It’s a little over an hour before the show. Dinner was good. Tech and dress rehearsals went well. My Afro is well-picked. There’s only one question that keeps coming up:
What in the hell should I do to warm-up?
Everyone has their own pre-performance rituals. The David Dorfman dancers have chosen over the years to forgo a company class, instead opting for an hour of reserved stage or studio time to warm themselves up however they see fit. The choices vary within the ranks from: giving oneself a full ballet class complete with barre, center and across the floor exercises to moving through pure calisthenics including jumping jacks, pushups and jump squats. Whatever the case, I’ve found the most success with the following formula/highly open guidelines.
1. GET YOUR MIND RIGHT: Get inspired, mentally and physically. It’s time for plenty of positive self talk, deep breathing, mental reviewing and Michael Jackson (ok so the song choices are definitely open, but having a playlist to pump you up can sometimes do more wonders to a performance than any amount of tendues, leg swings or crunches ever will). I figure, if it worked for Michael Phelps, it can work for me.
2. OSCILLATE THE JOINTS: Get some initial juices flowing. Not necessarily heavy stretching. Modern dancers tend to roll around on the floor at the beginning of the warm-up. They could be doing one of two things: a) looking for loose change or b) allowing breath, gravity and some light muscle activation to work its awakening magic.
3. CONNECT TO YOUR CORE: Get the abs and your ass moving. Generate some heat by moving vigorously enough so that plenty of oxygen is pumping into your muscles. Improvise, follow a short set of exercises, review your favorite combination, anything really; just get moving. Worry less about form and instead pause often to do some core work. I particularly love the running plank. Push up position with body aligned as if planking and running the legs. Seems to get everything tight and right every time.
4. REVIEW. Now is NOT the time to rehearse the show. You’ve done that. You’ve got it. Check! Now IS the time to rehearse the moments (and I do mean moments) that you might have blanked out during recent rehearsals or just plain screwed up. Don’t overdo it. Get the right mental and physical neurons firing by rehearsing these sections a couple times and move on. I like to buddy up during this part of my warm-up. The team spirit helps to get connected to the group.
5. STRETCH: Now that you’re nice and juicy, stretch a bit more. Again, don’t overdo it. Overstretching before a performance can lead to injury. You want the muscles ready to fire, not worn out and ready to sleep.
That’s it! Five easy steps to prep so you can soar on stage…kick ball change with fierceness…or shake your thang to a funky beat!
*Post warm-up, post make-up, pre-show follow-up: Breathe and look into the eyes of your cast mates before you go onstage. Whatever happens, you’re in this together (aka you go down, you got folks to take down with you!)
What in the hell should I do to warm-up?
Everyone has their own pre-performance rituals. The David Dorfman dancers have chosen over the years to forgo a company class, instead opting for an hour of reserved stage or studio time to warm themselves up however they see fit. The choices vary within the ranks from: giving oneself a full ballet class complete with barre, center and across the floor exercises to moving through pure calisthenics including jumping jacks, pushups and jump squats. Whatever the case, I’ve found the most success with the following formula/highly open guidelines.
1. GET YOUR MIND RIGHT: Get inspired, mentally and physically. It’s time for plenty of positive self talk, deep breathing, mental reviewing and Michael Jackson (ok so the song choices are definitely open, but having a playlist to pump you up can sometimes do more wonders to a performance than any amount of tendues, leg swings or crunches ever will). I figure, if it worked for Michael Phelps, it can work for me.2. OSCILLATE THE JOINTS: Get some initial juices flowing. Not necessarily heavy stretching. Modern dancers tend to roll around on the floor at the beginning of the warm-up. They could be doing one of two things: a) looking for loose change or b) allowing breath, gravity and some light muscle activation to work its awakening magic.
3. CONNECT TO YOUR CORE: Get the abs and your ass moving. Generate some heat by moving vigorously enough so that plenty of oxygen is pumping into your muscles. Improvise, follow a short set of exercises, review your favorite combination, anything really; just get moving. Worry less about form and instead pause often to do some core work. I particularly love the running plank. Push up position with body aligned as if planking and running the legs. Seems to get everything tight and right every time.4. REVIEW. Now is NOT the time to rehearse the show. You’ve done that. You’ve got it. Check! Now IS the time to rehearse the moments (and I do mean moments) that you might have blanked out during recent rehearsals or just plain screwed up. Don’t overdo it. Get the right mental and physical neurons firing by rehearsing these sections a couple times and move on. I like to buddy up during this part of my warm-up. The team spirit helps to get connected to the group.
5. STRETCH: Now that you’re nice and juicy, stretch a bit more. Again, don’t overdo it. Overstretching before a performance can lead to injury. You want the muscles ready to fire, not worn out and ready to sleep.That’s it! Five easy steps to prep so you can soar on stage…kick ball change with fierceness…or shake your thang to a funky beat!
*Post warm-up, post make-up, pre-show follow-up: Breathe and look into the eyes of your cast mates before you go onstage. Whatever happens, you’re in this together (aka you go down, you got folks to take down with you!)
Merde and have a great show!
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