So You Think You Can Dance

Last week I talked about dance in pop culture and mentioned the show "So You Think You Can Dance". I would like to talk more about that show this week. For those of you who don't know what this show is about, it is a competition for dancers where they have to dance through different styles of dance and have the audience as well as the judges vote them through. Basically it's American Idol but for dancing.

I love this show because it gives armature dancers a chance to make it to the top. It also challenges my forcing them to do different genres and get out of their element.

I have found some of my favorite dancers and dances with this show. These area few of them-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=do2vmsmdwlk

This is a very powerful dance. The story behind it is the man's mother has cancer and he is doing her best to help her through it. It not only has amazing technical skills but also portrays the story well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZQ42YbR8oc

This is my favorite dance! This dance is to this song collide and is the story of prom night. These are my favorite dancers Lauren and Kent. They have amazing chemistry on and off stage. They work so well together. When they have choreography where they are dancing together they stay in sync the whole time. 

This is an amazing show that produces a lot of amazing dances and dancers. I would recommend this show to anyone who enjoys dances.

Dance in Pop Culture

There has been a big shift in dance and how in it is thought of over the years. Dance used to be thought of as ballets put on for the rich and famous and was centralized around big cities with ginormous, beautiful theaters, but things have changed.

There has been changes in dance styles, the demographics of people involved in dance, and locations where dances are performed.

Dance used to be thought more of as an art form and simply a performance. This is still true today but it is also used for expression as an outlet to let emotions out.

TV shows dedicated just for dance such as So You Think You Can Dance, Dance Moms, and Dancing with the Stars have become widely popular. 

Along with TV shows, there are also many movies about dancing that have been made, such as the Step Up movies, Stomp the Yard, Black Swan, and even High School Musical. 

Another big form of dance through pop culture would be through video games like Just Dance.

Even with all of these pop culture influences, I think there is still one more that is even bigger than all of these and that would be pop singers and music videos. Who doesn't listen to Thriller by Micheal Jackson and start to do the dance along with it. There are even songs that are created specifically for specific dances the Cha Cha Slide and the Cupid Shuffle.

All of these parts of pop culture have helped to spread and shape dance into what it is now.

The Importance of Stretching

Just like in every sport of athletic activity, you need to warm up in dance. A main component in worming up for dance is stretching! To avoid injuries before practicing and especially before performing any dances, leaps, or extensions. By stretching, you are warming up your muscles and getting them prepared for strenuous activity. By not stretching, you are at greater risk of tearing a muscle or getting an other active related injury.

Stretching is also extremely important when it comes to flexibility. Most people can not just drop into the splits without ever stretching. There are many different stretches that can help you stretch the many different muscles in your legs. To be able to gain flexibility, you have to stretch regularly and more than just during warm ups. You must also keep stretching after you have reached the flexibility you want to be able to maintain your flexibility.

Here are some tips for stretching:

• Use different stretches
•  Stretch as many muscles as possible as to stretch your main muscles as well as your supporting muscles
• Stretch often
• Schedule a certain part of your day to stretch, such as when you wake up or go to bed. If you schedule a time to do it regularly, you are more likely to stick to the schedule and stretch more often  
• Hold stretches. By holding stretches they become more effective than short bursts of stretching
• Stretch through the pain of tightness. One of the reasons people don not stretch as much is because it hurts. This is because your muscles are tight. You need to stretch through the pain of tight muscles to be able to benefit from the stretch

This website gives many good examples and tips for stretching and improving your flexibility. Hopefully with these tips your are able to increase your flexibility and are more careful before strenuous activity.