The importance of physical exercise for dancers
Find your own way to keep up with your training
Happy Sunday Dancers,
In today’s newsletter we’ll cover:
Why it can be hard as a freelance dancer to train on a regular basis
What you can do to train even when there are no classes in your city
How to find a studio space to train
You’re a dancer, why don’t you dance then?
If you had told me two years ago how hard it is as a freelance dancer to dance, I wouldn’t have believed you.
I’m a dancer, yes but I don’t dance every day.
It is an illusion that after graduating from college we dance as much everyday as we did when we were in school.
To clarify, I’m not talking about if you’re dancing in a dance production or not. No, I mean simply the opportunity to take classes and the resources to stay in shape physically. Company dancers take a class with their colleagues every morning.
For freelancers, this is a completely different story.
Many of us don’t work in a company and don’t have the privilege of free training.
How do I stay in shape between productions?
What if there are no professional training classes in my city?
Where should I train if I don’t have a space to dance?
How do I balance physically demanding periods and periods when I barely dance?
3 ways to find training opportunities (even If it seems impossible)
I don’t have a studio space
Renting a studio just to train can be pretty expensive.
I totally understand that paying 40€ per hour (or more) is just not in the budget. Often there are other ways to find a studio. Ask your local dance studio if you can work for them.
If teaching is not your thing offer them to do some cleaning work in exchange for a free studio space, for example.
I asked a dance school owner in my city if I could use their studio to teach professional training once a week. In exchange, I create content for Instagram. I’m no fan of working for free too often. Being able to train tough is a priority for me.
Is your training important to you? If yes, it’s worth going the extra mile.
I don’t have the money to pay for class
If there is class in your city it can get pricey If you want to train almost every day.
Ask yourself this question:
If training and staying in shape is necessary to work in my profession why don’t I have a budget for it? If it's an issue to pay for classes, consider saving money for this purpose. Taking classes only once in a while is better than not training at all.
I don’t have enough time to train
Again, in my opinion, the question is:
What are my priorities when it comes to my training?
My training is sacred to me. On Wednesdays, I block a time slot from 10 am to 12 am in my calendar for dance training. I try to plan other obligations around it as much as possible.
Something to Remember
Every dancer trains differently. There is no wrong or right way to do it.
The important thing is that you do it!
When you're in between projects it’s even more important to stay in shape.
Get creative. Even training at home is possible. We all did it during corona.
Your weekly prompts for reflection
If you struggle with a regular training routine, what’s holding you back?
Next week: Find a friend that you could do a practice session with together
Source of Inspiration
My favorite song of the week:
A Place by Nils Frahm- on Spotify
That’s it from this week’s newsletter. See you next Sunday :)
keep on moving,
Barbara from The Dancer’s Way
Not subscribed yet? Every Sunday, I send a free newsletter with insights from my life and how-to letters to inspire you.