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Dancing is more or less the expression of the body in relation to the music that surrounds it.
Make no mistake about it, it is a strenuous activity, and it will put a lot of stress on your body. Naturally, we have come to accept and expect the body of a dancer to evolve in a more muscular and harmonious fashion due to the nature of the activity in of itself, however it also carries the risk of injury.
Just like every other sport out there, every activity out there, every single thing that we can do which causes our body to move, bend or flex, dancing carries the risk of injury ranging from mild pain which goes away in the next couple of days to losing the ability to walk or feel the lower half of your body.
That being said, there are a few things that we can do in order to prevent these injuries from taking place, and more or less make sure that we can carry on dancing without having to worry or make unhealthy and unwanted compromises.
The part of your body that will take the most abuse and the overall brunt of the assault will be your feet.
The pressure that is being put on your feet while dancing is not exactly comfortable, nor easy to deal with from the body’s standpoint.
Having the proper footwear will help your feet cope with the pressure and prevent swelling, joint pain and various other problems that can occur at that level.
Your standard trainers or running shoes will not suffice though, and a lot of people make this mistake.
Each and every dance style has the right kind of footwear for it, designed to cope with the moves and the pressure exerted on your feet, so make sure you know what you will need before you go off dancing.
As stated earlier, dancing will be quite taxing on your body, so make sure that the body is prepared for it.
There is a lot of movement involved in dancing, a lot of twisting, jumping, and general movement which more or less make it one of the best full body cardio workouts out there.
That being said, the muscles themselves will have their say in the end, and things like muscle fever, spasms, soreness, even cramps can occur after dancing.
And just like with every sport out there, you will have to warm up your body before you start dancing properly in order to make sure that the muscles are ready and able to perform without leaving you battered and bruised afterwards.
You have no idea how important stretching your body is, especially when it comes to intensive activities like dancing.
First and foremost, it slowly makes you more flexible by stretching the tendons and allowing for a larger range of movement.
Second, it encourages better blood flow throughout the body, thus making the muscles recover faster and build up more strength.
It is usually recommended to stretch both before and after the workout in question, in this case dancing, however it is not to be neglected.
Often times the things that save you from muscular problems is the ability of the tendons and the muscles in question to resist the stress and the pressure that is being put on them, resistance that is built up by stretching.
Despite the impression that movies have left on us, not every kind of clothing can be considered dancing gear, in fact there are some rather strict rules and good reasons for the specific dancewear of each and every style out there.
Take hip-hop dancing for example, with their wide baggy pants and general lose fitting clothes, which are designed in order to accommodate for the very fast, very expressive and at the same time very difficult moves that make up for these routines.
In contrast, take breakdancing, with clothes that are generally tight fitting and slightly elastic at the same time, which allows for better control and at the same time giving the dancer the ability to pull off all the dangerous complex moves that make up this particular style without having to worry about the clothes.
This one is more or less self-explanatory, however there is always the risk that the dancer in question might refuse to stop, opting to finish the dance and then take a breather.
There is some pain associated to dancing, and this is due to the kinds of moves and the way in which our bodies exert themselves while dancing.
Neck pain, lower back pain, abdominal pain, foot pain, these are all quite common in dancing, and dancing thought he pain is never a good idea.
Pain is more or less a form of alarm, our body’s way of telling is that there is something wrong with it and that we need to adjust something or that an injury has taken place.
If the dancer chooses to continue rather than stopping, most of the time that injury turns from minor to serious, sometimes ending the careers of the professional dancer altogether.
Water is the essence of life, this is something that we have come to know and accept throughout the ages, however without water, our bodies become weaker and weaker, to the point of collapse.
Dancing is not exactly easy, and our bodies are being pushed constantly while doing so. As a result of that, we lose water through sweat and general body functions.
If we chose not to replenish that water and simply carry on hoping that we will do fine and get some more muscle definition out of it, then we risk internal injuries, dehydration and even collapsing and blacking out.
Practice at home and fix your shortcomings
Nobody’s perfect and dancing is not that easy.
There will always be those moves that you can’t execute, those steps that you can’t get just right, those balance problems, those strong maneuvers that you can’t pull off.
That being said, you will need to practice at home, a lot. Get your parents or your friends to help you if there is something that you have doubts about, or if there are difficult maneuvers that you want to master.
Remember to focus on your shortcomings and work to improve them. Strengthen your weaknesses in order to become overall better.
Dancing will take its toll on your body, but it does not stop there.
Practicing, dieting, learning, constantly looking over videos and comparing techniques, focusing on your shortcomings, practicing almost constantly, focusing on the smallest of things, these all can and in fact will lead to severe burnout, stress and worst of all, fatigue.
When in a state of fatigue, the body is fragile, the mind is tired, and injuries can happen in a heartbeat. That maneuver that you have mastered years ago all of a sudden becomes increasingly difficult, and with the lack of concentration involved, you will be most likely to get yourself hurt.
Remember to dial it back a little, take breaks, focus on something else for a bit, take some time for yourself, and from time to time completely isolate yourself for dancing for an entire day.
This will give your body time to recover, your mind will be able to rest and the knowledge that you have gained in the previous days or even weeks will be able to sink in and stay with you.
With these simple tips in mind, you will be able to prevent injury from taking place and more or less dance with added safety, comfort and confidence.