Dance Better Now

A technique for better dance movement: what is the Alexander technique?

For the past couple of months I have been seeing an Alexander to help improve my mobility for general benefit and to improve my dance. This post is about the benefits I had on doing this so that you can decide if it is something for you.

The Alexander Technique

The Alexander technique is a system that helps you move more efficiently so that you can perform your tasks (whatever they be) more efficiently. It was developed by Frederick Matthias Alexander who was a stage actor who had troubles keeping his voice throughout a play despite all doctors at the time telling him he was in sound health. After watching himself in the mirror as he practiced acting he noticed oddities in his posture. By focusing on his posture he found his issues was resolved. He later saw others with the same issue and noticed that by focusing upon posture and self awareness that anyone could improve their efficiency and their overall well-being.

He developed a system that could be used by what he called 'teachers' to impart better habits of movement upon his 'students'. I am unsure why he did not call them patients, but it might be because it is about teaching people better habits.

The typical session involves you taking various positions, standing or sitting or laying down, while the teacher will place hands on you to encourage the relaxation of certain muscle groups. They will also ask you to conduct certain movement as they guide your body. There will also be some imaging techniques, which are very familiar to most dancers. Finally, in my case at least, you get some exercises to do at home.

The best thing about the technique for most is that the method is very easy on you. You spend much or your time laying down so you get the benefits with little effort. 

Benefits

As a dancer I like to think I am fairly aware of my body and movement. I have been working on that to improve my dance for some time now. However, I still found more awareness from these sessions. Especially with parts of my body my teachers of the past have mentioned. Especially letting my shoulders drop. Since doing these sessions I have:

• Felt less pain when in general - we all have aches and pains at times
• Been able to adjusts what I do to limit the onset of fatigue and strain - most notably when walking while on holiday in  Tasmania, which is where Frederick Matthias Alexander was born, so that was poetic
• Felt more grounded in my feet - I have some pronation, which now feels reduced
• Felt less aches when dancing
• Felt more control over my posture when dancing

Recommendations

I would recommend this to anyone - it worked for me so it should work for you. Even if you do not get benefit from it, you at least know you have worked out that you're in good shape. However, you will probably have some issues that can be resolved. For dance I would especially recommend it if you have any of the following issues:

• Contracted shoulders
• Hunched posture
• Poor hip movement
• You fall into steps at times
• You ever feel pain from dancing for longer periods
• Stiffness in your back
• Poor head position

Where to find a practitioner

In these days of the internet it is very easy to type Alexander technique and you local area into a search engine and find someone near you. I found one a block away. 

More information

This is a pretty good article on how to be a better dancer from the perspective of an Alexander teacher - The Biggest Mistake Dancers Make. It shows both what Alexander teachers know and gives advice on how to dance better.

Symmetry in the body for better dance

 

Why do we want symmetry?

 Symmetry is naturally pleasing to the eye. We are actually much better at noticing symmetry unconsciously than we realise. Not only in static things, but also when they move. That means we like to look at people who look symmetrical, but we like it even more when they move symmetrically too. So if your body is symmetrical in appearance, then you will look good. However, if your body is symmetrical in the way it moves, then you will look even better when you dance.

 That’s why we want symmetry in the body – it will make us look better (and feel better to our partners) when we dance.

Why are we not symmetrical?

 There are many reasons for not being symmetrical. By understanding the different causes we can think more about the best ways to correct for them.

 No one is really symmetrical in the first place. Most of us are right handed or left handed so that means we have spent year always leading with one side of the body. This side will have a bit more strength and control of movement. Just this alone can cause in imbalance.

 We also have other on symmetries in the body. A common one is the eyes. Most of us have one eye stringer than the other. Do you find that text is harder to read with one eye or the other? When one eye is stringer it can cause your head to turn slightly so that you take more advantage of it. This can put your shoulders out, then your back, and then you whole body is unsymmetrical.

 There are some things that come from habit. Do you lean your arm on the door when driving? Do you always sleep on one side of your body? Are there any unsymmetrical actions you repeat each day on symmetrical positions that you often sit or stand in? There probably are – we all have them in our lives somewhere. Carrying a brief case or bad could be one. It’s only small, but if you do it every day, then the longer you’ve lived the more unsymmetrical it could make you.

 If you can think of something like this in your life, then try doing the opposite. Carry your hand bag in another hand, cross your legs the other way, clap with the other hand rotated forward slightly of the opposite one, lean to the other side when you sit. How different does it feel? The more different it feels, the likely you have become unsymmetrical.

What we can do about symmetry?

 We can’t avoid all of the activities that might cause non-symmetry. Also, we can’t really become ambidextrous. Nevertheless, you might want to see if some of you habits can be reversed for a period. Simply putting the effort in will tell your unconscious mind to focus on symmetry.

 However, what is probably most effective is engaging in some exercises that promote this symmetry.  Here are some suggestions.

Franklin balls – these are balls that you stand on to improve your balance. There is one per foot so each side of the body needs to work.

Exercise – if you’re going to exercise be mindful of choosing exercises that encourage symmetry. For example machine weights will let one side of the body work harder than the other. Consider free weights – one for each hand or leg – if you’re into weights. Lunges are ok too, because you can do one per side, but squats not as much. This doesn’t mean drop an exercise that doesn’t offer complete decoupling between sides, just make sure you have some that do.

Try to be symmetrical – look at yourself in the mirror. Are you straight; is one shoulder high then the other; what about your head’s angle or your hips? Are there items in your environment that might encourage non-symmetry that you can replace?

Get a massage – many will be up for this one. If you have more tension in one side than the other, then get all the tension removed. Then you’ll be more symmetrical.

 Try any of the above and you will get an improvement in your dancing. Not only that, but you will feel better. Not to mention look better too.

The quickest way to get perfect balance and dance better - with balls!

These balls are the key to better balance and excellent dance.

Do you ever have issues with keeping your balance when you:

• Move your weight from one foot to the other
• Place your feet along the same line
• Turn with your feet together
• Turn
• Lunge or dip
• Do a hesitation
• Maintain weight on one foot for a period
• Take a tall posture on your toes and hold it
• Take a large step

If you do, then there is a simple fix.

I once had these issues and found that Franklin balls were the easiest way to improve my balance, and dance better.

 

Get yourself a pair and try the following exercises:

• Simply stand on them (with the balls of your feet)
• While standing on them do a squat
• While doing the squat – keep your hands on your head
• Step on to one then off and on again with the other foot

Because you are standing on the Franklin balls, you are much less secure. This means you need to work harder to keep balance, and you can work this skill in a shorter period. If you do the above repeatedly for only 5 minutes a day, then you will notice improvements. I did them while watching TV. You too can do it while watching TV, or listening to music, or talking on the phone, or talking with you loved one about their day, or anything that uses a different part of the brain.

Do it in bare feet so that you also improve your ability to use the sensations from your feet to correct your balance.

You will see improvements in a week.

 

PS

You can buy Franklin balls in many places. I provide a link to make it easy. I should also let you know that if you do buy via the link, then I get some compensation. It’s good to be open about these things.

The bare foot dancer

A key to dance is balance and a key to balance is placing your weight over your foot correctly. To do this, you need to be able to feel weight movement within your feet to the smallest degree. Increasing this ability will make you a better dancer.

Your foot is actually made to do this. There are around 100,000 - 200,000 exteroceptors (nerves) in the sole of each foot. This makes the feet one of the most sensitive parts of the body – it’s in the same category of sensitivity as the hands. This makes sense; the feet are our connection with the environment and stop us from stepping on dangerous items. Because of this sensitivity, we rely on our feet a lot to maintain balance. However, as well as losing this sensitivity as we age, we can lose it from wearing shoes. The fact is we do not need to consider the signals we get from our feet as much as we do when we have no shoes. One of the major causes of falls as we age is our inability to sense with our feet. Imagine how detrimental this could be for your dancing. As good as shoes are, they have their downside.

Let’s now talk about increasing the sensitivity of your feet.

No shoes

This is an easy one. Simply take you shoes off and walk around on diverse surfaces – outside in a part is ideal. This will make your brain wake up to the signals from your feet so that they can be used to improve your balance.

Balance exercise

This one is a bit more involved. Stand on one foot and close your eyes. By closing your eyes you need to focus more on the signals from your feet to maintain balance. Focus on the shifts in pressure you feel in the sole of your foot. By using the pressure shifts you increase your brains tendency to be aware of this information and use it.

Engage in either of the above and notice how much more grounded you are when you dance next time. Also be more aware of your feet when you dance for better balance.

Improving balance for dance

Do you ever have troubles maintaining balance while dancing? Do you get dizzy sometimes, and feel that reduces your dance ability?

If you do, then take a look at this. It has a whole section dedicated to improving balance and removing dizziness.

 

 

---- A letter from a fellow dancer ----

Hello (Clint),

How does one develop strong balance for standard dances?   Are there any specific exercises? 

 

Thanks,

 

Rebecca

 

---- Response ----

Hi Rebecca,

Thank you for the email. A lot of people have issues with balance and dizziness while dancing, and want to know what they can do about it quickly.  So this is definitely a good question to discuss.

Fortunately, balance is just like fitness, flexibility and mental ability. If you exercise it, then it gets better. Obviously the question is: what kind of exercises?

Much of balance comes from the feet so anything to strengthen them will help. You can also subject yourself to lots of spinning or vigorous movement that normally makes you dizzy. You will eventually get over this and be more balanced. It's a bit like sailors getting their sea legs.

Probably the easiest way I have found is using Franklin balls.

http://franklinmethod.wordpress.com/media/balls-and-bands/

When I want to improve my balance I just stand on them for 10 or so minutes each night while watching TV. Once that's easy, try standing on one foot or moving more while standing on them. People normally notice an improvement within a couple of weeks, but we're all different.

How can surfing make you a better dancer?

Just before writing this post I was at a conference on engineering education at the Gold Coast in Australia. Before the actual conference started in earnest, I went for a surfing lesson. It had been a while since I had last been surfing so I thought it would be good to start with a lesson.

While I was surfing I was struck by the similarities between dance and surfing.

It also occurred to me that surfing could be a good hobby for developing attributes that would make you a good dancer. In this post I will explain why I think this and how you could use surfing to improve your dance.

There are obviously differences between dance and surfing, but there were two major similarities that I noticed:

• The use of small balancing muscles
• Extended awareness beyond my body

Balancing muscles

As time progressed while surfing, I noticed that my balance was starting to drop off along with my ability to move smoothly from one position to another. I looked like I was tired, but I felt fine. The reason for this was that my large muscles were fine, but the smaller muscles that were now being worked harder had fatigued. Because they were small, they did not make me feel tired. Even though I didn’t feel I needed it, a short rest before paddling out to try catching another wave helped a lot. I stood with better posture, I was better balanced and I was able to move more smoothly from laying on the board to standing on it.

The first lesson here is that when practicing dance it might be worth taking a break even if you do not feel tired. This need not be a break where you do nothing. You could try another dance or even just another figure so that different muscles are used. Then when you go back to the first dance or figure, you will be physically recovered. This will then help you put appropriate effort into working on mastering whatever you are working on – you will not be held back by fatigued muscles.

The second lesson for me was that there is another activity that can help develop good dance attributes. I frequently talk about how important it is to develop attributes for dance by engaging in other activities. I have spoken about yoga, martial arts and aerobics, but until now I had never thought of surfing. If you want to improve the strength in your feet and ankles so that you have better balance, then I can easily recommend surfing.

Awareness

When you’re surfing, you need to feel the wave through the board. By feeling the wave through the board, you are able to determine how hard you need to paddle, when you can stop paddling, when you can lift yourself up and when you’re ready to stand. This kind of awareness is much like following a lead or feeling a follow respond to a lead.

However, it is a little different and this is where the benefit comes from.

If you have trouble extending you awareness to your partner’s body, then you might find that surfing shows how you to do this. The reason is that while not feeling your partner really is of little practical consequence, it’s just not great dancing. Surfing is very different. When you can’t feel the wave, you fall and often find yourself underwater. This is good motivation to start paying attention to the kinaesthetic signals as opposed to visual or auditory signals – motivation you will not have when dancing.

However, the signals form a wave are also more significant and there is no doubt in your mind what it is (you do not ever try to guess what the wave is thinking). This can make it easier to simply focus on the signals, and increase your ability to extend your awareness. Once you know what it’s like to feel these kinds of signals, you will be better able to feel them when dancing. This will make you a better lead and a better follow.

What to do now

If you don’t surf and thought about it, then you now have another reason to give it a go. If you are ever on holiday by the beach and there are surf lessons, then take one. Notice what it’s like to feel the wave so that you can expand you awareness. Notice also how you feel extra muscles working around your ankles and feet. Noticing these two things will help you identify the muscles that you need to work on for better balanced dancing and what it is like to be fully aware of something (or someone) that you’re physically connected to.