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| Kandykane Stretching |
Audience do not only expect dancers to be slim, they demand dancers to be extra thin. Because of the public expectation, the entertainment bodies inclined to hire skinny dancers, and this affect the dancers' perceptions too. However, as a professionally trained dancer and an experienced dance teacher, I must point out that none a good dancer I know is 'thin', they are lean with muscles.
Dancing maybe just a social activity, but it means a sport for many. And it could be hard work if you take it seriously. Muscular strength, especially the core, is very important for keen dancers. Why? All dances require good posture, even you are just standing still, you need a good stance and a proper stance involves the core muscles engagement; when you walk, you need to keep the elevation, then you need core strength; when you spin and turn and keep yourself cool without feeling dizzy, you need to stay high (releve) and balance, then you need to tuck tummy in; well in short, whatever you do in whichever dance, you need to activate the core muscle in addition to some particular parts of the body muscles. For instance, you need the core, legs, calves and ankles. Thus, through daily training, professional dancers are in fact not thin nor slim, they are lean with reasonable muscular strength.
Youtube it yourself, and you can find a lot, here are some I like:
Enjoy!!
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