Six Exercise to help you become a better dancer

Dancing is a great way to lose weight, stay active and maintain your health. But when you want to take your dancing skills to the next level, you need to occasionally look beyond the dance floor. Practice is the No. 1 way to improve your dancing. But there are also three areas you can focus on in your workouts to improve your ability to dance.

 

Strength

Dancing requires strength. Ballroom dancing especially requires leg strength to execute the sometimes complex ballroom maneuvers. Try these exercises to build strong legs that will keep your on your feet for a night full of dancing.

 

  1. Squats. It’s a classic for a reason. While it primarily works your thighs and hips, squats are a vital exercise for allover lower body strength.

  2. Calf raises. These exercises target your lower leg and will help you build balance, another component to being a better dancer.

 

Endurance

Making it through a long practice or dancing through the night requires endurance. Choose your favorite cardio exercise and do it three times a week to build your overall endurance. Don’t have a favorite? Try jogging for a do-it-anywhere, anytime exercise. Try these non-cardio exercises that also build endurance.

 

  1. Planks. This classic move builds your core muscles. But it helps build your endurance when you hold it for longer periods of time.

  2. Wall sits. Another great exercise to build endurance when you hold it for longer periods of time. This will also build your core and make your body stronger and more agile for better dancing.

 

Flexibility

Stretching those muscles is important. On one hand, they help prevent injury as a dancer. On the other hand, they increase your flexibility over time which will help reduce your chances of injury every day and make mastering ballroom dance moves that much easier. Try these exercises for increased flexibility.

 

  1. Seated butterfly stretch. This exercise is great for increasing flexibility in your hips and abs. Both of these muscles groups are vital to be a better dancer.

  2. Cat and cow. These classic yoga moves increase flexibility in your middle back and across your spine. This move will also help you gain stability for more control as a dancer.