Dance

[gym monkeys mom]

Our Optional and Compulsory teams each do dance 1 hour a week at the gym. This is lead by a qualified dance teacher we really like. Some parents have been asking what does she work on and how does it help.

She is not by the way the one who writes routines. The coach who writes routines is on leave this season as she just started law school and her schedule is not the same as practice.

So here is what I was wondering about:

1.Do you do dance at your gym
2.If so what levels and how often and long
3.Who teaches it
4. What do they work and why
5. What benfits does it bring

I would love to hear from judges, coaches, dance teachers and gymnasts, to see what you all think.

I know it helps but was looking for ideas of what others do and how they think it helps.

 

[MdGymMom01]

Our gym does not offer dance classes or incorporate that much dance training into the practices. However, my dd and a handfull of the girls on dd's team (MDL not USAG) do take dance classes outside of the gym. Not necessarily to help with gymnastics, but more as something different and fun to do in the kids' spare time. The team my dd is on practices limited days and hours a week so there is more free time in their schedules to do other activities.

Editted to say that: the additional dance training does help with the overall artistry of gymnastics, especially on floor and beam. It has helped my dd tremendously with grace, extension and artistry.

 

[Linsul]

1.Do you do dance at your gym

YES!


2.If so what levels and how often and long

All levels from developmental through to elite. The time varies. Developmental does it for 15-20 minutes and it goes up to 2-3 hours a week depending on level.


3.Who teaches it

Coaches at our gym also have had some dance training, or were dancers themselves. The coach that trains the group also trains their dance.


4. What do they work and why

Developmental groups concentrate on moves that improve shoulder, lower back, and hamstring flexibility. Also on ones that require a locked knee, improve their releve and their balance. We also teach them about arm movement from the shoulders to the fingers.

Complusories do that with the addition of beginning classical lines at the barre. It does differ from emphasis placed on squared hips and center of gravity that hardly ever changes. They also do some 'dance conditioning' moves that rely heavily on strength as well as balance at the barre.

Optionals do all that plus advanced leaps and jumps, classical line work off the barre. Elites do pretty much the same thing. It gets harder depending on their level/expectations.


5. What benefits does it bring

Flexibility, strength, grace, awareness, extension, and the ability to move in a way that gymnastics doesn't teach. Is it necessary to compete? No. It greatly enhances what they're capable of though. The more ways they know how to use their muscle groups and find their center the more control and possibilities there are for that gymnast. So I guess in a way it could also help with fears of new skills by affecting their confidence in a positive way. If they see themselves as someone who can always land on their feet and maintain balance because they've been testing that ability multiple ways for years; that's a good thing.

 

[gymnastgets10]

1.Do you do dance at your gym
yes
2.If so what levels and how often and long
In the summer preteam through level 10; my level 8 group did it for 1 hour twice a week
3.Who teaches it
One of the coaches/owners daughters who majored in dance in college
4. What do they work and why
One day was ballet at the barre - kicks, holds, leg strength and some stretching, the other was small dance series, leaps, turns, and floor routine dance throughs
5. What benfits does it bring
Leg strength and presentation in floor and beam routines - the judges in our state really seem to take deductions if you're not on toe as much as possible during your routines.