Technique is the most crucial aspect of any dance class, we all know that. It is the fundamental foundation of dance which propels a dancers growth, increases flexibility, enhances strength and teaches them essentially, “how to dance.” If our dancers are with us long enough, they learn our warm-ups and often know them backwards and forwards without us doing it alongside them. This is great because it affords the dance teacher more time observe to give and make tactile corrections, but it can also have the potential for dancers to go on auto-pilot and check out; especially if they are not being mindful of every single plie and tendu they are putting forth.
This is especially true when we get into performance season as well, it’s very easy for us to want to bypass the long technique warm-up and jump right into rehearsals to save time and perfect our work. In doing this though, we are doing our dancers a great disservice by allowing them to just jump into choreography. We are then certainly not setting the precedent of how important technique warm-up is. We are setting a tone and demonstrating that sometimes it’s OK to not do it. And that’s not the case.
Even when we are pressed for time, there are still ways to warm up your dancers effectively, move things along and allow them to focus on the same lessons as a traditional technique class. The idea is to be innovative. Changing it up will also keep your dancers on their toes to see something new thrown into the mix for a change. It will keep them thinking and working hard and in turn developing and growing.
So before you bypass technique give a quick thought as to how you can get your dancers warm and keep them learning. It doesn’t have to be overly complicated and these three simple and effective ideas below are sure to do just the trick. Remember technique, technique, technique makes for a strong, capable and versatile dancer regardless of genre.
#1: Combining Elements: If you are pressed for time, think about combining different exercises into phrases. This can work well stationary in center and especially traveling across the floor. Create a moving phrase that travels from one side of the room to the other including: plies, tendus, swings, floor work, rond de jambs, battements, turns, etc. The more advanced dancers can handle multiple exercises in one lengthy phrase. For beginner or intermediate levels start with shorter phrases and include one or two things in isolation, like plie and tendus transitioned with a turn or chasse or roll, etc. This will get dancers moving, warmed up and still executing the exercises they would normally do in isolation at the barre or in a full center warm-up.
#2: Improvisation: Improvisation does not necessarily mean, “just make up a dance and do whatever you want.” When done with intention and directive a long, improvisation warm-up can include technical components to have a dancer be guided through a technique warm-up, albeit in a refreshing, new way. Having dancers moving through space and calling out another element you want them to add next, i.e., “tendus or any sort of stretch of the foot or lower leg into a stretch of the lower body,” or, “any turn variation from a leg swing movement,” etc. can also be extremely effective not only in including technical elements but as their stretch time to warm-up their bodies.
#3: Partner Work: Have your students work with partners on a given exercises or number of exercises they do together or one at a time. This will provide a feeling of collaboration as well as introducing peer feedback and support. If mature enough to handle this type of warm-up, it gives them a chance to watch how others work in class as well, how to self-assess and self-correct. You may even give them parameters for creating their own plie or tendu phrase, etc. where they are demonstrating and performing with their partner. Partner work is also very handy in the stretching and core portion of warm-up so utilize exercises where they are helping each other, perhaps using counter balance, working off each other in sit up exercises, etc.
