The skull!

In class yesterday we learned about the SKELETAL SYSTEM and the most relevant bones for dancers to be able to identify.  There was a question in class about some additional information regarding the skull.... here is some follow-up information with a labeled diagram of important landmarks:

The sutures (fused connections) of the skull can help us to remember some of the planes (which we also learned about in class yesterday!): 

• Sagittal suture runs from the posterior (back) to the anterior (front) of the skull separating the two parental bones of the skull (helps us to remember the sagittal plane!)
• Coronal suture separates the frontal bone from the parietal bones and runs from right to left across the top of the skull (frontal plane.... also know as the coronal plane!) 
• Lambdoidal suture separates the parietal bones from the occipital bones at the base or posterior side of the skull 

There you have it.... the SKULL! 

How do you remember CHOREOGRAPHY???

On the Day 1 Questionnaires the students filled out yesterday, they were asked about their strengths and weaknesses.  I was shocked at how many students wrote things like:

• Current goal: I would like to improve my ability to pick up choreography 
• Challenge: Not enough attention to detail 
• Challenge: My memory... I have to go back so many times to understand 

And then I came across this article about Dr. Ruth Day, a former dancer who is "interested in how the mind works."  The article mentions the obvious reason as to why a dancer would want to be able to pick up choreography quickly: 

"Being able to quickly grab choreography immensely increases your visibility in auditions and, once hired, your value to a company; many companies have dancers who serve as choreographic sponges, keeping track of movement as the choreographer invents or alters it."

She goes on to mention some important things to note: 

• Modern dance is especially hard to remember because of its potentially infinite range of motion   
• Modern dance lacks specific names for all steps (like ballet)

So what should students do to help remember this tricky choreography??? 

• Use words, mental images, or kinesthetic feelings to help memorize the steps 
• Share ideas with the other dancers and use similar words/ideas to create a shared language

Even audiences struggle, she goes on to discuss, when seeing an overwhelming amount of dance in one piece.  What to do? Dr. Day recommends:

• "Chunk it" -- group an entire section together and identify it as one thing 

Many ways to help our NYSSSA students retain their choreography, especially with upcoming auditions next Monday... but there's one strong constant in all that is said here: 

YOU HAVE TO USE YOUR MIND AND BE THINKING 

DURING THE ENTIRE LEARNING PROCESS -- 

Be active when listening and creative when naming.  Happy Dancing!!!

Day 1 Comes to a Close...

As the sun sets on Saratoga Springs tonight.... I can imagine the students are fast asleep!  I am exhausted, so they must be somewhere far beyond that after hours and hours of classes today.  Not only were their bodies fed, but their minds too.

I love finding out interesting bits of information about the students on the first day.  In addition to dance, some of them play soccer, lacrosse, run cross country, hike with their dads, love indoor spinning, and I even learned about a new type of skateboarding, ripstick, that one of the students mentioned.  The board looks kind of like this...

...and I'm already brainstorming as to how I can incorporate these and their awesome core building and balance training into my classes ;) 

The students spent time investigating how to use their foam rollers.  Some brought from home and some of the homemade rollers!  Here they are working on their ITBands: 

And then we dove into our first circuit training workout of the summer.  The warm-up of jumping jacks and high knees jogging was most challenging at minute long increments.  This will be a great way to jump start our stamina for the repertory pieces they will be learning for performance.  

Stay tuned tomorrow for a full description of that Circuit Workout Series!!! 

........................

AND A BIG SHOUT OUT TO ANGELA, LAUREN'S MOM, ONE OF OUR REGULAR BLOG READERS AND AMAZINGLY SUPPORTIVE PARENTS!!! 

Thanks for all of your support!!! 

Welcome back to... NYSSSA!  

My summer would not be complete without my annual teaching residency in Saratoga Springs, NY at the New York State Summer School of the Arts.  This year I will not only be teaching my Dance Conditioning course, but I will also be staging a piece of my own choreography on a group of the students.  Can't wait to get started tomorrow.

Plan for the first day of Conditioning:
I have been working on something very special for my students.... every year I am urging them to "foam roll" their muscles and this year, I have a full proof plan -- I made each one of them their own personal foam roller!  It started as an idea from colleague and fellow dance teacher, Kerry Gallagher, and with a few fun-noodles from the local Rite Aid...

and with the addition of some electrical conduit PVC piping... and a little elbow grease from my wonderful volunteer (dad)...

Just a little more work, we're almost there.....

And we've got it.  30 mini travel foam rollers for my students.  Let's see what they think tomorrow!

BUT, WHY FOAM ROLL you may ask????? 

Foam rolling or SMR (self-myofascial release) works my inhibiting overactive muscles.   SMR relaxes the muscle through application of pressure to the muscle site, bringing oxygen and increasing blood flow.  Do before and after activity as part of the warm-up and cool down.  

Can't wait to report on Day 1!  

ADD THESE TO YOUR DIET: 

The top ten healthiest foods on the planet!

• Beans 
• lowers risk of heart disease by 22% 
• Quick tip: the darker the bean, the more antioxidants it contains (e.g. red vs. white) 
• Avocados 
• lowers cholesterol 
• contains folate and fiber to help reduce the risk of heart disease 
• Spinach 
• contains immune boosting antioxidants important for eye health 
• Salmon
• contains omega-3 fatty acids which have been linked to prevent depression, heart disease and cancer 
• Garlic
• a disease fighter -- look out E. coli!
• anti-inflamatory 
• Walnuts 
• contains the most omega-3 fatty acids of all nuts which can lower cholesterol 
• improves mood! 
• fights cancer 
• can protect skin from sun damage 
• Potatoes 
• contains cell building folate  
• Quick tip: let the potato cool before eating to help burn up to 25% more fat after your meal 
• Dark chocolate
• can reduce blood pressure 
• contains antioxidants  
• Broccoli 
• loads of Vitamin K
• Quick tip:  preserve more vitamins when microwaving (90%) than steaming (only 66%) 
• Lemon 
• lots of Vitamin C
• cancer preventing
• anti-inflamatory  

Another restless night for me (thanks to my hot apartment, the bar goers outside at all hours, and the NYC garbage truck outside my apartment at 5am) and I am feeling exhausted.  In between my classes I can barely keep awake and I'm counting the minutes until I walk out the door to head home to recharge before seeing a show tonight.  Count it be.....

Obstructive sleep disorder?? Check out this new device (looking almost like a mouth guard) which helps to keep your jaw from moving back into a position which would restrict your air flow, causing you to wake up while inhibiting REM sleep -- important for keeping you healthy.  Impaired sleeping can cause:

• High blood pressure
• Depression
• Diabetes 
• Stroke.... and the list goes on.   

If it's not a sleep disorder.... how can I help sleep better anyway?

Some nice tips from the Mayo Clinic: 

• Create a bedtime ritual (preferably in dim lights) of listening to soft music, reading, taking a bath, etc. 
• Get on a schedule.  This seems IMPOSSIBLE for holidays and weekends, but I do know how effective it can be to regulate your body's natural cycle. 
• Nicotine, alcohol, caffeine are no good before bed!  
• If you can't fall asleep after a while, go do something, then try again -- it's not worth the stress and agonizing feelings of waiting. 
• Get comfy!  Cool, dark, and quiet are a great place to start, then consider your sheets, pillow, and mattress. 

Tomorrow morning (IT'S SATURDAY!) I'm already planning for a HUGE sleep in so I'll try to use some of these to get me ready for it! Cool, dark, quiet.... here I come! 

I read something wonderful today....

A study in the Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology found that motivation fluctuates.  People are not just either A. motivated, or B. unmotivated, but each personal level of motivation will rise and fall -- most importantly to note, it's not a static thing.

Picture it: there could be a few weeks in which you are super eager, when you get up early, hit the gym, decide to learn a new language, you are filled with positive thoughts while being your own best cheerleader........ and then the other weeks in which you're.... not.  And that's ok. Don't let those other weeks slow down the motivation when it hits you.  The worst things we can do is get down on ourselves during these times.

Everything needs to have ups and downs: our weight, energy levels, motivation....
Now we realize, thanks to the researchers at Penn State, that this is NORMAL :)
Thanks, Penn State.

...A little image to accompany our thoughts for today...