Preparing the Body and Mind for Dance Class

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Date

2016-05

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The Ohio State University

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Abstract

Previous scientific research has discovered successful components of a general warm-up practice, however, I have yet to observe the physical application and creation of individual warm-ups intended to educate dance major students. The purpose of this study is to design preparatory warm-up sequences that will serve as guidelines to better clarify and suggest successful methods to prepare the body and mind for college level dance courses. Over the past academic school year, I have devised a series of preparatory warm-up sequences that focus on specific anatomical regions proven to be most prone to muscle/joint instability: the hips, knees, and ankles. The movement material and methodology behind the sequences were created in conjunction with data compiled from an in-depth literature review examining the most effective components of warm-up exercises, my personal knowledge acquired through academic course work in and outside the Department of Dance, and two physical practice skill sets: Yoga and Gaga. Moreover, I have built a public website platform that displays video demonstrations of each warm-up accompanied by contextual information. Dance major students are able to access the public website and physically apply the innovative preparatory warm-ups prior to class allowing them to better physically and mentally prepare for any dance class in the future.

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Keywords

Warm-up, Prepare, Mind-body, Dance Class

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