IMPORTANCE OF WARM-UPS BEFORE DANCE REHEARSALS

In my short experience of taking dance classes, I've noticed the frown on the faces of dancers when I demand warm up before rehearsals commences. It bothers me to know that many dancers don't know the importance of warming up before full rehearsals. Warm up is essential for all dance occasions actually. Be it class, rehearsal or performance. It helps prepare for the dance both mentally and physically and also helps a great deal to prevent injury. And this applies to all styles of dance.

     Warm muscles are more flexible than cold ones and you will be less likely to sustain an injury. Colds muscles are less flexible and injure more easily. Cold muscle and tiredness all together is a recipe for injury.
     Time in the studio should always begin with a cardiovascular warm up. The warm-up should include the entire body and could consist of rapid walking or jogging, prances, small jumps or full body circles. I have been known to spend the first 5-10 minutes of class having my students move through circuits that included jogging, jump roping and jumping jacks.
     This type of warm-up does exactly what it claims to do; it creates heat in the body. These large movements increase the heart rate, which increases the blood flow to the muscles. The blood, therefore, is able to quickly carry oxygen and “fuel”, in the form of glucose, to the muscles. The heat combined with the increased oxygen and glucose delivery, increases the speed of muscular contractions and increases the speed of messages, or impulses, that are carried along nerve pathways between our brains and muscles.
     Additionally, warming up the different joints of the body releases something called synovial fluid, which acts as oil would in a car engine, lubricating all the bones that move against each other.
     Beginning a class or a rehearsal without a cardiovascular warm-up increases every dancer’s risk for injury. All dancers are aware of how difficult it can be to heal from an injury and how quickly technique begins to deteriorate when a dancer must take time off to heal. Taking care of our bodies takes a little bit of knowledge and some effort, but the payoff of having a body that continues to function optimally is well worth it.
Simple warm up and preparation guide: Stretch and flex feet.
* Rise and lower on the balls of your feet.
* March briskly on the spot, moving your arms well.  
* Leg swings, front and behind.
* Shrug and roll shoulders. Jog on the spot.

So guys, don't frown at warm ups. They are really helpful.