I’ve been taking dance classes off and on since I was about 6 years old, and last winter I decided to start again after a 4 year hiatus. I had stopped dancing after my last year of high school because I wanted to focus more on skiing and I didn’t think I would have enough time. As soon as I started again, though, I realized that my logic had been flawed, dance class didn’t have to be a distraction from ski training, it could be a useful part of it.

I mostly do modern dance, which essentially evolved from ballet, so it has many of the same positions but it is much less rigid. The benefits include increased flexibility, work on core strength and posture, general body awareness and a mild cardiovascular workout that is good for recovery. A usual dance class begins with a warm up including some stretches and core strength exercises. We then move through a series of sequences that become increasingly vigorous as the class goes on. All the sequences require good posture, balance and coordination.

I have also been taking a Hip Hop class this semester since my classes interfere with my usual modern class. It is a lot of fun, though we do a lot less work on core strength and posture, so the benefits are mostly in coordination.

Whatever kind of dance you want to do, it can be a fun and useful addition to ski training.

Here I am striking some poses with my cousin and sister in the dance studio at UNB…