Welcome to the Dance Technique Tip Blog Series
Welcome to a new blog series, Dance Technique Tips! This series will feature short and simple tips to help dancers improve their dance technique. These tips are based on my experience as a performer, choreographer, and educator of ballet, modern, musical theatre, jazz, and jazz-derived forms like lyrical and contemporary, but I think that they can be applicable to dancers of many different styles. I hope that dancers can apply directly in their own training, and dance teachers will be able to share them with their students in classes. You can find more dance technique tips on my Instagram page.
Dance technique tip: Lead with your heart
This dance technique tip has also become a personal motto for me, in dance and in life: Lead with your heart.
“Lead with your heart” has become a go-to phrase for me over the last few years. It’s perfect for so many scenarios, in and out of the studio. However, I didn’t imagine how helpful it can be for improving alignment in dance classes until I found myself using it as a way to help myself and my dance students adjust our upper body posture.
If you, like me, tend to roll your shoulders forward, slouch, close off your chest, or have trouble moving through space with power and purpose, I think that you will find the concept of leading with your heart helpful. I find that when I think of leading with my heart, it helps me to open the front of my chest, widen my shoulders, and lengthen my thoracic and cervical spine (upper back and neck). I’ve also seen this feedback work really well with students who also struggle with upper back alignment and posture. It is highly effective for aligning the hips, ribs, and shoulders to improve balance, stability, and core control.
How dancers can apply this dance technique tip in their dancing
To use the concept of “leading with your heart” to help adjust your upper body alignment as a dancer, try these two easy steps:
1.) Pull your heart forward into space, without displacing ribs or arching your back. Keep your hips, ribs, and shoulders stacked on top of one another, but feel your sternum (breastbone) reach forward gently. When I do this, I literally imagine that my heart is leading me as I stand in one place and move through space.
2.) Imagine a magnet in the center of your back, gently guiding your shoulder blades down and in. Don’t actively push your shoulders down, but instead imagine that your scapula (shoulder blades) are sliding softly toward the center of your back. This complimentary action helps create stability through the core and keep the shoulders from rounding forward.
It is important to note that both of these actions should be done lightly, without too much force. The goal is to help your body find easy functional alignment that makes your dancing more efficient – not squeeze yourself into an overly rigid posture. Check out this video to learn more!
How dance teachers can use this dance technique tip with their students
I find that the cue “lead with your heart” is a helpful cue that encourages dancers to self-correct postural issues in their upper body, specifically if they tend to roll their shoulders forward, slouch, close their chest, or have trouble moving through space with power and purpose. To use this cue with dance students, I usually first give them the verbal note: “Think of leading with your heart when you perform (specific movement).” I carefully observe the dancers as they repeat the movement with this idea in mind, noting any change that I see. I then ask the dancer if they felt any change when they repeated the movement with the idea of leading with their heart. Then, we discuss how they felt and what I saw, to determine the effectiveness of the correction for them. Very often, the dancers will note that they feel more confident when performing the movement while thinking of leading with the heart, and they also report better balance, stability, and control in their movement.
If the verbal feedback is not effective, I will stand in front of them and ask them to extend their heart forward to me. This could also be done with a peer standing in front. At times I will gently place the tip of a stick, such as a cane or broom handle, on their sternum and ask them to push it away without using their hands or splaying their rib cage. Finally, if hands-on feedback is needed, I will stand behind them and gently roll their shoulders back, asking them to imagine their heart is radiating forward I as I do. I will then then place my hand on the center of their back to help them feel their scapula drawing downward to the “magnet.” Note: always consent from the student before using physical touch or getting close into their personal space. Between the verbal feedback and the more physicalized corrections, I almost always notice that their upper body alignment is improved, their arm movements are stronger, and they have more power and purpose in their movement.
Additional benefits of this dance technique tip
When you think of leading with your heart as you dance, you might also notice benefits to your artistry, performance quality, and overall well-being. Leading with your heart can help improve your stage presence, as your movement will look bigger and more powerful. It can help you travel through space more efficiently and project out to the audience, giving your movement stronger purpose and direction. Leading with your heart can open your body up to more emotional expression through your movement, as it will impact the way you move your arms, shoulders, neck, and head.
On a personal note, when I think of leading with my heart, I feel more confident as a dancer – and in my life outside the studio! When I try to lead with my heart in my life, I am better able to embrace and share empathy, compassion, creativity, generosity, and community. I feel more authentic and open to meaningful interactions with others. As a dance teacher, I am able to foster genuine relationships with my students when I lead with my heart, and I am able to respond better to their needs in the dance studio. I also find that this concept can be helpful for my students’ relationship with one another, as it allows them to connect meaningfully and embrace their class community. The idea of “leading with your heart” can be a helpful concept for team bonding activities.
Did you try this dance technique tip? How did it go?
If you tried this dance technique tip out – or shared it with your students – let me know how it went! How did your dancing change? How did your students respond to the feedback? How can you take this tip and make it your own, adapting it or changing it to fit your dancing or impact your students? Leave a comment and let me know!
Check out The Holistic Dance Teacher Dance Technique Skills Lists Bundle to help you plan dance technique classes with ease!
Visit my Resources page for tools that support a holistic approach to dancing, teaching and creativity. Keep in touch by signing up for my newsletter, or join me on Facebook at The Holistic Dance Teacher or The Holistic Dance Parent.
