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Drink Plenty of Water

It can be easy amidst the chaos to forget to drink lots of water. With all the hot chocolates and cheeky tipples flying around, don’t forget to keep up your water intake.

Drinking lots of water helps boost your metabolism which helps you digest the festive treats more efficiently.

Remember that Something is Better than Nothing

It is important to rest over the festive period. Don’t set highly ambitious goals but do keep your body moving. However, don’t be too hard on yourself. You could also combine your workouts with socialising. Buddy up with a friend and commit to working out together. Exercising with a friend is a great way to remain motivated and ensure you see your fitness goal through. It is also a fantastic opportunity for a catch up.

Regular and consistent training is key to maintaining your fitness levels, even if it is short and sweet.

Perhaps do a ballet barre to keep things ticking over – don’t forget our videos from the first lockdown are still on YouTube – you can access them here. For those wanting to maintain their pointework strength, make sure you do lots of slow rises; these will help your ankles to stay strong. You can even do them whilst cleaning your teeth!

Alternatively, try something different – cross-training for dancers is really beneficial and it’s always good to try something new.

Steps for Making the Perfect Bun

The follow steps show how to make the perfect bun:

• Step 1: Brush Your Hair Thoroughly
  Get it free of tangles and then brush it back to put it in a ponytail. You want it to be as straight and even as possible. Spraying a little water can make the style easier to manage at this stage.
• Step 2: Make a Ponytail
  Make a ponytail that sits at the crown of your head. An easy way to see if it is as the right height is if you can just see it when facing a mirror.
• Step 3: Twist the Ponytail
  Next, twist the ponytail to pull the hairs together like a rope. Twist it as tight as possible without hurting as this will make the next stage easier.
• Step 4: Pin the Bun
  Wrap the hair into a bun and fasten it with hair pins. Make sure you use enough pins so it stays in place.

Reinforcing the Hold & Fit

Once you have made the perfect ballet bun, you can use a few methods to ensure it remains tight to your head and looking smart, including:

• Tip 1: Use Hairspray or a Hair Net
  Hairspray or a hair net will keep it tight and help stop it from coming apart when you move. This can also be used to manage frizzy or wispy areas.
• Tip 2: Apply Texturising Spray or Water
  Using texturing spray or water before making the bun can make doing the style easier, especially if your hair has been washed recently.

Types of Food Required

Nutrition for dancers is vital for optimising performance and keeping healthy. Therefore, it is crucial to maintain a healthy relationship with food and get everything you need to keep energy levels high.

The essential types of food needed include:

• Carbohydrates
• Fibre
• Protein
• Fat

Fats are an essential part of any nutritional plan. You can get unsaturated fats from food such as seeds, olives, fatty fish and avocados. Fibre assists in the digestion and effective absorption of these sugars.

Your body gets the sugars it needs for energy from carbohydrates. Eating carbohydrates will fuel your muscles and should be eaten before, during and after activity. You also need plenty of protein to ensure you get amino acids to help in recovery after exercise.

Importance of Nutrition for Dancers

Your performance in both classes and performances relies on eating enough of the right types of foods. If you don’t consume enough, then you’re more likely to be tired and get exhausted quickly.

There are also many vitamins and minerals that are essential elements of a balanced nutritional plan. These include:

• B Vitamins
• Vitamins A, C & E
• Vitamins D & K
• Calcium
• Iron

Calcium is vital for bone strength and growth. If you don’t have enough calcium in your diet, this could lead to a higher chance of bone stress fractures. Iron is also essential in order to transport oxygen to your blood which keeps energy levels high.

All vitamins play an important part in any diet. They provide the body with everything it needs to get what it requires from the minerals it ingests.

nue improving your back flexibility.

What is Contemporary Dance?

Born in the 20^th Century, contemporary dance is versatile and heavily features improvisation. Unlike the structured nature of ballet, this form of dance conveys the freedom of movement.

It allows dancers to move their bodies in their own way and focus on emotional and physical expression. At the end of the 19^th Century, several dancers started to develop their techniques, focusing less on the formal and traditional structure of ballet.

How Did it Develop?

Between 1900 and 1950, ‘modern dance’ emerged. Innovated by dancer Martha Graham, modern dance focuses on breathing, movement, contraction and muscle release. Unlike modern dance, contemporary combines genres including modern, jazz and ballet.

A student of Martha Graham, dancer Alvin Ailey incorporated African American ideas into contemporary dance. By the 1940s, another of Graham’s students Merce Cunningham removed dance from its traditional setting and introduced the idea that movement could be random. Cunningham is often known as the ‘father of contemporary dance’.

Plenty Of Space

Before your class begins, make sure you have plenty of space. You will require a large area for dancing, so you want to be clear from any obstructions. If possible, we recommend that you move some of your furniture to achieve this. That way, you are safe from any risk of injury or damage.

Make sure your space is well-lit and your camera is angled so your teacher can see you properly. If the room is too dull or the camera is poorly positioned, they cannot help you improve your performance.

Wear Your Uniform

Wearing your dance class uniform will help you feel like you’re in the studio. Furthermore, it is specifically designed for dancing so your movement isn’t restricted.

If you have long hair, we recommend putting it in a bun. This is especially helpful if it’s a ballet class. You don’t want your hair flicking into your face when spotting on turns.

New Orleans In The Late 1800s

A vague and disputed historical timeline, most agree that the history of Jazz begins in New Orleans in the late 1800s. A cosmopolitan city where West African musical traditions were mixing with European harmonic musical structures.

With the technology for recording music improving, artists such as Scott Joplin, WC Handy and Jelly Roll Morton began experimenting with this new sound. They used old military instruments from pawn shops and popularised ragtime, blues and jazz.

The Swing Era

The soloist performances of Louis Armstrong and others were overtaken in popularity in the swing-era between 1935 and 1946 by larger bands. Consisting of approximately 18 musicians, these bands brought swing to the mainstream during this period of the history of jazz.

During this time Benny Goodman performed with the first racially integrated band in 1938. This mainstream integration of bands did a lot to promote progressive thought on racial equality.

Requires Little Equipment

Unlike many other activities, ballet does not require expensive equipment to get started. You will need the basics such as leotard, tights and ballet shoes, but these shouldn’t come to more than about £20 – £30.

The only other equipment required is a studio, which is provided by your dance school!

Affordable Prices and Discounts

Many artistic or sporting activities have to be taught/coached one-on-one and can cost upwards of £20 an hour. Ballet classes are usually group lessons that are great value for money and at The Oundle School of Ballet they start at £4 per half hour class at the age of 3 or 4 years old. We also offer a 20% discount to pupils who do more than one hour of ballet a week and for families with more than one child dancing with us, we also offer a 20% sibling discount.

Turn Up On Time

Being late is poor ballet etiquette and disrespectful to your instructor. You will be expected to warm up before you begin and being late limits your space at the barre – where all classes begin.

Some instructors will shut the studio doors, meaning that if you are late, that is it. If you are late, please enter the studio as quietly as possible if your instructor allows.

Dress Neatly

You aren’t required to wear a leotard in an open class, but you should dress neatly so we can still see your position. Don’t wear anything too baggy, but also don’t wear anything too revealing. Ballet training involves lifting your legs, bending forwards and backwards, and jumping.

Our beginner classes require flat ballet shoes. If you are unsure, talk to your teacher before you turn up and we will give you the information you need.

Take Your Time

You will be very eager to throw yourself back in to exercising, but you should take your time, so you don’t cause an injury. If it’s been a while, you will have lost significant strength, but what has been lost can be regained.

When getting back into a routine, you may also be tempted to overhaul your diet. Don’t make too many changes at once as it can mentally overwhelm you. Over time, you can start to make more changes.

Exercise Regularly

Feeling like you’re back to your old self will take a while, but this is normal. Exercising regularly but not heavily will help you get back into a routine. Don’t expect to pick up from where you left off.

Improves Focus

Regular ballet dance classes will aid in enhancing your child’s focus. Dance can help in strengthening the brain alongside improving cognitive abilities in children. Ballet is one of the most effective ways of releasing built-up energy and due to its calming effects, it enables children to focus, leading to better performance which transfers to other aspects of their life.

Physical Health

Perfect for keeping children fit, ballet classes help to improve posture, co-ordination and energy – to name a few. The classes are gentle and relaxing yet provide an overall body workout engaging the body’s core. Regular classes will help children become tuned in to their bodies and improve posture, which will impact positively in their everyday life. Practicing dance regularly enhances the brain and combines gross and fine motor skills which lead to better mobility and flexibility right into adulthood.

Lifelong Skills

A great to way socialise and meet new people, ballet classes also teach children how to work as a team which is a skill they will need in everyday life. Ballet has been shown to encourage empathy and better connections with others due to the synchronicity that is learned during the classes. Starting ballet classes from an early age can help motivate kids to stay active as they grow into adults.

Brain Development

Learning routines and memorising moves through dance is great for allowing children to develop their mental strength. Ballet requires memory training and coordination and allows them to explore movement, as well as teaching dedication and discipline. Regular classes will help children learn and practice these very important life skills which they can then transfer into everyday life activities such as school and work. Creative movement is beneficial to a child’s growth and development and through dancing, they will awaken their inner creativity.

Dance is a great way to keep their brain in tip-top shape!