The Importance of Warm Up
Most dance and performance arts professionals agree on the importance of a good physical warm up before class or rehearsal to prevent long-term injury and increase longevity within the profession. Anyone that relies on their bodies for their livelihood would be foolish to ignore this advice from the experts.
The aim of a general physical warm up is to raise the heart and respiratory rate which increases circulation to muscles, ligaments and fascia to boost their supply of oxygen and nutrients and raise the body's core temperature. Once this has been achieved it is safer to go ahead with more specific stretching exercise.
A thorough warm up also prepares the body for the unpredictable challenges of dance that often breach normal movement range. Once immersed in creative physical expression it is difficult to remain completely objective and able to pull back at the moment a movement or routine becomes taxing, and especially difficult for a newcomer to dance.
Interesting Warm Ups
Experience in teaching young adults who were newcomers to dance and expressive movement has led me to devise interesting ways in which to approach a good general warm up. Unlike professionals who are responsible for their own, I knew that if I'd asked my students to do some jogging five minutes before class, I would have been wasting my breath. Initially most would have refused because it was boring and the rest would have made a half-hearted attempt that wouldn't have been worth their while. Aside from this, it soon became obvious to me that initially most found it embarrassing to participate in a dance class, though they would never openly admit to it.
These students had embarked on a performance arts course with a mind to entering the profession. Many had come from music and pure drama backgrounds, but it was mandatory that they study dance and some basic choreography.
Preventing physical injury was one thing but my students also needed to be mentally and psychologically prepared for physical expression and close contact work. I saw an opportunity in advancing both outcomes with warm up activities that raised their cardiovascular output and encouraged group bonding.
Warm Up Activities
Here are three ideas that I have found to be very successful. Each should last for around five to ten minutes depending on class size.
1. Bulldog
For this ask the group to split into two equal or near equal lines of single file holding hands. The front and last person in each line will have a hand free. Ask the lines to go to opposite sides of the space so that they face each other. Decide on a matching front and back end for both lines.
The game begins with the first two front end people breaking free from their lines. One is nominated to become the target the other the bulldog. This can be done by the teacher or a flip of a coin. The target must run across the space to the opposite line aiming to hold the hand of the person at the back to reach "safety." Meanwhile the bulldog must try and tag the target to prevent this from happening.
The moment safety is reached and hands are held, the first person of that line must then become the target and take turn to run to the opposite line and attach to the back of it. The unsuccessful bulldog must now try to tag the new target.
If the bulldog successfully tags, then the roles are automatically reversed. Bulldog becomes target and the target becomes bulldog mid-chase. This causes great excitement amongst the players. The game continues in this way as successive students each have a turn at becoming target or if caught bulldog.
This is a very fast paced game but it can be speeded up even more by placing a time embargo on the runners. Usually a count down of ten and then after a while five to place a deadline on the target reaching safety. If on occasion a couple are equally matched causing a status quo, simply call time on them and release the next two at the front.
The students would often call for this game. I found it to be a particularly good ice breaker for the first few lessons. It encouraged team bonding, laughter and at times even excitement.
Watch out for straying lines. Quite often a line will try and reach out to the target and migrate in the process.
2. Ball Game
Have the group make a circle where all can see one another. Start the game off by throwing an imaginary ball at one of the students. Say catch as you do and the chances are they will mime just that. You will be amazed at how long the group will keep the ball running between them. They will bounce and hurl it around and surprisingly even look for it if dropped.
As simple as it may sound, I found this game very effective and it always seemed to be popular. As the ball was just pretend, even students with poor ball skills would confidently join in no matter how speedy it became. The circle can be broken up to use the whole space and I have even known the group to break into two teams.
3. Follow the Leader
This is a good activity once the group begins to develop knowledge of basic steps and movement confidence. Form a circle where the leader stands in the centre and demonstrates a simple repeated movement, a couple of steps that the rest can follow before the next person in the circle takes over with a new initiative. Go for a repeat of four or five times to keep the impetus running and set a basic rhythm that can be counted or use music or percussion.
Teacher input can vary depending on the confidence of the group by taking a few leads or suggesting steps out loud. For instance, springs from one leg to the other in various directions mixed with very low level hops or jumps. As the students progress they will gather ideas from each other. New inventions can sometimes be very funny as well. The game can build by using memory to link each sequence before learning a new one.
Source: Young Dancers, accessed on 11 April 2011
Linda Noon - "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined." Henry David Thoreau (1817 - 1862)
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