Has anyone ever asked you out of the blue if you are a dancer? Well if you are wondering how they know, it is probably the little things you do without even realizing!  If you are ever caught doing these 5 things, not to worry; it's a dancer thing:



1) We always have the best hair buns. Dancers tend to have a perfect top knot on our heads at all times. We rock solid buns in dance class so it never falls in our face, and we are also a Pro at the pretty polished look with no fly-aways for long days at dance competitions.

2) We are ALWAYS doing dance moves and can do them anywhere. Yes anywhere. We could be in a grocery store aisle and break into piques. We could practice our Tap dancing under our desk in class to the beat of someone's pencil hitting the paper. Of course, we get strange looks and the occasional "what are you doing?". There is no better way to explain it than "It's a dancer thing" 

3) We will say things like " I did a dance to this before!" followed by either short sections of the choreography, or full blown lip syncing to the lyrics. We are always marking the arms too! Especially in the car. "Arm-ography" was created by dancers in cars lol!

4) We show our training and technique even when we aren't trying. Dancers tend to have great posture and a lifted chest with every step they take. We walk with our shoulders down and neck lengthened. You may even catch us doing a penché if we drop something!

5) We can crack any part of our body on command. It feels great to us but everyone else is either concerned or disgusted. No morning is complete without a hip, knee, ankle, back, neck and wrist crack. And we will do it again mid plié at Ballet class that evening :)

So if you ever see us doing one of the above, just know we can't help it. Its in our blood, it's a dancer thing, and we wouldn't change it for the world. 

Typically people say dance is not a sport because it is not like others. It doesn't have a ball; we don't have weekly "games" to play in. What people don't realize is that a ball in most sports, is just like our routines we learn in class. Those "games" are our competitions. We have to train for it, just like any other athlete.  Dance might not be as aggressive, but they all have the same components. To be able to dance well, an individual needs to be flexible, strong, have stamina, endurance, balance, good sense of movement, proper turnout, straight lines, strong stage presence, but most importantly have the love and passion for what they are doing. All while looking graceful and light on our feet. So to me and any other dancer, we consider dance to be a sport just like any other. Actually, maybe even a bit harder than the rest of them ;) 

​“I missed my friends from dance and it was nice to be back doing what I love!” said the dancers at CSOD. This dance season is going to be bigger and better than ever!
Here are some 5 simple daily practices to improve your dancing skils:

1. Improve your dancing with morning stretches. It doesn’t have to be incredibly long or hard, but getting up and moving your body is a great way to start the day.
2. Improve your dancing muscle memory. “Muscle memory” is a motor skill learned by repeating a movement. When you’re doing homework take a break and do a dance move that you are trying to perfect.
3. Improve your dancing by eating healthy nutritious foods that fuel your body. Dancers need a lot of energy in order to have the stamina to dance in class and at performances.
4. Improve your dancing by watching dance videos! There are millions on the Internet to get inspired by. Watch videos with the intent to learn from it, but not to copy it.
5. Improve your dancing by PRACTICE. “A little practice never killed nobody” It makes you better, stronger, more confident and ready for your next class!

 
At CSOD we encourage you to have fun and most importantly be yourself. Dancing is about expressing who you are and being you!