Hi dancers! Happy New Year and welcome back to The Reel Deal! I hope you had a restful and rejuvenating winter break and you’re feeling refreshed and ready to tackle a new year of dancing! Today is a bit of a shorter post to get us going again. We’re talking about transitioning from a longer (colder) break back to dance, why it can be hard, and how to handle it. 

Why It's Hard

The transition from Winter Break back to dance class is tough each year, more than every other break. Winter Break is two whole weeks! You probably got to have some more down time than you’re used to, or at had least fewer places to go. Even if you did have a busy break, two weeks away from your regular routine can be enough to throw you off.  

Here at R na G, we’ve been back at class for two weeks, which is enough time to get back into the routine, but your body might still need a second to recover from the time off. Coming back to class can have you feeling tired or sluggish, less flexible, or a little nervous or hesitant. You might also be feeling really motivated and excited to be back at class and you want to jump right in! Either one, or even a combination of both, is totally okay.

How to Tackle It

Going back into dance class can be hard whether you’re a little nervous or you’re totally ready to go. Regardless of which you are, it’s important to take these steps to get back into dancing safely and productively. 

Feeling tired, sore, or sluggish during class is very common after a long break. It;s important to take some precautions if you are feeling this way. Here are some tips to protect your body so that you can get back into your training without injuries:

• Make sure you fully warm up and stretch before you start dancing, and make sure you have a full cool down after dancing. Take your time with these. This will help you feel ready to dance, and prevent sore muscles after class. 

• Be gentle with yourself. It might take a few classes to get your flexibility back where it was before break if you haven’t done it in a while. Pushing yourself too far too quickly can make it harder to get back to where you were. 

• Take small breaks. Stamina often goes down a bit after taking time off from a consistent practice schedule. It may feel better for a couple weeks to take a minute or two to sit and stretch between dances in class instead of dancing for your full class straight. 

• Do simpler strength training. If you haven’t done any strength or conditioning work over the break, simplify your exercises until you are comfortable again. Remove weight or resistance bands and focus on doing your exercises with proper technique even if you do not complete as many reps as you were before. 

Being aware of how you are feeling and protecting your muscles will make your transition back into training smoother! Even if it is a bit more gradual than you would like, it will be worth it in the long run. 

If you’re feeling really motivated after the break and you’re jumping in headfirst, that’s great! But sometimes when we’re really excited to get back in the studio and something doesn’t go how we were hoping it would, it can squash your excitement. Here are some tips to preserve your motivation:

• Don’t skip or shorten your warm up! This can be extra tricky when you’re eager to get going and start practicing your steps, but if you don’t take the time to do it, you’ll feel it later. 

• Set some concrete goals. If you’re feeling excited and optimistic about the new year, this is a great time to set some new goals. The goals we set when we’re feeling good tend to be a bit more ambitious, and if you write them down now, they’ll be with you for the rest of the reason to remind you how good you were feeling right now. 

• Be patient. Sometimes when we throw ourselves right into new dances or are really excited to dance, it can be a tough blow when something doesn’t go how we would like it to. Remember that channeling that positivity into working hard will have a more lasting impact than trying to get everything right on the first try. 

This will help you make sure your motivation lasts longer than just the month of January. 

A new year of dance is always the chance for new exciting opportunities and accomplishments. Putting your best foot forward later in the year, whether it is at performances or competitions, starts with how you approach your dancing right now. Check in with yourself, see how your mind and body are feeling, and get back into your training in a way that will ensure you only get stronger as the weeks go by!