Body Isolation; Importance and Use
WHY
Body isolation is extremely important. When you see someone that impresses you with elegance and smoothness, you can guarantee that they have excellent isolation. By learning the basics, you can start owning the dance!
WHAT
It is controlled body movement. I'm sure you have seen many videos or even dancers isolate their bodies. Sign up for a body isolation class with me at dancecherylwu@gmail.com .
WHO
Body Isolation is versatile across all genres of dance and for everyone! Whether you're an aspiring dancer,an athlete, a parent, or grandparent, we can all isolate our muscles.
HOW
Master one body part at a time before moving on. You will realize doing small, precise movements require much more control of our muscles, thus I would recommend practicing big movements more often till the isolation feels natural. Rule of thumb: Train the flexibility of our movement, before fine tuning it with precision :)
WHEN
Practise your body isolation anytime, anywhere! Whether you are standing, or sitting, or squatting, or lying down, there are always more than enough forms of body isolation you can do. I have even practised while showering, during an examination, and on public transport!
BENEFITS
Body Isolation is a form of dynamic warm up too!
Why Dynamic Warm Ups?
1: Dynamic stretching: means there is continuous movement within your body, even while stretching. The purpose of warming up is to prepare your muscles. You need to increase your muscles core temperature and dynamic stretching can accomplish this. If you only do static stretching, this can lead to your muscles’ core temperature dropping. Although your muscles may feel stretched and loosened, they will actually be less elastic and not as comfortable to dance with.
2: Dynamic stretching will prepare your muscles for high intensity activities. While static stretching warm up may loosen the muscles, it has really has no relevance to what you are actually about to perform. Whether you are going to dance a fast paced Salsa or slow Rumba, your body needs to be prepared for the intensity of the discipline ahead..Warming up with dynamic stretching will prepare your body for the different types of movement that will be done.
3: Dynamic stretching gets you mentally prepared for the fun ahead! A static stretching warm up is more relaxing then anything else. This can trick your body into a relaxation mode and can be a difficult transition from rest period into active mode. This may increase chances of injury.
4: Dynamic stretching helps to improve the range of motion around your joints. This reduces chance for injury. Over time this will improve your dance and maximize your movements due to the increase in flexibility of your joints.It is clear that dynamic stretching over powers static stretching when preparing for any type of physical activity. This is should be your warm up routine. A warm up not incorporating dynamic stretching does not fully prepare the muscles, and can potentially inhibit your experience in dance.