Smoothstyle Dance Studio

- posted by Maria

A recent conversation with a dance student/friend got me thinking about how important biofeedback is in the movement-learning process. As you read this, think about whether you are getting enough biofeedback in your dance training.

What is Biofeedback?

Simply put, biofeedback is a process through which a person receives information about the body’s activity. Biofeedback is used in rehabilitation therapy as well as in sports. We can broaden the concept to apply to movement training such as dance.

Examples of Biofeedback

Certain machines – such as electrocardiographs – are designed to provide biofeedback on functions such as muscle activity, temperature, oxygenation and other body functions/modes. The idea is to provide the individual with knowledge about how their activity, movement, exercises etc. are affecting the body – particularly parts that are difficult to mentally access, such as the heart or a very specific injured muscle.

In the context of learning or training in a dance, biofeedback might include:

• Touch – to help a student identify the correct body part to engage or move, a coach can physically touch that part of a student’s body to help the brain learn more quickly how to engage that body part or group of muscles.
• Exercise – again to help one identify a body part and whether it is being properly engaged, a coach can offer a student exercises that help the brain to isolate that body part and train it to move in the correct way.
• Video – while not really “biofeedback” in the strict sense, I feel that video provides a student with valuable information about the body. In particular, watching a video of one’s own dancing is an effective way to help the brain connect how an action or movement FEELS with how it looks, and to make appropriate adjustments.
• Visual examples – often, a coach can mimic your movement to show you what you are doing, side-by-side with the movement that is trying to be achieved. Like video (but faster and more specific), this can help the brain connect what the body is doing/feeling with how it looks.

Become Body-Aware

Proprioception is the clinical term for “body awareness”. Some of us are more naturally body-aware than others, and the greater one’s proprioception is, the faster and easier it is to learn and assimilate new movement habits in our bodies.

No what matter your current level of body awareness is, the brain can be trained to increase its proprioception. These are some activities that I have found to improve body awareness:

When I teach, I also like to provide biofeedback though touch, exercises and visual example, and I encourage students to let me video tape them (although very few take me up on the offer!).

- posted by Maria

In the past few weeks I’ve had the opportunity to immerse myself in LEARNING again. This is thanks to exceptional Advanced-Level instruction from Jordan Frisbee, Tatiana Mollman, Michael Kielbasa and Jessica Cox at the Montreal WCS Fest event earlier in October, as well as a weekend of Balboa in Ottawa, with Joel Plys just this past weekend. I am so thankful for these opportunities, both of which came to my own back yard. For once I did not have to take time off work and pay for hotels; I was able to focus my investment on really great instruction.

Jordan & Tatiana

It was a thrill to take a private lesson from Jordan & Tatiana (yes, both of them together, all by myself!). I realized how much I have missed them, as they aren’t at many of the events I attend any more. In my early West Coast Swing development, they were very present for me and have remained models and inspirations, but I’d gotten out of touch with them. It was a privilege to hear directly from them about their approaches and thought processes rather than just watching them in videos and attempting to surmise what they are doing and why.

Michael Kielbasa

Michael Kielbasa brings to his WCS and his teaching a background of extensive dance training (Ballroom, Latin, WCS). It really showed in the private lesson that David and I took with him. I’m a bit of a kinetics wonk and I loved how he was able to break down the minutiae of his movement as a leader. His perspectives have given me a new way to see and feel what my favorite WCS leaders are doing to achieve their look, and to understand what they enjoy from a follower.

The Teacher vs. The Dancer Brain

One of the big things I took away from the WCS instruction was that I spend too much time thinking in “Novice” mode because of the amount of teaching I do at that level. I need to shift brains between teaching and dancing – and I’ve started to!

Balboa

As for Joel Plys, I don’t get the chance to dance Balboa much, yet I have loved the dance since the first time I saw an unknown (to me) couple dancing it at a local Swing dance about 6 years ago. The weekend of workshops he taught here, assisted by Ottawa’s own Andrea Pelletier, focused mostly on Beginners but I attended them all anyway and was very happy to find consistency between his ideas about dance connection, my own, Jordan, Tatiana’s and Michael’s. The way I had learned Balboa did not jive with what I believe to be foundational connection concepts for any partner dance – expanding my “world view” with Joel was a relief because it FIT with my own beliefs.

From Joel’s group classes, I also learned what I think must be the epitome of patience when teaching beginners – he was SO good at it. It reminded me how much repetition beginners need, how many different ways an instructor needs to find to communicate the same idea to beginner dancers. He also used some techniques in talking to Beginners that I had not experienced before and which I might try out myself. In the private lesson I took with Joel, it was wonderful to tweak a few “minor” things that made a huge difference in my ability to be more sensitive to the feeling of that dance – now I can stop beating myself up when I “miss” leads in Balboa – and soon I hope to stop missing any leads at all!

Making the Connection(s)

The biggest take-away for me from ALL of this instruction was that my personal approach and beliefs about connection in dance (any dance) align with those of the top dancers whom I respect, and I will continue to discourage the use of (literally) weighted terms like “light” and “heavy” to describe connection and instead focus on (a) effectively matching connection and (b) using connection as a TWO-way communication channel.

Because I spend a lot of time teaching and training in dance, it’s a mental gear-shift to become The Student again. I love it – I eat it up. One of the ways I become a better teacher (a process that I hope is ongoing and will never end) is to experience other excellent teachers as they teach. All five instructors listed above are very good at teaching and each brings a different experience, background approach to it. (Not every great dancer can teach. Not every great teacher is a great dancer).

It’s also fantastic to be The Student again because it takes me out of my own head, which is where one spends a lot of time when one is teaching and training, both of which can be quite analytic activities. Going fully into “Learning Mode” re-calibrates me – it feels settling. Being a student again also gives me new things to try and new ways of doing things that have become such habits that I don’t think about them at all anymore. Most importantly, it reminds me why I dance and why I teach: because I absolutely LOVE to!

Posted by Maria

Cross-training is a concept from sport, used particularly by runners:

“Cross-training (also known as conditioning) refers to an athlete training in sports other than the one that athlete competes in with a goal of improving overall performance.” – Wikipedia

“Cross training is a great way to condition different muscle groups, develop a new set of skills, and reduce boredom that creeps in after months of the same exercise routines. Cross training also allows you the ability to vary the stress placed on specific muscles or even your cardiovascular system.” – About.com

This concept can (and should!) also be applied to dance.

While many of our students “cross-train” between types of partner dances, it is valuable to think outside of dance when considering other activities you can do to enhance dance ability and skills, as well as improving fitness. Personally, my regular conditioning includes strength, balance and flexibility training 3 times per week, as well as cardiovascular exercise (running or elliptical machine) 2-3 times per week. I also frequently try to mix things up – for the past 13 months, I trained in pole fitness. Currently, I am taking Modern Dance classes.

Cross-Training Ideas

Here are some examples of popular activities that you can do to cross-train, and why these can help improve your dance skills as a bonus. Note that you should always check with your doctor or health professional before engaging in new physical activities.

Strength & balance training

Strength training

If, when you hear about “strength training”, you picture big, beefy guys grunting under huge weight stacks, it’s time to update your knowledge! My personal regimen is very creative and using weights is only a portion of what it includes. Every one of my workouts is unique and may include balancing, lifting my own body weight, suspension exercises, throwing balls, crawling on the floor, and – yes – dumbbells and weight stacks, too.

Improving muscle strength makes it possible for the body to successfully do more things. It can also make you a better dance partner: strength helps leaders better support followers in weight-assisted moves, while followers need strength to better support themselves in a dance. Other benefits include stronger bones, which is important as we age.

In Ottawa, I train with Stacey Segstro at Iron Rose Personal Training.

Cardiovascular training

Most people think of cardio training as a way to manage their body weight, but it’s also important for maintaining a healthy heart, lungs, and for endurance. In Ottawa, I love to jog on our incredible pathway system. Elliptical training machines provide an ideal cardiovascular workout if you need to avoid impact. Walking, hiking, roller-blading, skating – any of these fun activities can provide a good cardiovascular workout if they increase your heart rate for at least 20 minutes.

Yoga pose

If you’re just starting out, I recommend getting guidance from a personal trainer first. The Running Room offers running and walking clinics throughout Ottawa.

Yoga

Yoga is a truly complete form of exercise. It works strength, balance, alignment and flexibility. It can reduce and eliminate muscular-skeletal pain and strengthen you after injury. And, if you are open to it, it can also help you learn to clear your mind of distractions and negative thinking, which is very helpful in competitive settings.

I highly recommend the classes at Orleans Yoga Shala, particularly Derek Kendrick’s classes.

Ballet

Jazz dancing

Ballet and its concepts can be found in some form in most ballroom and contemporary dance styles – ballet forms are often either incorporated into or deliberately rejected by many other forms of dance. Ballet classes can introduce you to useful foundation technique and terminology, and can improve some near-universal skills such as posture, extension, turnout and alignment. As a bonus, you will be able to more greatly appreciate ballet when you see it danced!

In Ottawa, The School of Dance offers Adult Ballet classes. Capital City Dance also offers drop-in and recreational classes.

Modern, Jazz, Contemporary dance

These forms of dance have become popular thanks to TV shows like So You Think You Can Dance. Like ballet classes, you will be introduced to foundation technique and terminology. You will also learn and practice emotional expression through movement to music, and you will learn about and expand your range of movement and ability to communicate with movement. As a bonus, you will better appreciate these forms of dance when you see them performed!

The School of Dance also offers Adult classes in these forms. Capital City Dance also offers drop-in and recreational classes.

Acrobatic fitness

Me, playing on aerial silks!

Acrobatic forms of fitness are gaining in popularity and availability. Examples include Pole Fitness, Aerial Silks, Trampolining and so on. My experience with Pole and Silks forced my brain to “re-learn” how to control my body in uncommon positions, particularly upside-down.

These forms of activity also improve strength, flexibility and balance in unexpected ways. They can also be vigorous and risky, so if you’re interested, start with an introductory class or two. Cherry Blossom Pole Dancing Studio offers “Pole Teaser” and Co-Ed drop-in classes.

The new Athletic Club at Trainyards offers interesting group fitness classes, such as suspension yoga, which uses silk ribbons/hammocks.

Other forms of partner dance

Studying other forms of partner dance can be both frustrating and rewarding: it is often difficult to “switch modes” between dances and exchange the habits of one dance for another. However, when it is successful, this type of cross-training definitely enriches the partnering and lead/follow experience.

Don’t Forget to Stretch!

Read my article on the importance of stretching and be sure to incorporate stretching into your daily routine.