1. Stretch Away Possible Injuries
Modern dance involves a lot of quick movements and extreme position changes. A dancer could easily suffer muscle injury if not careful. Prevent muscle strain in dance by taking the right precautions, such as stretching out before dancing. It's important to stretch out the entire body and get oxygen flowing to muscles to protect them. Start with an overall stretch from a standing position. Then with an engaged core, work down through the rest of the body to stretch arm, chest, shoulder, back, stomach, buttocks, leg and feet muscles. Remember to stretch your whole body to the side as well as upward and down toward the floor. Basic yoga and some Pilates routines help with an overall stretch and warm up. Isolate and stretch arms up and over to the front, side and back. Stretch legs also to the front, side and back to prevent muscle strain in dance.
2. Make Proper Landings
As a modern dancer, think of your body as an airplane glider. If you don't land right, you may not be able to avoid accidents and injuries. Prevent muscle strain in dance by learning to land safely. It's important to be aware of your surroundings at all times when dancing so that you can prevent running into things and other dancers. Obviously, falling down is not a good way to land out of a jump. However, a dancer can often prevent muscle strain just by remembering to land softly with knees flexible and fluid. Although the core is engaged during modern dance routines, it should also be somewhat flexible and fluid. The less noise you hear when landing, the better. Land softly and gracefully to prevent muscle strain in dance.
3. Rest and Eat Right
Most people don't realize that by getting enough sleep and eating correctly, it will help them to avoid illness, accidents, injuries and even conflicts. A dancer is a special type of athlete and needs plenty of rest for her or his body as well as good nutrition to prevent muscle strain in dance. Muscles require enough protein and other nutrients to keep them healthy and active. You simply can't dance without the needed fuel and energy to keep you going. Rest when you're tired and eat regular well-balanced meals with plenty of complex carbohydrates, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, dairy and other types of protein to prevent muscle strain in dance.
