The sun is shining, and the summer vibes are in full swing. As a dancer, you might be tempted to take a break and enjoy the lazy days of the season. However, before you put your dance shoes aside, consider the exciting opportunities that await you during the summer months. Let’s explore three compelling reasons why you should keep dancing, along with three fantastic options for summer dance classes.
Maintaining Skill and Technique
The first reason why you should continue dancing during the summer is to maintain your hard-earned skills and technique. Dance requires consistency and practice to stay at the top of your game. By participating in summer dance classes, whether it’s a camp, intensive, or online training, you’ll keep your muscles engaged and your muscle memory sharp. Don’t let all those hours of training go to waste—embrace the summer and keep your skills on point!
Improving Strength and Flexibility
The summer months provide an excellent opportunity to focus on building strength and improving flexibility. Summer dance classes offer a chance to engage in conditioning exercises, cross-training activities, and targeted stretching routines. By maintaining a consistent training schedule, dancers can enhance their physical abilities, increase their range of motion, and develop the strength required for more advanced dance movements. Use the summer as a season of growth, pushing your physical abilities to new heights.
Exploring New Styles and Choreography
Summer is the perfect time to explore new dance styles and choreography. While you may have a preferred genre, taking summer dance classes allows you to step out of your comfort zone and broaden your artistic horizons. Embrace the opportunity to expand your repertoire, enhance your versatility, and unleash your creative potential.
It’s great to give your mind and body a break but dropping off training completely can do more harm than good. Rather than taking a long break and losing momentum when the studio classes break, dancers who embrace summer training set themselves up for continued growth and success in their dance journey. Let’s explore three different options to consider for summer dance training.
1. Dance Camps: Where Passion Meets Adventure
Summer dance camps provide an immersive experience that combines training with adventure. Join a local day camp in your area or travel a little further to create a new experience. They’re not just about training but also about exploring and having a blast! These camps provide an immersive experience where you can grow both technically and artistically while making lifelong friends. Dancers spend time learning ballet, contemporary, jazz, hip-hop, and more from amazing teachers. It’s a great opportunity for those looking for a summer day camp option that can be both challenging and fun.
How to find them: check with your favorite local dance studio or view my favorite summer camp resource for the Birmingham area.
2. Intensives: Elevate Your Skills to New Heights
Summer intensives are intense in the best way possible. These programs are designed for serious students and aspiring professionals who want to push themselves to new heights. Dive into a concentrated training schedule to refine technique, give valuable performance experience, and connect with top-notch instructors and guest artists. With the focused environment of an intensive, you’ll have the chance to explore different styles, build a solid foundation, and reach for your dance dreams. It’s an intense, transformative experience that will push you beyond your limits and help you reach your full potential.
How to find them: check with your favorite local dance studio or view my favorite summer camp resource for the Birmingham area.
3. Online Training Tools: Flexibility at Your Fingertips
We live in a digital world, and that’s great news for dancers! Online training tools are here to revolutionize the way we learn and practice dance. These platforms offer a ton of resources like pre-recorded classes, live-streamed sessions, tutorials, and even personalized feedback. The best part? You can access them from the comfort of your own home. Whether you want to focus on a specific dance style, work on your technique, or learn some killer choreography, online training tools do all that and more. Embrace the convenience, let loose, and dance like nobody’s watching!
How to find them: ask your dance instructor for recommendations or try a basic search for online dance trainings on Google or Instagram.
Don’t let the summer heat dampen your passion for dance. Instead, use the season to your advantage by keeping those dance shoes on and taking advantage of the opportunities in your local area. Summer camps, intensives, and online training tools are here to help you grow, have fun, and make the most of the slower pace of the summer schedule. Embrace the heat, follow your passion, and dance your way through the summer months. Keep on dancing!
Find all your dance class needs at Forté Dance Essentials in the Hoover Place Shopping Center. Open weekdays from 10 am to 6 pm.
