Dancer's Code Part 2

Health

On to our next part of Virginia Academy of Dance's Studio Code, Health.

Health and safety go almost hand in hand, so why did we decide to add both to our studio code?

The explanation is easy, as dancers you can be safe in your dancing at the studio by not being too careless and by listening to your teachers and instructors and paying attention to using the correct technique (and all the other topics we mentioned in Part 1 of the Dancer's Code), but do you take the time to follow living a healthy lifestyle outside of the studio?

Such as...

1. Stretching and strengthening your body so that you're fully prepared for class each week. Just showing up to class 1-3 times a week without working on toning and training your body makes it very difficult to learn and progress quickly in your dance training. We want dancers who HAVE to dance, so dancers who practice and stretch at home show us that they take dance and their health seriously.

2. Eating food that fuels your body in the correct way to prepare yourself for each day. Everyone knows that they need to eat well to have a functioning body, but athletes especially need to be considerate of what they eat before and after class, but also everyday at home. What you eat a few hours before or even a day before can affect how you perform. We want dancers to be healthy in what they fuel their body with so that the can dance at their fullest and not cause harm to their bodies.

3. Dance is as much a mental sport as it is a physical sport, take care of your brain so it can take care of you! We want dancers who are mentally strong and confident in themselves! It is a big deal for us here at VAD that our dancers work on their personal growth and taking care of themselves first before anything else. Reading a book, journaling, meditating, etc. something to help them grow and make sure that they are 100% on the inside before they give us 100% on the outside!

4. Getting enough sleep. Most of the time forgotten and not thought of as seriously as other healthy living items, sleep is extremely important and necessary for good health. Our dancers need to get enough sleep so their bodies can rest and recharge and their brains can relax and refocus. Sleep is a wonderful thing, even a 10 minute nap during the day can do wonders for your health! We expect our dancers to receive 8-9 hours of sleep, whether they are young or old. The amount of physical activity that they are doing during class and then outside or class your bodies take a strain and need to reset.

So, wrapping our time together up for today you can tell why health is just as important as being safe for us here at Virginia Academy of Dance.

Similar, but not the same!

Our Elite Stars performance group members receive the opportunity to work with healthy lifestyle coaches throughout the year.

Physical coaches to teach them about different exercise, cross training, and stretching techniques.

Nutritionists to help teach them what foods fuel their bodies the most.

And, Personal Growth coaches that keeps their "head in the game" by making sure it's healthy outside of the game as well!

Whether you're a dancer, or not healthy living should be the top priority for our lives.

We only get one trip around, might as well make it a great one!