PrincessandtheFrog Posted November 27, 2015 Share Posted November 27, 2015 Next week I've got a performance exam where at one part I have to perform a petit allegro followed by a really long grand allegro then followed by a solo which has lots of big jumps. However after the grand allegro I get really out of breath and I feel I don't perform my solo as well as I could. I notice that out of me and my classmates, I'm the only one who's really out of breath after the grand allegro but I do jump quite high. The ironic thing is that I play the trumpet so I shouldn't be as out of breath. I'm also a bit worried as when you're in exam conditions the nerves make you not breathe as well. Does anyone have any tips on breathing and stamina? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted November 27, 2015 Share Posted November 27, 2015 One tip my dd's teacher used to give her was to relax the shoulders so you aren't tensing up, and to breathe through your mouth - this can be disguised by smiling. :-) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate_N Posted November 27, 2015 Share Posted November 27, 2015 Try to think about your breathing as part of the choreography. When in the combinations do you breathe in? And when do you breathe out? The more long term thing is to ensure you are aerobically fit through cross-training. This is increasingly recommended for dancers: running, cross-trainer machines, cycling, swimming, weight lifting. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessandtheFrog Posted November 30, 2015 Author Share Posted November 30, 2015 Thank you Anna C and Kate_N, I tried the tips out in class and they worked because I wasn't as out of breath and I didn't die! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piccolo Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 Don't forget to think about your nutrition... If you're getting a bit breathless I'm wondering if you could be a bit anaemic. Might be worth getting some red meat into your diet, to see if it makes a difference - unless you're vegetarian! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huddsballetmum Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 My DD's dance teacher used to advise skipping for stamina building. 30 mins skipping per day for 2-3 weeks followed by 2-3 times per week afterwards really boosts stamina for fast or lengthy pieces. It works too! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate_N Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 This is a really good summary (from a reputable source) of the benefits of cross-training, and why dancers need to do it: https://trinitylaban.wordpress.com/2015/11/28/the-benefits-of-supplementary-training-for-dancers/ 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drdance Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 Aerobic interval training will work to improve your aerobic fitness without taking you into too much of an aerobic training zone. Dance is largely intermittent in nature, so you want to train the metabolic pathways required for this. Conversely, any training that is too continuous will eventually lead to adaptations in the body meaning you'll be great at continuous exercise (eg running a marathon!). The best way to do aerobic interval training to cause a training effect (ie an improvement in fitness) but retaining the 'start-stop' intermittent nature of dance is to do 1 minute of high intensity, low skill exercise (7/10 level of intensity - things like star jumps, grapevines, step-ballchanges, hopscotch) followed by 1 minute rest. Do this for 10-15 sets which will take 20-30 minutes. 2 or 3 sessions of this a week should be enough to cause a training effect. (FYI my PhD was partly based around aerobic fitness in ballet dancers....) 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate_N Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 Wow, that's great DrDance - that sounds really simple and effective. (My PhD was not half so useful ...) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessandtheFrog Posted December 1, 2015 Author Share Posted December 1, 2015 (edited) Thank you everyone for all the tips they are very helpful . For long term the cross and aerobic training will definitely be beneficial. I think before when I was dancing I probably forgot to breathe but Kate_N's tip about planning when to breathe in the dance really helped me not forget to breathe. Edited for spelling Edited December 1, 2015 by PrincessandtheFrog 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessandtheFrog Posted December 1, 2015 Author Share Posted December 1, 2015 Don't forget to think about your nutrition... If you're getting a bit breathless I'm wondering if you could be a bit anaemic. Might be worth getting some red meat into your diet, to see if it makes a difference - unless you're vegetarian! I'm a crazy meat eater, I think I eat way too much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drdance Posted December 2, 2015 Share Posted December 2, 2015 Wow, that's great DrDance - that sounds really simple and effective. (My PhD was not half so useful ...) It's so easy to do too - no equipment needed except maybe a pair of trainers. You can even do it outside (weather permitting) jogging 1 min, walking 1 min or a spacious living room and a good few pop songs (or Christmas tunes?!) would suffice too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate_N Posted December 2, 2015 Share Posted December 2, 2015 I'm going to add it to my gym routine on the treadmill - run fast for a minute, walk for a minute. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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