Stay Healthy

Spring Back To Dance

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Spring Dance is so much fun, find the best ways to jump back into dance after break

Did you have a relaxing spring break? We hope you and your dancer got a chance to recharge because we have an exciting couple months coming up! Between competitions, community performances, and recital, spring dance is going to get FUN! Before things get crazy, this is the perfect time to check in with your dancer to make sure they are ready for it all.

To spring back to dance, you will want to take inventory or have a chat with your dancer about the following:

  • Do their dance clothes still fit? A change in season is the perfect time to try on dance clothes and shoes and make any purchases if necessary. At Prestige, we have a ton of styles to choose from along with shoes and tights. Make sure to take a peek at the dress code before buying any new dance apparel!
  • Are there any lingering injuries? If your dancer has been complaining of pain during the winter months and it still hasn’t improved, now would be the perfect time to get evaluated by a medical professional. Here is a great article talking about the distinction between pain and regular muscle soreness.
  • What is the plan for summer? We have an AMAZING line up for summer dance along with some super fun camps and intensives. If your dancer has been talking about trying a new style, summer is the perfect time! It is also a great time to try out a larger class load before the craziness of fall kicks in. You can read more about all we have to offer this summer in one of our blog posts!
  • How about the fall? We know it is barely spring but the fall will be here before you know it.  Our fall schedule and recommendations will be posted and emailed the week of March 26-30. Priority registration will start the first week in April. Now would be a great time to talk about the activities your child would like to try. It’s also a great time to talk about the amount of dance they would like to take on and if they are interested in auditioning for one of our performance teams.

We hope you enjoy the rest of your Spring Break and are just as excited as us to spring back to dance! We have some exciting things happening at the studio and can’t wait to see it all come to life!

How To Keep Your Dancers Warm In Class

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Staying warm as a dancer is always a challenge in the winter ESPECIALLY in Cedar Rapids, IA! Learn how in this post!

 

 

Now that it is mid-January, most people feel the thrill of winter start to slowly wear off. We have seen the snow, we have done our fun winter activities and now it is just COLD! Dancers in the studio get tired of throwing on all those winter layers to and from class too. They may start to think… is it really THAT important to stay warm anyways?! We are here to report that YES! It is that important to stay layered and warm before and in between classes, even as the excitement of wearing that favorite Prestige hoodie wears off.

What is the big deal you ask?? This article from IDTA does an amazing job explaining the benefits of warming up. Dancers need to prepare their bodies for what they are asking during class. Muscles need heat to stretch and move to their max capacity. Because the temperatures drop in the winter, it is even MORE important to be intentional with a warm-up.

In all of our classes at Prestige, we include a warm-up at the beginning of class and it is for the very same reason listed above. We want to make sure that your dancers move safely no matter what the weather outside is like. So what can you do to help when it is cold outside?

  • Talk to your dancer about why it is important to warm up before class.
  • Bring your dancers a few minutes early to get a head start on warming up. While dancers catch up with their dance friends have them get moving with some light exercises. This is especially important while recovering from an injury (Ask your physical therapist for a pre-class warm-up).
  • After class, bundle up to go outside. This is always a challenge with young dancers because they are hot after class but the cool-down is equally important. By bringing the body temperature down gradually, dancers can reduce muscle spasms and cramps.

Although these tips are especially important in the winter, they should be used all year long! Staying warm in dance class is a huge part of injury prevention, which is SO valuable to all dancers. Make sure your dancer knows the importance of it and let us know if you have questions. We are here to help and guide your dancer through it! The best part? Spring will be here before you know it!

How To Avoid Burnout

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Great advice for dancers in Cedar Rapids, IA on how to avoid burnoutLike young athletes, dancers have to be aware of and take steps to avoid burnout. The dance season is very long compared to other activities. We run from August to June and only take a short break before we jump right back into things for the summer session. It’s basically a year-long activity that is extremely demanding on the mind and body. As many of our Prestige dancers know, some of our dancers are in the studio for hours and hours every single week. We are approaching the mid-year mark and want to help our dancers avoid the dreaded burnout this year. Although we can’t control when burnout may strike, we can take steps to reduce the risk.

  1. Stay focused on goals. When you are tired, sore, and overwhelmed it is easy to forget why you are doing all of this in the first place. Try writing down one main goal and keep it somewhere visible.  By seeing your goal daily on a post-it note on your mirror, in a journal by your bed, on your school planner, etc. you will be more likely to remember the WHY. This will help push you through the more difficult times.
  2. Get feedback from teachers. Sometimes burnout can come from being frustrated. “Why didn’t I get the solo?” “Why is my teacher so hard on me?” “Why can’t I nail my turns?” Sometimes, dance is HARD. Like, really hard! We don’t always leave class doing things perfectly and that can make a dancer want to give up! By checking in with teachers on what can be done differently in class, you get answers. You won’t waste time on negative self-talk and you won’t get to that place of wanting to give up.
  3. Rest. Rest is SO important for dancers. Like we mentioned earlier, dance is demanding on the mind and body. If you start feeling overwhelmed or more stressed out than normal, make an effort to go to bed early (instead of going on your social media hehe!). When you have time off during your busy season, take that time off to rest instead of filling the space with other activities. We promise you will feel refreshed and ready to get back to work!
  4. Talk to your parents and dance teachers. If you start feeling overwhelmed or run down, don’t be afraid to say something to your parents and teachers. Your parents want you to stay healthy and positive and your teachers want that too. We can all work together to figure out a plan to get you back on track.

So what do you think? Can you make it through this year without reaching the point of burnout? By following these steps we are confident you will! We are also super confident that you will do AMAZING things this year,  we are already off to a great start!

 

 

3 Reasons To Try Dance As An Adult

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Why Dance Classes are awesome for adults in Cedar Rapids.

Did you dance as a kid? Were you on dance team in high school? Have you stood in awe watching dancers from the sidelines? Do you want a fun way to incorporate exercise into your life? If you answered yes to any of those questions, you are a GREAT candidate for our adult dance classes!

If you haven’t heard yet, Prestige Dance Studio offers ballet, tap, and hip hop for adults ages 18+. We want to encourage you to take a chance and try one of our adult classes no matter what your ability level! In case you need more convincing to give it a try, check out the 3 reasons why you will LOVE dancing as an adult.

  • The workout. Dance is an amazing way to get your exercise in. In our classes, you will use your WHOLE body and probably use muscles you didn’t even know existed. It is cardio, strength training, and stretching all in one class. We promise you will leave class feeling like you got the most out of your time and have fun while doing it!
  • Dance challenges your mind. Whether you are a beginner or more advanced, your brain will constantly be challenged during class. You will learn new choreography along with new steps that require deep concentration. Learning how to connect your mind to your body takes practice and you will do just that during our dance classes. As Henry Ford has said, “Anyone who keeps learning stays young.”
  • It is dedicated time to focus on YOU. As adults, we spend most of our day focusing on other people. Whether it is our kids or people at work, we don’t often get time to focus on ourselves. Dance classes at Prestige will allow you to do just that. We physically and emotionally close the door to all outside distractions. When feeling stressed and overwhelmed, a little time to focus on YOU can be the best medicine.

Doesn’t that sound amazing?! We think so too! So what are you waiting for? You can view our current adult class offerings here.

Want to try an adult dance class before you commit? Schedule a FREE trial class by contacting us. We can’t wait to dance with you!

Is Your Child Ready For More?

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Knowing to add another dance class is tough! The article will walk you through the decision for those dance studio parents.

Knowing when your child is ready for more can be a tough decision. Juggling activities with school and family time is a struggle with every family and each and every one has different needs. Some kids are able to do it all without breaking a sweat and others have a more difficult time balancing all that is going on. As a parent, you know your dancer best. You know when they get overwhelmed or bored and you know how to calm them down and challenge them. Nevertheless, deciding to put more on your dancer’s plate is not going to feel totally great until you give it a try and see the results. Luckily there are a few things you can do to make the transition a little bit easier for everyone.

Does your child constantly bug you to add another dance class? If yes, it seems they are hooked on dance and are loving every minute of class. Asking for more is often the first sign that your child may be ready to take another class at the studio. Once they start asking, it is important to evaluate how they are handling their current load. Do they spend enough time on homework? Are you happy with their grades? Do they often get overwhelmed? Are they getting enough sleep? If in any of these areas, things are not going so well, it may be a good idea to delay things a bit. When breaking the news to your dancer, talk about an action plan. What can they work on to add another class? This may help them understand your expectations and give you the opportunity to sit down and talk about how you can accomplish it together.

If everything is going ok with your dancer’s current work load, go ahead and give it a try! Before you start the newly added class, it is a great idea to talk to your dancers about a plan. When and where are they going to do homework, eat dinner, sleep, relax, etc. The more you can talk through a strategy that works for both you and your dancer, the better chance they will handle the transition positively.

If you are unsure about adding another class, please feel free to talk to us! We can give you a little perspective on what we see in class from your dancer and help you weigh the perks and drawbacks of adding more to your dancer’s plate. Adding more can be a challenging decision to make for parents. At the end of the day, I’m sure all you want is your dancer’s happiness. Luckily, that is what we want for your dancer too! We make sure to support ALL of our dancers, whether they are taking 1 class or many. We recognize that not every dancer is the same and we think that is one of the things that makes our Prestige Dance Studio family so great!

Still need to register for Fall?? Check out our schedule and register today!

Stay Healthy & Injury Free This Year!

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Healthy and Injury Free

We are well into our performance season here at Prestige. Between competitions, community performances, and recital, our dancers are dancing more than ever! Staying healthy and injury free during this time of the year is not only important but also harder than the first half of the year. We thought it would be a great time to go over some helpful tips and give you a few useful articles so you can give your dancer a leg up in this department!

  1. Stay hydrated- The number one thing in every dancer’s bag should be their water bottle! Get a sturdy reusable one that they can fill up over and over. Make sure to talk to your dancer about actually using it too! At performances, things get crazy so it can be really easy to forget. Help them out and have an extra ready for them every time you touch base. They will be happy to see it after dancing full out on stage!
  2. Eat mindfully- What we put into our bodies has a HUGE impact on how we feel. Eating foods high in nutrients will reduce our chances of getting sick. They also give us the energy we need to pull off really busy weekends and AMAZING performances. Check here for ideas on what to eat during those long performance days!
  3. Know when to rest- One of the most important parts of staying injury free is knowing the difference between sore muscles and PAIN. It is really tough for dancers to figure out the difference. We love this article explaining it all. For many dancers, resting is NOT something they want to do. They think if they just push through, the pain will go away. However, if they ignore the pain and forego rest, it can turn into a much bigger problem, requiring even MORE time off.
  4. Stretch and Strengthen- Take the time to warm up before running on stage. Try doing jumping jacks or planks backstage while waiting. Dancing full out on cold muscles can lead to injuries. Also, stretching and rolling out after a long day of dance can have a huge impact on reducing soreness. During off weeks keep up with strengthening exercises like these.

We know that with these 4 tips, you are setting your dancer up for success through the busiest time of the year! We can’t wait to see the amazing results!