Month: May 2017

How to Be a More Confident Dancer

There’s one thing that is essential in a performance for every dancer.
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All the hours you rehearsed, all the makeup and props, and the perfect outfit is not what makes your performance. They key is in dancing with confidence.

A dancer that engages with the audience is far more memorable than the one who makes no mistakes on the dance floor.

Dance with more confidence

Here you have a few tips to help you boost your confidence:

Work Hard

When you train consistently, your skills are bound to increase. As you realize that you’re getting better and better, you will feel more self-assured, and that will translate into confidence on your next performance.

Embrace your uniqueness

No need to emulate what other people do. The beautiful thing about dancing is that there’s no wrong way of doing things. Interpretations are welcome, so bring your own style to the mix.

Stand Tall

The right body posture is so important. Depending on the dance, you’ll want to bring your chest up and your chin out or switch it up to look sexier and softer. Different dances will require different stances.
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Just make sure to match your style with the right body posture.

Get in character

This might sound funny but, seriously, you don’t have to be the most confident person to dance confidently. The trick is in “playing a part.” Imagine you’re a different person; be present and try to convey all of the emotion in the piece you are dancing through the character you’re playing.

Messing up is OK

Take a deep breath and repeat after me: “It’s OK to mess up.” Take it as an opportunity for growth. You can analyze the situation and learn from it to minimize the number of times it happens again.

Commit to it

Go ahead and leave it all out there! Give purpose to every move. The subtleties are just as important as the big movements.

Take Some Classes and Give Your Confidence A Boost!
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At Bella Diva Dance, we offer a great variety of classes. Come try them out and watch your confidence grow class after class.

Why Dance is a Valuable Part of Education

Dance has many benefits related to health, but when we teach our kids how to dance, we come across a whole other variety of benefits.

Benefits of Dance for Kids

We are well aware that dance brings benefits such as increased strength, flexibility, endurance, coordination, and balance, as well as a reduced level of stress. However, beyond the physical benefits, well-taught dance can be especially valuable for children.
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Self-Expression and Creativity

Dance uses movement to express emotions and communicate things through body movement rather than in a verbal way. Although, most of the time, students will follow a certain dance curriculum during classes, they will sometimes be asked to just express what they feel to the beat of a song. This also gives them the opportunity to discover more about themselves and be creative.

Discipline

A lot of dedication, practice, and hard work is at the core of dance classes. Students tend to absorb this type of work ethic and learn to apply it to other aspects of their lives such as school.
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Improved Concentration and Listening Skills

Learning intricate choreography is tricky; there’s a lot to remember. Students are challenged with this task in every class and this not only forces them to listen more closely, but it also develops their ability to retain complex information more efficiently.
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Intercultural Appreciation

World Dance classes are a great way for students to learn the dances of other cultures and develop a better understanding and sense of respect for them.

Better Self-Esteem

Dance education helps students develop physical fitness, appreciation of the body, concern for sound health practices, and effective stress management approaches.

Dance stimulates confidence. Every time students master a step in class, it gives them a sense of accomplishment that has an impact on their self-esteem. The fact that dancing promotes fitness and appreciation of the body also helps improve confidence.

Enroll Your Children in Bella Diva Dance Classes

We offer a Kids’ World Dance class suitable for ages 7 to 12. Children over 12 can join us any of our other classes where they can immerse themselves in faraway cultures while they enjoy all the other benefits of dance.

A Samba History Lesson

This exotic Brazilian dance has quite a rich cultural background. From its origins and music to its style and types of dance, there’s a lot to learn about samba.

Facts About Samba

The Origins of Samba

Samba is a dance from African origins that was introduced to Brazil in 1917. It became a dance and music movement in the 1920s and was adopted by Brazil as a ballroom dance in 1930.

Brazilian Samba vs Ballroom Samba

The original samba danced in the streets of Brazil is quite different from the ballroom style dance, so much so that a local Brazilian might not recognize the style when watching a ballroom samba competition.

In Brazil, Samba is mostly danced solo, and remains especially popular during celebrations of Carnival.

Source: https://www.thoughtco.com

Ballroom samba was created in England and includes adapted elements of Brazilian samba. This version is danced internationally in competitions as regulated by the World Dance Council.

Instruments for Brazilian Samba

For traditional street samba, there are usually musicians playing along while people dance. They use instruments such as bass drums, snare drums, a whistle, and other types of percussion instruments.

Ballroom sambas are usually played by standard ballroom dance bands with one or two extra percussion instruments.

Types of Sambas

Samba No Pé

This is the name given to the type of samba that is danced solo. Samba No Pé is the style that is often seen in Carnivals. It’s a lively dance; the footwork is fast, and the steps are simple and spontaneous.

Samba de Gafieira

Samba de Gafieira is a partner samba dance, however, it is different from the ballroom version. This style incorporates some entwined leg movements of the Argentine Tango.

It appeared in the 1940s and it gets its name from the gafieira, the popular urban nightclubs of Rio de Janeiro at that time.

Other Types of Samba

Samba Pagode
Samba Axé
Samba Reggae
Samba-rock
Samba de Roda

Come Samba with Us in Colorado

It’s not just about learning to samba; it’s about feeling it, too! Samba is for everyone. At Bella Diva Dance, you will learn to find your own personal beat & rhythm to the infectious samba music. Register for a class. We can’t wait to see you there!

What Dance Teaches You About Life

Life Lessons From the Dance Floor

You Can’t Keep Change from Happening

Change is a certainty in life. Things will always shift. Just as easily as choreography changes, so do our bodies and our lives in general. At different points in your life, dance could be a priority and then take the back seat to allow for something else to take center stage. We can choose to accept that and adapt to the new situations that may come our way, or sit still in denial and watch life fly by us.

Understand Cues and Pauses

It’s not uncommon to get ahead of the music when learning a dance routine. It’s also not uncommon to get caught up in the music and forget the next moves. It can all be quite frustrating this way.
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A dance routine is meant to look effortless and beautiful, not mechanical and over-rehearsed. Sometimes, we become so focused on the process that we are oblivious to what really matters. In trying to produce art, we ignore the art itself and the beauty that comes with it. In dance and in life, it is important to understand when to start moving, but also when to take some time to step back and understand what’s coming while we appreciate what we’ve done so far.

Comparison is Worthless

There is no benefit in constantly riding the comparison train. Stress and frustration are the only things that can come out of that habit. When dancing, focus on yourself. The person next to you is going through their own struggles.
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Be the best you that you can be and if you MUST compare yourself to someone, remember: it’s you against yourself. That’s a great way to measure growth.
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What can you do today that you couldn’t do yesterday? That’s what it’s all about.

There are many lessons to be learned in the dance studio, and it’s great to have a dance family to share that with. Join us in class and become part of the Bella Diva Dance family in Colorado.

Training to Be a Flexible Dancer

Flexibility is a very important quality for a dancer. The more flexibility you possess, the more improvement you’ll see in being aware of your body.

Stretching for Dancers

The Importance of Stretching

A stretching routine in commonly included at the beginning and/or the end of a class, practice, or performance. Stretching helps you prepare your muscles for what they’re about to do, and it can also relax your body after all the stress it goes through during dance. As flexibility increases through stretching, technique, self-discipline, and body awareness improve. This means you’ll be able to better understand the way your body moves and its limitations, and you’ll also be able to identify improvement areas for you to work on.

Types of Stretching

Ballistic Stretch

A brief stretch that involves a repetitive motion and it does not hold the end position. Takes advantage of the bouncing or swinging of the limb or trunk to induce the stretch.

Pro: Improves flexibility in the short term
Con: Increases risk of injury due to lack of control

Dynamic Stretch

Controlled type of stretch. Prepares the body for activity and focuses on the movement requirements for classes, rehearsals, or performances. Should start slowly and progressively increase in speed and power.

Pro: Decreased risk of injury. Improves coordination.
Con: Less effective than static stretches in producing long-term flexibility

Static Stretch

Elongates the muscle to its tolerance. To be held for 30 seconds and repeated 3 to 4 times. The lengthening of the muscle occurs when relaxing into the stretch.

Pro: Great for maintaining flexibility
Con: Requires regular training to produce long-term gains in flexibility

Prolonged Stretch

Similar to static stretching, but it’s held for a significantly longer period of time. Medical professionals use this for treating specific pathologies and it is not advisable for dancers.

Stretching Facts & Recommendations

When to stretch

DO stretch after class when muscles are warm

DO NOT stretch before a performance or a major rehearsal, due to detrimental effects on jumping

What to stretch

DO stretch muscles and their connective tissue (fascia)

DO NOT elongate ligaments and joint capsules

How long to stretch

Three to five bouts of 30-second static stretches are sufficient to stretch muscle tissue

How much to stretch

Depends on your body

“Tight” dancers need to stretch more than “loose” dancers

Increasing “loose” dancers’ hyper-mobility can reduce their joint stability

How often to stretch

Once a week to maintain joint range of motion

Three to five times per week to increase range

Gender issues

Females are generally more flexible than males of similar ages

Age issues

Children become less flexible during their skeletal growth spurt

Adults become less flexible with increasing age

Source: https://www.iadms.org

A Great Way to Increase Flexibility

Bella Diva Dance’s new “Yoga for Dancers” class will enable dancers to effectively cross-train, equipping them with greater breath awareness, increased strength & flexibility, and injury prevention & recovery techniques needed to maintain optimal mobility. Whether you are a dancer or not, regardless of your age, gender, or background, this class will make you feel like a dancer. Come join us!

Dance Injury Prevention

Dance is a very demanding discipline. It might not be considered a sport, but a dancer’s body endures a lot of stress, which makes them quite susceptible to injury. This will depend on a lot of different factors, but as dancers, it is important to understand what causes and how to prevent a dance injury.

Common Dance Injuries

As we mentioned already, the body of a dancer gets a lot of wear and tear. The great number of hours you might be putting into your dancing can eventually take a toll on your body.
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The majority of injuries in the dance world don’t come from trauma as much as they come from overuse. Most of these injuries target the foot, ankle, lower back, and hip.
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The lower leg is quite exposed to tendon injuries, stress fractures, and sprains. Knowing how to prevent future injuries is a must-discuss topic, especially for younger dancers.

Main Factors That Cause Injuries and How to Treat Them

We could say there are two types of injuries. When an injury causes severe pain, is bleeding, or increases weakness, you should go checked out by a physician. The other type of pain is caused by mild injuries or overuse and can be treated with pain relievers like ibuprofen, as well as rest. Alternating between hot and cold (ice) therapy can be a great way of treating swelling and pain.

Some of the most common factors related to injury include the following:

Nutritional deficiencies
Dancer’s body alignment
Amount of dance hours, frequency, and type of dance
Prior history of injury

Preventing Dance Injuries

It is essential for a dancer to understand how they can keep themselves injury-free. Dance instructors will usually reinforce this topic at times. However, most of the responsibility belongs to each dancer.
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There are a few simple things that are key to preventing injuries:

Don’t skip the warm-up or the cool-down
Know your body and understand its limitations
Technique is key. Make sure your technique is on point before trying any advance movements
Avoid dancing through pain as much as possible
Wear shoes and clothing that fit comfortably
Provide your body with proper nutrition
See a health professional (physical therapists, athletic trainers, etc.) that can facilitate screening sessions to identify potential problems

Dance with the Best Dance Professionals

Finding the right dance company is one of the most important things. At Bella Diva Dance, we are proud to have great dance professionals on our team that can consistently provide proper instruction to both to keep our students free of injury and to help you get to the next level at the right pace for you. Call us now and book a class. You’ll love it!

Ballroom Dancing 101

Musicality and timing make you a better dancer

Ballroom dances are partner dances that are commonly done in ballrooms. They are done socially as well as competitively worldwide. These are the most popular dances on dance floors, stages, and even TV and film.
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If you don’t know much about ballroom dancing, this is your chance to familiarize yourself with it.

The Most Popular Ballroom Dances

Waltz

A very smooth type of ballroom dance. It is marked by long, flowing movements, constant turns, and “rise and fall” motion.
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This is a very elegant and graceful style, in which dancers appear to glide around the floor effortlessly.

Viennese Waltz

This style is a quick, rotating ballroom dance where the “rise and fall” is a little bit more subtle. Most people consider the Viennese Waltz one of the harder dances to learn.

Tango

Originally from south America, the Tango is one of the most fascinating ballroom dances, known for being a very sensual dance.

Samba

Out of all the Brazilian ballroom dances, Samba is the most popular. It can be performed solo or with a partner.

Rumba (Rhumba)

Considered the most sensual of Latin ballroom dances, Rumba is a mix between American Big Band music and Cuban rhythms like son cubano, conga, and rumba. It is completely different from Cuban rumba, so it spelled as “Rhumba” to tell them apart.

Foxtrot

This style is an excellent dance for beginners. It’s really fun and simple to learn. The Foxtrot is all about long, flowing movements across the dance floor.

Quickstep

As you can imagine by the name, there’s a lot of quick stepping in this dance. It’s a quick version of the Foxtrot composed of accented feet rhythms, as well as runs of quick steps.
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It’s a very exciting dance to watch.

Paso Doble

A super-lively dance that originates in southern France. It’s modeled after a Spanish bullfight.

Mambo

If you want to talk about sensual Latin dances, this is definitely the winner. It involves a lot of swaying hip movements, arm movements, and tons of facial expressions.

Lindy Hop

The father of Swing dances. It’s a very athletic kind of dance.

Jive

Really fast kicks and flicks make this dance what it is.

Cha Cha

A dance full of energy and passion.

Latin Dance in Denver

Cha Cha, Rumba, Samba, Paso Doble, and Jive are considered the International Latin Dances. However, there are other rhythms like Salsa, Merengue, and Bachata that are some of the most popular social Latin dances. Come join our Ballroom Latin Foundations class, learn more about these exotic dances, and take command of the dance floor.

New Class Offerings Coming Your Way

Check Out Our Great New Dance Offerings At Bella Diva Dance

Thursdays, 7:45 PM – Adult Contemporary

This class, taught by instructor Alfred Smith, is for the dancer who wants to strengthen their presentation by learning classical foundational movements found in ballet, jazz, and contemporary dance. Students will increase their strength, flexibility, and extension while paying special attention to body lines and carriage. A must for any dancer who wants to take their dance to the next level!

Starting Sunday, May 14th, 12:45-1:45 PM – Hot Hula Beginner Technique & Drills

You all asked for it, and we are happy to announce we will be adding an additional hula class taught by Bella Diva Teaching Associate April Johnson on Sundays, targeting our beginner students who want to learn foundational hula technique and drills. HOT HULA fitness® incorporates easy to perform dance movements set to the sounds of traditional Polynesian drum beats fused with funky Reggae music, resulting in a modern, hip fitness workout!

Starting May 7th, 3:00-4:00 PM – Kids’ World Dance NEW Weekend Time!

Appropriate for ages 7-12, immerse your child in faraway cultures, expand their cultural horizons, connect them to their roots, or simply have them try something different! Each month, we will focus on a different dance style, including Middle Eastern Folk Dance, Brazilian Samba, Polynesian/Hula, Afro-Brazilian Axe, and Indian Bollywood. We will explore the music, movement, culture, costumes & geography from each region, making it a dynamic & multifaceted experience. Not your average kids’ dance class!

The magic of movement in Colorado

At Bella Diva Dance, we strive to bring culturally authentic world dance forms to Denver. We prepare our students to reach their individual dance goals, whether they include simply having a fun workout or eventually performing on stage. We offer more than a dozen different classes for you to be part of. If you’re intrigued by the mystique that dances from around the world have to offer, come visit us at Bella Diva Dance.

Contemporary Dance dance classes in Denver Hot Hula Kids World Dance New dance classes

Why Dancing on Stage Matters

Belly Dancing to a Flatter Stomach: Truth or Myth?

The big stage can feel like home for some people.
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The lights, all eyes on you; it’s a one of a kind feeling. Performing in front of an audience is a privilege.
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If you leave it all out there, the audience is bound to witness a great show, but what’s in it for you?

Benefits of Performing

There are tons of benefits that come from performing on stage.

Build Confidence and Poise

Being yourself and feeling relaxed in front of a crowd is a skill that has to be worked for. The more we do it, the easier it gets. This boosts your confidence while developing poise and helping you learn to overcome anxiety.

Improves public speaking and self-presentation skills

These skills help us in leading meetings more efficiently or being more confident when presenting to a large group of people. For children, this can be especially beneficial, as performing has a lot to do with social interaction and cooperation. Children can learn to share their passion with others.

“The idea of making a presentation in public is the No. 1 fear reported by people in the U.S.” – Paul L. Witt, PhD

A Way of Self-Expression

Art, in general, promotes self-expression. It helps makes sense of emotions and boost our creativity. Dancers find a way to express themselves through body movement and musicality. It’s a physical effort with a spiritual connection.

Healthy Competition

Watching others perform is a motivational factor that can inspire us to try new things and work harder at constantly improving ourselves. Sharing the stage with others is a great opportunity for growth.

Promote Interpersonal Skills

Performing allows you to empathize with others and develop compassion. This is true for children also. In group settings, it can become more about sharing a performance goal than going after your own glory.
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Perseverance and Problem Solving

During a live show, you never know what can happen. Performing arts develop creative thinking and reasoning, as well as teamwork, concentration, and motivation.

Join the World of Dance

Become part of our dance classes in Colorado. We also offer World Dance classes for kids, so if you have children, make them a part of this adventure, too. If you can’t decide which class to join, give us a call and our team will assist you in picking the perfect class for you.