Tag Archives: dance

Ballet is for the NFL

Most people say dance is “stupid”. Some dancers like me say it takes commitment and strength. And it’s true.   It takes no less commitment than football, baseball or basketball. The truth is, the people who say dancing is stupid, easy, and pointless can’t dance. And why they can’t dance? Because it’s too hard for them! However, some NFL players can say that dance means something because they take classes themselves. No joke, players in the NFL take ballet or other dance classes to strengthen their calf and thigh muscles!

Don’t believe me? Well, an interview was done for Sports Illustrated  about the secrets to NFL players staying in shape and preparing for games. It all started in the 1970’s when a wide receiver Lynn Swan announced that he had taken  yoga and ballet classes to prepare for his games. Ever since then, NFL coaches have pushed players into taking ballet classes for strength. I don’t blame them! As a dancer myself, I have been dancing for 11 of the 14 years of my life and I have a good amount of calf muscle and arm strength as well.

Dance is stupid you say? Well your favorite NFL teams take it to improve and do some of the same exercises that I do. Try standing on the balls of your feet without holding onto anything for 2 minutes straight! That is what strengthens their Achilles tendon. Bahtmahs, (high kicks)? Try doing those for an entire 3 minutes. That helps the kickers of the team and also strengthens hip muscles. Pleaes, (kind of like squats but harder)? Yeah, they do those too. And they aren’t easy!

Dance and yoga are both hard. No way in any shape or form are they simple. Even senior tailback DeAngelo Williams, a training junkie who gained 1,948 yards and scored 22 touchdowns last year said “I would rather do sprints and up-downs than that yoga,” . That says something! The whole team from the University of Memphis has to take yoga and ballet classes for flexibility and agility. They even admit, “Women can do a lot of things men can’t do,”. So think twice before saying dance or yoga are for sissies… Because you don’t really get it until you try it like many NFL stars have.

~Ariana Pepper

Are dancers going down?

Snap, crackle, pop, those words may be the catch phrase to your favorite cereal, but for dancers those sounds are all too frightening when they are in class or performing. Dance related injuries are no joke.  They can be either short term or long term depending on the severity of the injuries and the healing time of the person. The most common injuries are usually caused by over use, and the areas for dancers that are most prone to complications tend to be the foot, ankle, lower leg, lower back, and hip.

In the past I have had issues with my feet due to the fact that I have very high arches, this causes me to have excruciating pain and cramps all throughout my foot and calf. To prevent this from happening often I have to know my limits, and ice my foot as soon as I feel any kind of pain. I am very lucky as to not having to go through great lengths to prevent or heal my injury. But, others are not as lucky, my friend has had to go through many extremes just to bring down her pain level. She has gone through physical therapy, dropping her activity level, and having to wear a brace. Also, if a professional dancer becomes hurt their career is most likely over no matter what. Unfortunately these injuries are hard to get rid of but not as hard to prevent!

Luckily, dance experts have figured out ways to prevent injuries and have shared their tips! Some of the best tips are to stretch and warm up. Also, for new dancers they need to build their muscles and slowly work on flexibility, because if they are pushed to hard to soon it can be very harmful. Another common one is shin splints; they are severe pain in the front portion of the calf and are caused by jumping on hard surfaces, landing incorrectly and poor flexibility. These can be prevented by making sure you always land properly when jumping! Thank goodness for the people who figured out how to prevent serious dance related injuries!

~Sydney Korman

Dance

A true dancer would dance anywhere, and to any music. If you really have a passion for music, then becoming a dancer would be perfect. You can find dancing in a lot of activities. Cheerleading is one of them. The key to being a good dancer is not only the moves, but of course the patterns in the beats. While dancing you must maintain good posture and don’t try and copy anyone else. When I listen to music all I think about is the dance moves that goes with the song. I‘m not an expert at dancing but I love it so much and have such great passion for it.

The biggest part of dancing is to relax. You could not know any moves, and might do them awfully, but if you relax and get into it then you will never look bad. Not caring about anyone else is the perfect mind set. Try and “become the music” even though that sounds crazy. Your body will dance its best when you feel calm. Lastly, just smile, because when other people see how happy you are, they will see your love for what you do!

~Kaley O’Connor