Warming Up

Today I am posting by suggestion from my friend who woke up this morning feeling quite sore and stiff from yesterday's hard day of dancing. We started talking about stretching, rolling out and feeling as stiff as a board, and it got me thinking that we could all benefit from learning about the importance of warming up before dancing and cooling down after.

The beautiful Patricia McBride
warming up pre-Nutcracker show.

Trust me, I know that as soon as that curtain comes down all you want to do is get home, but your future self will love you if you spend a few extra minutes prepping pre-show and recovering post-show.

Why Warm Up?


Warming up your body is important so that you don't feel the harsh effects of your dancing as much the next day. Let's just say that right now, I am wishing I had done a bit more warming up yesterday pre-show. It's possibly the worst feeling when your alarm goes off in the morning and you can't roll over to turn it off! 

Warming up will ensure your body is prepared for your strenuous activities and will lessen the post-exercise shock that you feel once you've stopped. Also, jumping into class or rehearsal without any preparation is basically asking for an injury since cold muscles and joints are much more brittle.

What’s Important?

• Stretching is necessary to increase the elasticity of muscles and tendons. Gentle stretches to the large muscle groups will help reduce muscle strains or tears.

• Along with stretching, you need to get your blood pumping. Muscle elasticity is dependent upon blood saturation, and cold muscles have a lower saturation point, which makes them more brittle and at risk for injury than warm muscles. The more blood that runs through your muscles, the quicker, more coordinated and limber you will be. Try jogging around the studio for 5 or so minutes for a gentle start to your day.

• Finding your center by doing simple balances will make your dancing more controlled and prepare your body for the challenging movements that might make you lose your balance or twist an ankle.

• Include arm movements in your warm up to get your whole body involved and ready. Your legs are not the only parts moving when you dance; your arms are just as important and just as at risk for injury as your legs.

When To Warm Up

Your warm up length and exercises are dependent upon the type of dancing that will follow. Your warm up for a ballet class might consist of a variety of stretches and toe exercises while a tap warm up might focus more on your ankles and calves. Typically, younger dancers will need less time to feel prepared, while more advanced, full-time dancers will need to create a longer routine to feel at the same level of preparedness.

When warming up for a show, take into consideration how sitting to do your hair and make up will cool you down, so you’ll probably need to warm up again before the show starts.

Seriously? A Cool Down too?

A series of stretches and walking around post-exercise will help your body transition from intense activity to resting again. After performing a physically strenuous piece, the temptation can be to find a couch ASAP. However, performing light exercises like stretches will actually help your body return to its pre-exercise state faster than if you just bluntly stopped.

Also, taking care to massage, heat and soak  cramped muscles post-dancing will lessen soreness and allow you to dance better tomorrow.

I know it can be hard to do more exercises and stretches on top of your already challenging classes and rehearsals, but the better you prepare, the better you will dance in those classes and rehearsals; therefore, the better you feel from day to day. You know what your weak or tights spots are, so create a warm up and cool down routine that caters to your personal needs. It’ll only help you dance longer and better!