep better afterwards.
If you are unable to complete your workout, perhaps due to illness, fit in an alternative practice, whether it be breathing exercises, meditation or study. Never simply allow you sofa time to intrude on your workout time, it will become habit.
5. Something is always better than nothing
Long practices are great but 10 minutes a day is better than nothing. Equally a short fast run, or intense circuit set can easily be completed in less time that it takes to catch up on your favourite soap. It is much less of a trial to find time for, and accomplish, this, than holding out for an hour long workout.
Once you establish your regime, and adjust your mindset to accept that this will be a part of your day now, it is much easier to stick to, and expand upon your exercise programme.
In my first installment of this series we looked at how you can set yourself up for a fulfilling and productive bellydance journey with a great mindset and a resilient attitude. In this post, I am going to look at the practical measures you can take, to help you fulfil your dance potential.
For the most part, consistency and dedication are the cornerstones of your dance progression. Intensive study can be great, we will look at that in the next instalment, but nothing beats regular tuition and practice. So let's see what that might look like.
Regular bellydance classes.
The benefits of attending a good regular class are enormous, and I am not just saying that because I teach them! Choose the right class for you and you will be getting a regular lift, physically and psychologically, you will make friends and get to explore the world of bellydance with expert guidance.
There is something very useful about having an outside influence decide what you are going to dance today, it saves us from getting into the rut where we only dance the steps and styles we like best. Ideally your teacher will also be following some kind of progression, so simply turning up will take you on a good, structured and targeted learning pathway.
Go to as many classes are you can afford to. When I started I did 3 classes a week! If you have other considerations outside dance in your life, you might not go that mad, but make it regular, even once a fortnight is better than nothing, or an unpredictable schedule - it is too easy to fall out of the habit if you don't make it a regular priority.
Get the right class for you
Choosing your class depends on how you like to dance, how you like to learn and what you would like to get out of your dance. Some classes are about getting stuck in and moving. This is great for the social aspect, and for gently improving your fitness. If you want to improve your dance repertoire, or become a technically better dancer, you probably need to look for a class that has a more technical focus, at least for some of the time.
One of the biggest reasons a live class with a good teacher is so good for your dance progress, is feedback. A good teacher will help you adjust your technique, not just to make it aesthetically better, but also to make movements safer, more comfortable and more efficient (which helps enormously when you start layering them). This is vital, because every body is different, and even very experienced dancers are often blind to, or can't see a way out of small, but influential, issues in their technique. Feedback can be very individual, I like to do the rounds of a group to give each dancer a couple of adjustments, but it might also be general. I never call out an individual in a group class, but I might spot an issue with one dancer, and advise the class as a whole to "watch out for..." because often that helps the other students too.
A smaller class means that you will get more of your teacher's time and attention, and s/he will be watching you more in order to give you better tips - this might feel a little daunting at first, but you get used to it, honest!
Finally, you have to enjoy your class. You are going to be there every week, possibly more, so the format, teaching style, personalities, music etc. have got to work for you, don't be afraid to shop around a bit, which brings me to....
Mix it up a bit
I always encourage my students to take up opportunities to dance with other teachers, and I am a little suspicious of those who don't. It is wise to stick with the same style while you are a beginner, as there are differences in posture and technique that can be confusing until you are competent in one or the other. Some teachers use different terms, but you will learn quickly what they are referring to. I have had students who dance with both myself, and another teacher on a regular basis, and find our classes complemented each other.
Even with the same teacher you might have the opportunity to take separate classes for technique, choreography, and conditioning. Mixing up your tuition, whilst keeping an anchor in a regular class, makes you a more rounded dancer.
Doing your homework
If going to your dance class is your brief, weekly escape, then there is nothing wrong with turning up, dancing and forgetting about it for the week, however, if you want to make good progress you need to be practising in between times. There are a few ways you can go about this, and again, I suggest you mix it up.
Do the stuff you did in class.
Take notes. Not reams of notes, you are in class to dance, not write. At the end, make a quick list of the things you did, just to remind you. Then over the next few days, pop some music on, and practice the techniques or combinations you learned.
Drill
Pick some random steps. Roll back through your notes and choose something from a class a couple of months back, use my awesome drill generator, or use a DVD, and practice until your movements are stronger, cleaner, bigger and generally more awesome. One key thing though, is to make sure you have the technique down before you start drilling, ask your teacher to check, because drilling will write the movement into your muscle memory and you don't want to end up retaining a wrong move!
My favourite drill DVDs are Aziza's Ultimate Practice Companion (which sadly is quite hard to get ahold of now) and Michelle Joyce's Drills Drills Drills (which has finger cymbal drills too). I'd recommend checking onto Raqs TV for affordable streaming rental of dance practice videos, and you can also try out some of Michelle's DVDs on there. If you are a tribal dancer, Rachel Brice's Daily Dose session on Datura Online are a good, concentrated practice.
These sessions are generally fairly long and I know that it can be hard to fit dance practice in around family, work and other commitments, but you can always sneak in a little bit now and again....
Incidental dancing
What do you do while you are waiting for the microwave to ping, or the kettle to boil? How do you pass the time while you are on hold on the phone?
Dance. Dance all the time. Can you keep up a strong shimmy for as long as it takes the kettle to boil? What about a shimmy en releve? Did you just get up and walk when the doorbell rang? I didn't. I did a hagalla, or a travelling shimmy. In traffic jams I belly pop and beat out zill rhythms on the steering wheel. My babies have been shimmied and horizontal eighted to sleep.
How can you fit dance into your day today?
You're never too good for the basics.
It can be really tempting to keep pushing for bigger and better, fancier things. The sense of achievement from getting the hang of a tricky step is such a rush, but never forget your roots.
Keep drilling the basic, fundamental movements, do them slowly, do them in different poses, keep it precise. Good foundations will improve your dancing as a whole, but if sloppiness creeps in, that will show too.
Your regular class should be challenging, but it is an excellent exercise to visit a foundation level class fairly regularly too. I like to take beginner classes with other teachers, to hear how they break down the movements. You will always pick something new up.
Getting dance fit
Bellydance is a workout in itself, cardio, strength, flexibility, core control, plyometrics - it's all there! You can get fit for dance by just dancing, drilling moves makes you stronger and more flexible, the move gets better.
If you want a short-cut, targeted conditioning can really help by boosting your strength, control and flexibility in the right areas. For instance, if you are working on level changes, a good squat routine will give you a real boost. Many bellydancers teach classes, or have produced workout DVDs, specifically for bellydance conditioning. Datura Online has some really effective, and time efficient, conditioning videos that you can hire for a while to get that fitness boost. Or you could just join up to a regular fitness class that you enjoy.
My preference for dance conditioning is Vinyasa flow yoga and pilates. I didn't really enjoy fitness before I began dancing, but finding what works for me, and seeing how the results impact my dance has been really motivating.
Listen to the music
Arabic dance is all about musical interpretation, and all good bellydancers have a good ear for Arabic music. You can study the theory behind the music if you like, it is fascinating, but absorbing and quite hefty. I found the best way to become attuned to Arabic music is to listen to it. A lot.
To the Western ear, Middle Eastern sounds are a little alien, and sometimes jarring. It takes a while to learn to love the mizmar! I started with softer, popular music and Western fusion from easily accessible compilations, then gradually introduced more complex and challenging music as I became attuned to it. I am building music playlists for my students, one for general music theory and notable songs, one for some of the easier music I use in class. I also have some recommended compilations on the Amazon store on my site.
Listen to the music all the time, in the car, while you are washing up, let it seep into your brain quietly. Over time you will absorb the rhythms, without knowing what they are called, you will start to dance to fit those patterns because they will become familiar to you. The same goes for the phrasing and melody, the predictable structure of the music, you start to anticipate the direction of music you have never heard before, because you unconsciously recognise the pattern.
Dance too. Just throw on any track at random and see what you can do. Don't worry what it looks like, just feel the music and see what your body wants to do.
Musicality is a crucial part of a bellydancer's toolkit, and I believe it is most efficiently gained by immersing oneself in the music on an everyday basis.
So that's that. This is by no means comprehensive, and I am sure there will be dancers who feel that I have left things out, or included things that they did not find helpful, but I hope this gives you some ideas, and a little insight into the measures that I have found helpful in my own dance journey.
Part 2 - Getting the most out of your dance through focused training.
In my last post I talked about some of the basic ideas and attitudes that will help you get better at your dance.
This time we are going to look at the ongoing work, the dancing you do every week or every day, and how you can optimise your progress by using your dance time (and budget) effectively.
Defining goals for more effective dance practice
Once again I have to iterate, that "getting good" can be defined however you choose. Pick your own goals and make them achievable. If you must have a goal that is far off, or hard to reach, break it down into smaller goals.
My recommendation is that you work on a long term theme that arches over several weeks or even months. For instance you might choose "Improvising to live music" or focus on a specific performance you want to really shine at. On the other hand you might look to improve your current level, as a whole or in a specific area that you know is lagging behind.
Then break down your goal into smaller chunks, to work on for a week or a month. So you might choose to spend a month working getting better at responding to instrumentation in a specific piece of music, or a week focusing on making your sharp hipwork stronger.
Finally you have to decide how you are going to achieve those small goals. You might choose a particular song and practice dancing only to certain areas of instrumentation at one time (dance the whole song only responding to the drums, then again, but only responding to the strings, etc). For the hipwork goal you would work on drilling the specific movements, and perhaps identifying and conditioning the muscles you use for those movements.
Goals can be technical ("make my hip figure 8s bigger and smoother") or artistic ("express the emotions of Lissa Fakir"). Just take something you would like to improve upon, make it specific, achievable and try to have some way of assessing it - this could be feedback from a teacher, or you could video yourself for comparison.
Don't forget to ask your teacher for ideas, I provide students on my short courses with a selection of appropriate goals to work on for the duration of the course and I am always happy to make suggestions based on my observations during a regular class. If you are formulating your own goals, do let your teacher know what you are working on, it's great to see a student with enthusiasm and autonomy, and they may be able to support your progress in class, or offer private lessons to help you through a tough patch.
Once you are aware of what you need to work on, and how you are going to do it, you can start looking at your regular classes, at-home practice and other training options in order to spend your time as effectively as possible. We shall look more closely at that in my next installment.
