A client recently asked me why a group
of people take classes in a dance style they very rarely use. Why learn Rumba if you dance primarily Country Western?
Many of us start out dancing for the social aspects. We forget that it is also a
sport in that it requires movement, coordination and muscle memory. After gaining
experience and training, some students come to appreciate dance for its beauty
and welcome the challenge of becoming better dancers but often stick to a favored style.
I
explained that the concepts of connection, partnering, and movement technique
are universal in dance. There are certainly differences in dance character,
rhythm, patterns, etc., but all move in partnership through time and space.
Cross-Training
came to mind. I became a better Smooth dancer because I also studied Rhythm and
Latin. Cross-training refers to an athlete training in sports
other than the one that the athlete competes in, with a goal of improving
overall performance. It takes advantage of the particular effectiveness of each
training method, while at the same time attempting to negate the shortcomings
of that method by combining it with other methods that address its weaknesses. Bottom line – it's about balance. When you are performing the same movements all the time you
are using the same muscles. This puts you at risk for a repetitive injury and
it also creates an imbalance. Just like incorporating activities into your
routine that work different muscle groups (adding a cardio aspect to weight
training for example) improve your overall fitness level, incorporating
different dance styles improve your overall
technique. I feel my partner, I feel the floor more, I have developed an
awareness of how my every physical action affects my partner, and vice versa.
My proficiency of any particular dance was very much augmented by the training
of another dance, and I would encourage students of any dance to follow my
lead.
