Keep dancing All aspects of fitness are important in ballroom, according to Strictly Come Dancing’s Anton du Beke. “Endurance is important because you need to be able to perform well, dance after dance, but ballistic fitness also comes into play because the dances are short and energetic. Interval training combined with longer sessions of cardio is good to do off the dance floor, but nothing really beats just dancing itself.”
Heads up Looking down at your feet while dancing is like staring at the bonnet of your car while driving, says du Beke. “You need to look where you’re going. Plus, your head is heavy and plays a vital role in counterbalancing the rest of your body. Looking down will ruin your shape, posture and balance.”
Get flexible “Flexibility in the hips, back and shoulders will give you a much greater range as a dancer,” says du Beke, “and good body strength, especially in the core, helps with balance.”
Lead like a gentleman Leading a dance should feel weightless. “Someone once said to me, ‘The perfect partner follows what he leads,’ ” du Beke says, “which means that, although the man initiates a new movement in the dance, he should then follow his partner through that movement.”
Focus on footwork “Learning the actual dances is the smallest part of ballroom,” du Beke says. “We spend hours practising the control and perfect weight transfer of good footwork. Having strong, flexible ankles really helps. You must also be sure to thoroughly stretch your achilles tendons as ballroom dancing tightens them and can cause injury.”
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