Courtney's First Podcast

Dance Diets

Just like any other sport, dancers should have a diet that they follow by.  Dancers have to be able to move their body weight easily and excess weight can cause joint problems and potential sprains and broken bones.









Carbohydrates should account for about 50-65% of a dancers diet. A couple examples of carbs is cereal, pasta, and breads.

Protein should be about 10-15% of a dancers diet.Food such as lean meats, beans, and tofu are ideal.

Surprisingly dancers need fat in their diet which seems contradictory. In reality dancers need about 20-30% of their diet to be fatty foods. This doesn't mean potato chips, this means avacodos, nuts, and seafood.

Fruits and vegetables are essential too. There are many vitamins and minerals in them. Five servings of fruits and vegetables is ideal for a dancer to consume daily.

The MOST IMPORTANT thing a dancer can do is to stay hydrated. During dancing and working out dancers can lose a lot of body fluid. Body fluid regulates body temperature, maintain electrolytes, and maintain circulation.

The most important part is that a dancer eats. There is a lot of pressure in the dance world to stay super skinny and lean. This can lead to serious eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and binge eating.

Anorexia nervosa is when a person is barely eating or stops eating completely. This is where a person is underweight and has a huge issue with eating. This is usually because someone with anorexia tries to control things and eating is easy to control. Anorexia nervosa is more common in dancers than the normal population.

Bulimia is where a person eats and then throws up the food that he/she ingested. This is so a person can feel full or when a person wants to taste food, but still wants to lose weight.

Binge eating is when a person will starve themselves for a few days and then consume a high amount of food/calories. Binge eating is harder to detect because the binge eater will be about normal weight.

Belly Dancing

We all know belly dancing as moving the hips and torso to dance. There are many famous belly dancers. An example of a famous belly dancer is Shakira. There is so much more behind belly dancing than what Americans see.

Belly dancing was named after the Ouled Nail dancers of Algeria. Believe it or not, every single part of the body is used to belly dance not just the hips. There are two reasons that people in the Middle East belly dance for. One reason is for performing and the other is for social/folk dance and the other reason is for performance (art). Belly dancing has roots in the Middle East, Egypt, Africa, and Turkey.

Belly dancing in America truly started in 1893 by Sol Bloom at the World's Fair in Chicago. Some slang for this dance when people in America first saw it was shimmy and shake, Hootchy-Kootchy, and Hoochee-Coochie. People were not happy about how belly dancing was very promiscuous for that time period. Belly dancing was in burlesque theaters and at the circus.

In the late 1980's the new belly dancing style emerged. It was called American Tribal Style Belly Dance. It takes traditional belly dancing styles and mixes it with modern style.

There are three different types of movements in belly dancing:

• Percussive movements: Mostly hips and this types of beat accents the beat. Also can be lifts in the shoulder and rib cage.
• Fluid movements: Continuous motion of the body that has a rhythmic pattern. Correlates well with the music.
• Shimmies, shivers, and vibrations: small and fast movements in the rib and hips.

Dancing for Exercise

Fitness is essential to have a healthy lifestyle. Many people do not like the traditional way of doing fitness by running and lifting weights. There are newer types of fitness that revolves around dance. Two of the ways are jazzercise and zumba.

Jazzercise
Believe it or not jazzercise has been around since 1969. There are different classes for different levels depending on how long you have been doing jazzercisse and how physically fit you are. There are classes that go 30 minutes, 45 minutes, 60 minutes, and 65 minutes. Jazzercise incorporates jazz dance, yoga, kickboxing, resistance training, and pilates.

There are many different types of classes. The core class focuses on abdominal and cardio. Lite is a relaxing type of jazzercise. Express is a 30 minute class, bu there is a lot of cardio packed into it. Lo is for people ho need low to no impact exercise. Strike is more of a kickboxing style. Last but not least there is Fusion which is strength training and more jazz type of dance.




Zumba
Zumba has been around since the 1990's. There are many different dance styles that are involved in Zumba. Some of these dance styles are hip-hop, salsa, samba, soca, mambo, tango, and merengue. Classes are usually about an hour long. This is a great alternative to exercise and can be a lot of fun.

There are different programs to target certain areas of the body. Zumba tone works with toning sticks. Aqua Zumba is in the water which is ideal for elderly people looking to get exercise. Zumba in the circuit is Zumba dancing with circuit training. Zumba toning works on the muscles of the body and cardio for maximum results. One of the great things about Zumba is that there is a class directed towards kids (Zumba Kids) whih is a 30 minute fun workout for kids.

 

Dance Shoes

Depending on the type of dance a dancer does will determine the kind of shoe the dancer will wear. It is important to be wearing the proper footing while dancing to be able to effectively dance to fullest of their credibility.

Turf Shoes


These shoes are used in high school a lot. These shoes are perfect while the dance team is on the sidelines doing dances before their halftime performance. These shoes are also good for dancing in the grass. The thick soles keep the shoes from being tore apart on the track turf. Another type of turf shoes a lot of dancers are using today is just regular high top shoes. These are used more for hip hop styles. High tops are great because the sole is thick and it doesn't tear up the shoes.

Jazz Shoes
 



These shoes are perfect for stages and basketball courts. Jazz shoes are lightweight and allows the dancer to move easily. These shoes are small and give enough support to be able to do turns, leaps, and all dance techniques without getting in the way. These shoes can be used in other types of dance such as contemporary. 

Ballet Shoes




Ballet shoes are only for ballet dancers. These shoes are very unique in comaprison to every other type of dance shoe. These shoes have a couple other names such as "pointe shoes" and "ballet slippers." These shoes are very hard on the feet. The reason they are so popular is because these shoes make it easier for ballet dancers to be able walk on their tip toes (called pointe in dance world). These shoes are extremely uncomfortable and very stiff but because they are stiff that is how they stay on pointe.

No Shoes

A couple weeks ago I did a blog about contemporary dance. In contemporary dance, many dancers opt out of wearing dance shoes. This is because people love to feel the music in contemporary music and there are many level changes. Shoes can get in the way and sometimes mess a dancer up.

It is important to know what type of shoe to wear for what type of floor and dance.

Dancers Foot Injury

Foot injures are very common in dance especially ballet. Some can be healed fairly quickly, while other injuries will take quite a bit of time to heal. Some injuries will end a dancers career for good.

Foot Injury
Some common foot injuries are Dancer's Fracture, Sesamoiditis, Hallux Valgus and Bunion, Hallux Rigidus, Plantar Fascitis, and Metarsalgia.

Dancer's Fracture
This usually happens when a dancer jumps up in the air and lands with their foot turned in. To treat this a dancer needs to put ice on the ankle, elevate, and limit weight on the ankle. After the fracture heals it is important to do rehabilitation.

Sesamoiditis
Sesamoiditis is pain with bending and straightening the big toe. There are a few ways to treat this. First off all take time off of dance. One needs to see a trainer or a physician to see how serious the disease is. The use of  a J pad may be used to relieve pressure. This may take several months to heal. Surgery may be needed to remove the sesamoid bones if condition does not improve.

Hallus Valgus and Bunion
This is where the big toe points inward causing pain and discomfort. This causes pain not just on the toe, but can cause pain on the ball of a dancers foot. Treatment for this is if caught early stretching, strengthening exercises, and/or orthotic prescription. Toe spacers may be used. Worst case scenario, surgery may be needed.

Hallux Rigidus
Hallux Rigidus is where there is restriction in in the joints in a dancers big toe. This can also bring pain. A big toe should be able to move at a 90 degree angle. Some treatments include ice massage and stretching the big toe and the sole of the foot.

Plantar Fascitis
This is pain in the sole of the foot. The tissue connected to the heal bone becomes inflamed and painful. IT becomes more painful after dancing or any heavy exercising. Treatments for this are ice, rest, anti-inflammatory medicine

Metatarsalgia
This is where there is pain over the ball of the foot. Ice, rest, strengthening muscles using toe flexion, and metatarsal pads can help heal and relieve pain

For a dancer the sooner that one can diagnose a foot problem, the easier it can be to take care of. Dancers must be on their toes (no pun intended) about pain and discomfort. If pain and discomfort is ignored, it could take a long recovery.

 

Dance Shows

In the 21st century, there have been different shows to showcase ordinary people who can dance. Last week I put a youtube video of a girl named Lauren Froderman. These dance shows can lead to fame, being on broadway, being back-up dancers for celebrities, and really opening doors for the contestants in the dancing world.

Some popular shows that involve dancing are:

• So You Think You Can Dance
• X Factor
• Dancing with the Stars
• Dance Moms
• Dance Academy
• America's Best Dance Crew

On shows like So You Think You Can Dance, X Factor, and Dancing with the Stars people are judged by a panel on whether or not they are good enough to compete in the next episode. This is reality dancing. Sometimes the viewers at home have an input on who they want to save for the next week. Dance reality shows have used media outlets such as twitter, hashtags, and texting for the viewers at home to be a part of the voting process.

Being noticed as a dancer can be extremely hard. One has to have the perfect body, endless amount of training, and a little bit of luck to be noticed. These shows help the contestants/stars of these shows get noticed. Hopefully one day these aspiring dancers will be able to make it big.

Contemporary dance

Contemporary dance is considered to be an expressive type of dance. This dance has many different dance styles such as modern, ballet, and jazz in it. Also, jazz can be danced to many different genres of music from classical, country, R&B, jazz, etc.



Contemporary is not as strict as ballet is. Contemporary dances allows the dancer to move with the music. Sometimes the dancers do not wear any jazz shoes. Jazz shoes can be hard to move around on sometimes. Also, it is less likely for a dancer to hurt their ankle with all the movement in contemporary music.The beat and the words of the music flows with the dancer and how the dancer incorporates the music shows through her dancing abilities.



There can be a lot of floor work in contemporary music. Also, there are level changes. Level changes is where a dancer might start into a jump or turn, lands on the ground (floor work), and then get back up and start dancing again.



Some contemporary dances do not look like normal dance moves. That is completely normal because the dancer is listening to the music and words. Then the dancer comes up with a movement that reflects what they are feeling. There is a term called "Relaxation and Release" which is where a dancer takes all of her frustration, anger, and stress and then through dancing releases all that built up energy and releases it on the dance floor. This makes for a powerful and moving dance routine and lets the dancer let go of everything that the dancer has bottled up.



Below is a audition from So You Think You Can Dance. Lauren Froderman does an excellent job on her audition. You can tell she connects to the music, uses her own style, and can captivate the judges with her interaction with the song and lyrics. Enjoy!

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Bethany College

In my blogs I have talked about the background of dance. This blog post is going to be a little bit different.

I started dancing when I was in high school. When I was a senior I tried for my college's dance team (Bethany College). I got a position on the team.

As a dancer, you have to be able to do many types of dance. I had to learn how to do contemporary, hip-hip, and jazz. This is why it is very important to have a ballet background because the basic ballet moves are in all of these different styles of dancing. In the past few years I had to learn to do the following:

• fish roll
• seconds
• double and triple turns
• switch leap
• calypso
• barrel roll
• break dancing (stalls)

These are just a few things. Dancing is just like any other sport you have to be dedicated to what you are doing. You must be flexible and be willing to put in long hard hours at practice. You have to love what you do no matter what it is in life. Mine just happens to be dancing! :)

The picture below is me following a public figure on twitter for a week for class.

Hip Hop Old School

Hip hop in the past decade has became extremely popular with younger generations. Another word that is often used instead of hip hop is rap. Hip hop originated in the Bronx in New York. Underdeveloped communities (mostly black)were the ones that created hip hop in the 1970's. It wasn't until the 1980's when hip hop really started spreading all over the United States. Hip hop was accepted into culture (black and white communities).

Hip hop can be controversial today because some people feel that what hip hop artists rap about in their songs is derogatory to women, talks about murders/shootings, rape, and a lack respect to authority figures (primarily police). When hip hop first originated, people primarily rapped about how the judicial system was corrupt and unfair especially to people of color living in poverty.

Some of the popular hip hop artists in the 1980's through 1990's are:

• The Beastie Boys
• LL Cool J
• MC Hammer
• Salt-N-Pepa
• Ice T
• Public Enemy 
• Dr. Dre
• Tupac Shakur 
• Notorious B.I.G.

The first hip hop style of dancing was breakdancing. This started in the streets. There are two moves called uprock and downrock. Uprock is when the dancer is doing dance moves standing up and downrock is where the dancer does moves close to/on the ground. Someone can breakdance with a beat (beatboxing, DJ, boom box, radio, etc).


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This map shows where at in the United States Hip hop was born.

Jazz

Jazz dancing is very popular today. There are actually two different types of jazz. There is traditional jazz and modern jazz.



Traditional
jazz in the United States was a mix between European and African
dancing styles combined in the 1900s. A jazz band usually would have a
jazz dancer of a tap dancer on stage with the band dancing. This
resulted in many new styles of dance such as:

• the Charleston 
• Boogie Woogie
• Jitterbug
• Swing 

Traditional jazz has the traditional leaps and turns
and body movement were important with this type of dance. Traditional
jazz has some movements like ballet, but a person's body "flows" instead
of being precise and "board-like." Jazz was created by primarily the
black community so they could still do their African chants. In the
1920's, white Americans took a liking to it. This lead to jazz being
played/danced everywhere.



Modern jazz uses ballet style
just like traditional jazz. Also, modern jazz uses street dancing.
Modern jazz came about in the 1950's. Some of the "inventors" of modern
jazz are Jake Cole, Katherina Dunham, and Bob Fosse. Modern jazz is a
mix between Caribbean and Latin American dancing. This type of dace
started Broadway dancing.

Ballet

Tonight I am going to be talking about ballet. There are a couple different types of ballet (Classical, Neoclassical, and Contemporary). Classical ballet is the most formal type of ballet. It focuses on traditional techniques. Neoclassical ballet uses some of the technique that classical ballet has, but the tempo is faster and the technical dancing is much more advanced than just regular ballet. Contemporary ballet has elements of classical ballet but with a modern twist to it. Both classical and neoclassical ballet have very strict technique and is very strict on body placement.

My top three favorite ballets are

• Midsummer Night's Dream
• The Nutcracker
• Swan Lake

Even though I have never taken any formal ballet lessons, ballet is very important. When I have a jazz routine, contemporary routine, and even hip-hop routine, ballet is a major component to make these routines work. Ballet's techniques help in all other aspects of dance. To be a ballet dancer it is very hard and most don't make it. You have to have the right measurements for weight, height, chest, torso, buttocks, and thighs. You also have to be accepted into a prestigious dance school at a young age. Ballet schools will turn someone down because they are to old.

Ballet is very difficult and only a few succeed in ballet as a career. This may be harsh, but if you have ever watched a ballet, you can understand why companies and schools only want the best. Ballet's can be breathtaking and spectacular. Enjoy this clip of Midsummer Night's Dream!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja_PCSSoD0E







 

About me

My name is Courtney Sweeney. I live in a small town in Kansas, but originally from Illinois. I am currently a student at Washburn University. I live on a farm and work as a waitress. I have a bubbly personality and love meeting new people.

I have always been in sports all of my life. One sport that I completely fell in love with was dance. I started dancing on my high school dance team and then danced on my college dance team for a couple years. Dance is a way someone can express themselves without words. The best part is everyone can dance! All one has to do is feel the music and move.