A Dancer’s Guide to Open Gym

A Dancer’s Guide to Open Gym

            Open Gym is a great way to come spend some extra time at Varsity, working on skills and spending time with friends. It is time allotted for you athletes to come use our facility for exactly what you want! At first, it may be difficult for you to decide what you want to do, or what you would like to achieve within the hour. Our coaches are here to help you, but please do not rely on them to tell you exactly what to do, this is YOUR time to do as you wish.

            With that said, it is important  for you to come to open gym with an intention or goal in mind. If it is to simply have some fun and build an obstacle course to play on, great! However, if you want to use open gym to help improve your skills or work on choreography, you have to know what to do in order to be successful. Here are some simple steps and examples to help get you started.

In order to improve skills

-          Think about how we practice the skill in class, and drill it in the same way

-          Apply the corrections you have been given by your instructor

-          Also practice the drills we do in class in order to better execute the skill

-          Perform the strengthening exercises we do in class

Example: I want to improve my double pirouettes

- First I would stretch just as we do in class

- Next I would do some core strengthening exercises, such as planks and crunches    on the ball

- After that, I would work on my relevé passé balances to prepare my body for rotating

- I would then perform my 6 step double pirouettes across the floor

- Lastly, I would make sure to apply any corrections my coach had given me, such as remembering to spot, and straightening my supporting leg

Working on choreography

-          First, start by going through the choreography with counts

-          Work on any technical skills within the routine that you may need to improve upon

-          Find a coach to play the music for you

-          Use the mirrors to work on your performance and facials

-          Bring a friend from class or your team to practice with you!

-          Ask a coach or other athletes if you can perform for them! This will help you build confidence J

Remember to always properly warm up just as we do in class! Warming up is crucial for injury prevention, and you should be using those muscles just as much in open gym as you do in cheer dance class! Try to follow the same series of stretches as you do with your instructor.  

Also, keep in mind that there are many things we use around the gym to improve our skills. Feel free to use the yoga balls, resistance bands, and even the trampoline. Anything we use in class can be used during open gym.

Lastly, please be respectful of the space and clean up after yourself!!!