Darshiva
Moderator
I found this article on a sciencey website, I think it's pertinent to our interests.
Athletes warming up wrong (Science Alert)
Athletes warming up wrong (Science Alert)
Warm-ups -are we doing it wrong?
- Thread starter Darshiva
- Start date
Mosaic
Super Moderator
Yes a lot of BD teachers do static warm ups or stretches. Both my teachers use movement to warmup, starting a bit slow and making sure you warm up from head to toe, kind of a mini dance routine. The warmup gets more vigorous as we continue. We then go into a couple of dance routines, the last part is a 5 or 7 minute shimmy routine- you are definitely warmed up after that. The cool down is long slow stretches and releases from head to toe.
I use a similar warmup- cool down
~Mosaic
I use a similar warmup- cool down
~Mosaic
Mosaic
Super Moderator
I should have mentioned that Lindy ( I think you know her or of her) she has taken her idea of how to warm the body up from her 28 years of Karate ( she is a black belt 2nd or 3rd Dan & is still practising & teaching) - she understands the body like no one else i know and when she started teaching BD about 9 years ago decided to use the same principles. It does work a whole lot better than just stretches even if they are action stretches.
~Mosaic
~Mosaic
shiradotnet
Well-known member
I warm up my students by having them walk in a circle to a drum rhythm. I choose a drum rhythm that's relevant to whatever we're currently working on in class. I use that time to have them focus on finding the beat, since many have had no prior dance or music training. Once everybody is walking synchronized to the beat, I'll add hip sways. I'll polish up their posture, add arms, add cymbals. The complexity depends on what level of student (brand-new beginner vs more experienced) is in the class. This will transition smoothly into reviewing movement from previous classes such as hip drops, hip lifts, traveling steps, etc.
A warmup can also serve as a time to pull the brain away from whatever the student was worried about before she came to class that night - stress from her day job, wondering whether she left the oven on, etc. So I try to bring their brains into the warmup time by offering tidbits of belly dance history and cultural background as we warm up. Since warmup drills are often repetitive, it's a great time to do that.
A warmup can also serve as a time to pull the brain away from whatever the student was worried about before she came to class that night - stress from her day job, wondering whether she left the oven on, etc. So I try to bring their brains into the warmup time by offering tidbits of belly dance history and cultural background as we warm up. Since warmup drills are often repetitive, it's a great time to do that.
Lydia
New member
I use ,,malfuffy,, to warm up what is a step on malfuf rithm its like 1 bigger step then 2 smaller ones,its used for entering the stage...we do this for around 5 minutes,good for stamina and good for warming up your body...after that i make the class like this ,start with ,,water movements,so the body slowly strech with that....only when that is done we do ,,earth ,,what are travelsteps again to warm and learn at the same time at the same time at that time i speed up the pas more...then we do combo,s ,choreo,s and only after about 35 minutes we start shymmy,s serieusly,when we are nicely looze and warm,aswell nice for layering because already we did watermovements in the beginning...towards the end of class more fast work for stamina building and when that is done again malfuffy to slow down and slow pace work....to much streching i dont find is good for my students because many people in my classes never did any sport before,so i have to go slow with streching...but i put special attention on stamina i want people to get more fit that is more needed where i live its very hot ,not many people walk just drive there is limited acces to publick transport ,so to much sitting....at the moment i teach 6 differant levels ,so each level i adjust how i go about the stamina and work during the hour,so beginners i make the workout very differant then the advance class...aswell the advance students are longer with me so i know what is their limit...,i use very much the teaching way from my selfdefence teaching what is Karate,its very usefull for me its effective and i know what people get from this are good results.....my 2 cents on this ...goodnite everybody!!!
Darshiva
Moderator
I use a choreographed cardio warmup to one of Amr Diab's pop songs. It always gets a giggle out of my students & I've made it so that everyone can mime along with it regardless of level.
Everyone I know around here either does static stretch warmups or starts the class with drills, which I always found fatiguing, because (as mosaic said) I need my body to wake up properly first before I do drills.
Everyone I know around here either does static stretch warmups or starts the class with drills, which I always found fatiguing, because (as mosaic said) I need my body to wake up properly first before I do drills.
SeeJaneDance
New member
Ooh, Darshiva, your warm-up sounds like so much fun!
shiradotnet
Well-known member
What do you think of using yoga for warmups in belly dancing? Personally, I'm not a big fan of it. I feel that if students wanted a yoga workout, they'd go to a yoga class. If they're in a belly dancing class, then they're there because they want to DANCE. But how do others feel?
Daimona
Moderator
A couple of yoga exercises once in a while may be ok, but I've been to dance workshops where the the first hour(!) were used to yoga "warmup" (i.e. 1/4 of the total workshop time). None of us was happy about this and there is probably no need to say this teacher hasn't been invited back. If I want to learn and do yoga, I attend a yoga class. If I join a dance class, I expect most of the time being dance related.
I was inspired by Kashmir's articles when redesigning my class routines some years ago to be sure that what we did in class was safe and not counter-productive (such as stretching before being warm would be).
As my classes and group sessions usually are right after people come from work (doing static work), I start with mobilization from top to toe to get the minds focused on training time and loosening up stiff joints from their static work and then go on to some cardiovascular warm-up such as brisk walking with arms and various add-ins or doing a tiny and easy-to-follow choreography to pop-music (I've tried it the opposite way, but it doesn't work that well on my body at least). Then I move on to drills and new moves/combinations, perhaps some strenghtening excercises and the joining the combinations together to a choreography (the two latter may be switched, or the strenghtening excercises may be ditched) and a nice long and slow stretch at the end from top to toe.
Last edited:
SeeJaneDance
New member
If I attended a workshop with Rachel Brice (for example) I'd expect yoga to be a main feature of the session, because yoga is her thing. And I love doing the yoga in her dvds. But for me, personally, in an hour long class, there are often way more pertinent moves to do, even to warm up with, than yoga. The only time we consistently use it in class is very briefly to warm up for undulations (usually some variation on cat/cow), and even then, I could probably live without it. It's sort of funny, because it's a much larger part of my home workout, but really, if I'm in class, that time feels precious and short, and I'd rather be doing something more distinctly belly dance related.
Yame
New member
For my warmups, I will do anything that warms up the body and that is related to belly dancing. Sometimes, I do Saidi or dabke steps, sometimes shimmies and hip bumps, sometimes basic traveling steps, or a mix of any of the above. It depends on what I will be covering in class that day.
I also do things like hand and foot circles, shoulder circles, pointing and flexing the feet and some other foot exercises. Then I drill basic isolations, before moving on to that day's class material.
I also do things like hand and foot circles, shoulder circles, pointing and flexing the feet and some other foot exercises. Then I drill basic isolations, before moving on to that day's class material.
gisela
Super Moderator
Kashmir, I heard you on that a few years ago so thank you! I have been keeping a lot of your advice in mind when planning warm ups for my class. Recently I have redesigned it to be more effective so we get warm faster. It is still not perfect but I am getting better. At least I am convinced it is not hurting them.
walladah
New member
Actually, i have created a series of warmup movements
that at the same time are bellydance movements and warm up the body making big arteries and joints to work...
i also like very much the warm-up a turkish teacher does, as he uses 3 songs to dance to with the students so that we warm up (sweating at the end of the 3rd!!!). but this is very difficult for beginners or early intermediate students.
I think that bellydance is a warmup itself, esp. if one starts with mild/soft/round movements of pelvis and hands (shimmy is also a very good warmup). So, i feel frustrated with yoga used in the warmups, as i see most teachers insisting in yoga as the basis of our bodyrevival and using bellydance as the surface of the movement... which is not what i actually believe it happens (just remember: yoga is not invented to make you ready for the delights of life, this would be a contradiction to the philosophy that created yoga, while bellydance sees life as a delight and our bodies as a miracle, not an elastic to stretch - complete different perceptions of bodies).
The other thing about warmups is that in real world, f.ex. you are invited as a guest in a family party (no stage, no performance, no nothing of sequins or costumes) and you just want to dance with the rest. You have no time and space to do a static warmup, let alone that this would destroy the party. The only thing you can do is to use the overture of the song as the time to do the warmup dancing and then dance more wildly... most traditional songs are made that way, but also most bellydance/oriental songs are made that way...
So, i can tell that static warm up is good... for stretching at the end... however, when i finish my personal practice i prefer to dance slightly something than stretch. or a i stretch only if i feel my joints heavy (usually not from bellydance but from a tiring day)...
that at the same time are bellydance movements and warm up the body making big arteries and joints to work...
i also like very much the warm-up a turkish teacher does, as he uses 3 songs to dance to with the students so that we warm up (sweating at the end of the 3rd!!!). but this is very difficult for beginners or early intermediate students.
I think that bellydance is a warmup itself, esp. if one starts with mild/soft/round movements of pelvis and hands (shimmy is also a very good warmup). So, i feel frustrated with yoga used in the warmups, as i see most teachers insisting in yoga as the basis of our bodyrevival and using bellydance as the surface of the movement... which is not what i actually believe it happens (just remember: yoga is not invented to make you ready for the delights of life, this would be a contradiction to the philosophy that created yoga, while bellydance sees life as a delight and our bodies as a miracle, not an elastic to stretch - complete different perceptions of bodies).
The other thing about warmups is that in real world, f.ex. you are invited as a guest in a family party (no stage, no performance, no nothing of sequins or costumes) and you just want to dance with the rest. You have no time and space to do a static warmup, let alone that this would destroy the party. The only thing you can do is to use the overture of the song as the time to do the warmup dancing and then dance more wildly... most traditional songs are made that way, but also most bellydance/oriental songs are made that way...
So, i can tell that static warm up is good... for stretching at the end... however, when i finish my personal practice i prefer to dance slightly something than stretch. or a i stretch only if i feel my joints heavy (usually not from bellydance but from a tiring day)...
Aniseteph
New member
I just read Kashmir's warm up and ticked a mental box... for class I've usually done about 10 mins brisk walk to get there on time.
In class we usually warm up with gentle belly dance moves, then a warm up dance that's either FTBB (good mental warm up too) or a run through of a choreography we are trying to keep in practice with. I do like to stretch out my calf muscles, though maybe that's more about having a feel for the range of movement there so I don't EVER ping a bit of calf muscle again.
I'm OK with a little yoga-ish stuff if it's focused on what we are going to be doing, but too much is annoying. If I want a yoga/ aerobic/ general exercise class I will go to one.
At home I just dance, with a mind to starting slow and careful and getting everything moving. I can't do anything too wild anyway - no space and a light fitting that's a constant reminder to keep it small.
In class we usually warm up with gentle belly dance moves, then a warm up dance that's either FTBB (good mental warm up too) or a run through of a choreography we are trying to keep in practice with. I do like to stretch out my calf muscles, though maybe that's more about having a feel for the range of movement there so I don't EVER ping a bit of calf muscle again.
I'm OK with a little yoga-ish stuff if it's focused on what we are going to be doing, but too much is annoying. If I want a yoga/ aerobic/ general exercise class I will go to one.
At home I just dance, with a mind to starting slow and careful and getting everything moving. I can't do anything too wild anyway - no space and a light fitting that's a constant reminder to keep it small.
Shanazel
Moderator
Absolutely agree if a person wants yoga they should go to a yoga class or to a dancer like RB known for incorporating yoga into her classes.
As I succintly stated elsewhere today (seems to be a hot topic) I hate yoga mostly because it bores me silly but also because many participants exhibit the same sort of superior smugness exhibited by those who get up every morning before the sun rises. The worst offenders, of course, are those who get up early in order to do their yoga exercises in the light of the rising sun.
Thus speaks the night owl who gets her exercise by mucking stalls at midnight. :lol:
(For those that are feeling offended: that bulge you see in my cheek is my tongue tucked firmly into place.)
I don't have group stretches at the end of each class because students gradually cool down as we enter the group and circle dancing part of class. A hard-core exercise type in my class occasionally objected to this lack of final stretches but after I welcomed her to feel free to stretch anyway she liked after class she gave up on me.
As I succintly stated elsewhere today (seems to be a hot topic) I hate yoga mostly because it bores me silly but also because many participants exhibit the same sort of superior smugness exhibited by those who get up every morning before the sun rises. The worst offenders, of course, are those who get up early in order to do their yoga exercises in the light of the rising sun.
Thus speaks the night owl who gets her exercise by mucking stalls at midnight. :lol:
(For those that are feeling offended: that bulge you see in my cheek is my tongue tucked firmly into place.)
I don't have group stretches at the end of each class because students gradually cool down as we enter the group and circle dancing part of class. A hard-core exercise type in my class occasionally objected to this lack of final stretches but after I welcomed her to feel free to stretch anyway she liked after class she gave up on me.
Last edited:
Absolutely! I'm a bit of a purist about yoga. It is a spiritual pracitice, with its own religious and cultural origins. The physical aspects of yoga poses are excellent for many purposes; using the poses to meet some needs is not actually "doing yoga."
That's an interesting article, Darshiva. If the difference in performance with different types of warm-up is so great, it makes me wonder what some of those professional trainers/coaches are actually being paid to do.
Safran
New member
I start my warm-up with a very gentle dynamic stretch - just to get people prepared for the class and remind them of their posture. That makes up about the first 10 seconds of the usual 5 minute warm-up :lol: But the warm-up mainly consists of bopping around to music, using either simpler technique (for intermediates) or just some steps and movements that are easy to follow (for beginners):
My yoga experience is limited, but as much as I've seen, I wouldn't use it in the warm-up. However, I would "steal" an idea or two for stretches after more challenging drilling or for the cooldown at the end.
My yoga experience is limited, but as much as I've seen, I wouldn't use it in the warm-up. However, I would "steal" an idea or two for stretches after more challenging drilling or for the cooldown at the end.
gisela
Super Moderator
I was browsing youtube for warm-up inspiration and came across this. Several of the stretches my former teacher uses for after-class stretching. I feel that this series would be a nice and releasing stretch to do after a tough dance class, but not before... What do you guys think?
Last edited: