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.

How to move faster in dance

Do you feel sometimes that you just can’t move as fast as you need to when dancing?

You have the timing right, you know what the figure is, but you just do not seem to be able to physically move yourself fast enough to do the figure and keep in time. This has been an issue that a few people have contacted me about in the past. Cha cha seems to get a mention so that might be a dance that you too find tests your speed.

In this post I am going to go over 3 things you can use to increase your speed when dancing

1 - Make sure you are doing the figures right

I have heard a saying in the dance sport community: move slow to be fast and fast to be slow. This clearly makes little sense – moving slow will not make you fast. However, the saying refers to the look of speed and the proper preparation. Sometimes moving slow at the start allows for proper preparation and then the required release of energy to give the desired speed. Sometimes you need to move fast so that you then have time to be slow. At other times, moving slow allows movement to continue steadily so that speed is what is perceived by all who watch.

This might seem to be telling you little, but I am about to make a point.

There is a way to do figures that will allow you to have the speed required. If you are unable to perform a figure fast enough, then first make sure that you are doing it correctly.

Dance is meant to be something that people can dance to. Jazz was/is one exception where speed was key to dancing. However, most dance should not really test your speed. Therefore, it is well worth exhausting this avenue first. Then, if you are doing it correctly and you’re still not able to move fast enough, then look to increasing your speed.

2 - Imagine moving fast

This might sound a bit like the Muppet babies (if you’re of that generation), and I am suggestion that the “power of imagination” can solve all your problems. However, sometimes the issue is the speed we think we should or can move at.

Some runners will use rubber bands to help them run faster when training. This form of assistance does not build strength; if anything it would make them work less, and reduce their abilities. However, the reason for this training method is to help the runner feel what it is to move faster. The body needs to know what it is to move at this speed so that it can.

It’s not really possible to use rubber bands to help you with many dance figures – that would be quite the contraption. We need to find other ways.

If you have read much of my writing on dance, then you have likely picked up on how often I mention imaging. This is probably one of my favourite things about dance. Many activities use imaging, but dance seems to use it in the most sophisticated way. It is amazing what you can make your body do with imaging. Ever since discovering it in dance, I have used imaging in other physical activities.

So if you are moving slow, then try imagining bands pulling your legs or hips, or other body parts, into position. Imagine parts of your body are well lubricated bearings. Perhaps imagine parts of your body are steel springs – you can then move as fast as a leopard (for those who saw the movie Gallipoli).

This simple use of imaging will likely be enough. As I said above, dance is not a test of speed, and you are most likely able to move as fast as you need to for any figure. You just need to know that you can and expect that of your body.

However, let’s consider the case where you’re not.

3 - Work on speed

Now it’s time to build some power into those muscles so that you can move fast enough.

It shouldn’t take much; you’re unlikely to be that far behind the norm.

The key here is working against resistance. However, it is resistance under speed that you want. Being strong is not always enough. You need to work on your ability to apply that strength quickly for fast movement.

Get some body weights – weights that you wear.

• If your legs aren’t fast enough, then get ankle weights
• If it is your arms, then get wrist weights
• If it’s your hips, then get a belt
• If it is your lateral movement (your whole body), then get some for all over

The key to body weights is that your body still remembers what speed it should be able to move at – like I mentioned above. When you try these dance moves with the weights on, your body will work to apply force faster so that the speed it is accustomed to can be maintained. Then when you take the weights off – after a few practice sessions – your body will have this enhanced strength based speed that you can use to move faster.

You need not buy body weights. Holding bottles of water can be good for the arms and bodily movement. Sand bags can also be held in your hand, tucked into socks (or tied to ankles) and strapped under a belt. You can also use a good sized heat back. You most likely have something at home that will do the trick, and need not buy body weights if you do not want to.

You can of course buy weights too. I always find that buying good equipment makes it easier to use and motivates me because I spent money on it.

 

Getting to the bottom of great dancing

Do you know how important strong buttocks are for good dance?

I first want you to try something. Stand up and try to get into the Latin dance position where the pelvis is pulled forward. Now try squeezing your buttocks while you do this.

If you do not do Latin dancing, then just stand normally and squeeze your buttocks.

You should notice how squeezing your buttocks brings the pelvis forward.

This is a simple exercise to show how important your gluteal muscles are to your poster. It is most common in Latin that you need to take a position where your pelvis is tucked and brought forward. However, in all dance it is important that your pelvis is not pulled back too much. This is simply not good dance posture in any style.

If you have well developed gluteal muscles, then you will find it easier to have a better poster naturally.

Safer dancing

However, you will also be less likely to have pain or injuries that could be caused by dance or that will prevent you from dancing.

One of my dancing friends recently sustained an injury that while not major in itself caused his gluteal muscles to weaken for a period. This then put extra strain on his groin, which led to another injury that was much more serious than the original dance.

If you don’t have strong well developed buttocks, then you can injure other parts of your body. And it’s not just your groin.

Do you ever have back pain when dancing or just from standing or walking?

If you do, then next time you are feel back pain, try squeezing your buttocks. You will potentially feel that pain go away and notice that your pelvis comes forward.

With strong buttocks you will be much less likely to be injured or unable to dance due to pain.

But that’s not the only benefit to your dance.

Do you ever have trouble lunging?

If you do not have strong buttock, then you will like find lunging puts a large strain on your thigh muscles (often close to the knee) and you might have troubles maintaining good posture in the upper body as you do.

If you find that lunging does prove a challenge, then next time try to focus on using the gluteal muscles on the side you are lunging too. You should find that it is easier and that you have better posture.

I know how much strong buttocks can improve dance, but how do you make them stronger?

How to quickly increase your buttock strength

If you now think you need to work on this, then here’s the easiest way:

When walking focus on flexing your gluteal muscles to help you walk. One your left foot touches the ground, flex the left gluteal muscles. Then the right and so on. You will notice two things:

1. Your gluteal muscles can work more than they do when walking
2. You will be walking faster with little more effort.

If you want to extend this further, then focus on doing the same thing as you walk up stairs. You will feel the same thing as when you walk, but it will be much more intense.

This is a good start, but you can go further with dedicated exercises. I was recommended this one by the friend I mentioned earlier.

1. Buy a Thera band (if you do not have one)
2. Stand near a chair or table for support
3. Wrap the band around your ankles
4. Push you pelvis forward
5. Stand upright
6. With a straight knee take one of your feet back
7. Take your foot back as far as you can while keeping the knee (on the same side) straight and your pelvis forward
8. You will really feel it in your buttock if you’re doing it right

 

 

Do this 10-20 times each side depending upon how hard it is – this will depend upon your fitness and the stiffness of the band.

If you would like to take this even further then Conditioning for Dance by Eric Franklin is an excellent book. It has a lot on the buttocks and just a lot on dance in general. I use it a lot when I feel a part of my body is not really working quite as well as it could be or needs to be for better dance.

 

Why physicality is likely the most important thing for good dance

There are 4 basic attributes that will make you a great dancer by default if you work on each of them:

1. Musicality
2. Confidence
3. Learning ability
4. Physicality

In Part 2 of my e-book Dance Better Now: Knowing how to best improve dance I go over advanced techniques that will help you improve each of these attributes.

However, simply by dancing you will improve each of them.

Well you will at least improve the first three.

Physicality is a bit different. There are lots of activates that need physical ability, but practicing those activities will not develop that physical ability enough. That’s why basketball players and football players go to the gym and run. The extra cardio-fitness and strength can really only be developed through dedicated exercises. To get the same effect from playing the respect sport, the athlete would need to play that sport for more than 24 hours a day: a basic impossibility.

The same is true of dance.

In fact you do not even need to dance all day to get good at it. You can listen to music to improve musicality while in the car, you can improve your learning as you go over figures in your head before falling asleep and you can boost your confidence by simply deciding not care what happens.

The body however needs exercise and there is no substitute for dedicated exercises.

I know of a few dancers who have great musicality, can recall all figures and routines, and can dance happily in front of a large group. But, they just can’t move with grace or control or into the positions needed.

They have been dancing for years and nothing has changed in this regard.

Everything else will get better as you dance more, but if you want your body to move well, then you need to work on it specifically. This is why physicality is probably the most important key to good dancers. It is only the dedicated people who work on it.

If you want to work on physicality, then join a gym, take yoga classes, or take up some physically demanding pass time.  You can also do the exercises in my e-book. When I tried them, I saw a noticeable improvement in about 2 weeks. Working on your physicality is seriously worth the effort.

Can you get good musicality advice from competitive dancers?

Think about the musicality advice that you typically get from your dance teacher. Is it about timing alone or does it expand to picking up in the character of the music and expressing that character?

Good musicality will go well beyond simply being in time. You do of course need to be in time. However, if you want to have really good musicality then you should:

• sense the emotion of the music and express it
• pre-empt the music and dance figures that suit it
• Play with the music (arrive a touch below maybe or dance between the beats depending upon the stye of dance)

However, you have likely never been told to do this nor how to do it. Nevertheless, It is well worth working on your musicality; it adds the final element to social dance that really brings it to life.If you want to know more about how you can work in this, then take a look at the relative section of part two of Dance Better Now.

However, a question remains: why is it so rarely taught?

It likely gets back to dancesport. In dancesport, the processes is to develop a routine and then dance that routine in time to whatever music is played as precicely as possible and with visual appeal. While a routine could be tuned to the music that plays, dancers drill the routine for precise movements. Thus, the dancer's muscle memory of the routine will likely override any musicality the dancer has.

This is not to say that all competitive dance kills musicality. Jack and Jill comp’s, which I think make probably the best contribution to social dance from the swing dance community, not only demand good musicality, but they even promote lyricism at times. For that, you really need to understand the song you are dancing too.

Nevertheless, the dance comp’s that many of us think or are like those in movies such as ‘Shall we Dance?’ These competitions focus more on execution of figures and timing as opposed to musical interpretation and expression on the fly. Thus, you might not get as much help in this area as you might like if your studio is influenced by this approach to dance.

If you do feel that you’re missing it and want a little more, then try going to some schools or dance events that are more focused on the social side of couples dancing. Keep your ears open for musicality workshops too. I have noticed these more at dance festivals.

Just something to think about

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.