Dancers who Lift

xilka

Be it classical, contemporary, hip-hop, or belly dancing...

Has lifting affected your dancing? Form? Gracefulness?...

I'm very interested in knowing other dancers' experiences, please share.

xilka

Anyone....

roxylola

I dance recreationally.

Can't say lifting has made a vast difference but I started out reasonably strong through my core etc from horse riding. Certainly no negative impacts

GiddyupTim

I don't dance. But my sister did, and I know that she stuck mostly with dance type activities to stay in shape, so she wouldn't lose flexibility, etc. She danced ballet (still takes classes, actually, at 59 years), and she takes Jazzercise a few times a week.
I know that Michael Jordan, the basketball player, was one of the first NBA players to incorporate serious weightlifting into his training routine. And, there was the question of whether or not it would affect his more fine motor control, and whether it might affect his shooting.
The trainer he worked with was convinced it would not. He proved to be right. There was a period of adjustment for him, while his body got used to it, when his basketball suffered. But, it was short-lived. Overall, it seemed to make him a tougher and better basketball player. Probably, it extended his career.
On the other hand, I believe that, if you do lift, and you don't want it to impact your dancing, you probably have to be very regular -- so your body adjusts -- and limit the lifting somewhat. I run, and I lift. It is now recommended that runners lift too. But, I am a bit older and it takes me a little longer to recover from a lifting session, so that, for me, my running really suffers the day after lifting. I just don't have the strength to do it well, and I am a little sore.
P.S. I just googled "ballet and weight lifting," and you can find articles recommending it. Some seem to be talking about weight training as in "do a few simple movements with little pink dumbbells." But, others do seem to be advocating real lifting.

JoRocka

I am a dancer.

I think it helps- sometimes I lose sleep because I have to do both- and it cuts into sleep time.

I think having both sides of the coin is super helpful- knowing good posture and great stretches from dancing- how to expand and contract- those thing pay off for lifting- vice versa- when instructor/teacher calls for isolating something- a lot of women have a hard time isolating muscles- they don't know what they are much less how to use them.

There is a constant tug of war with muscle endurance vs strength. and that's hard- but I think both is great.

There is- outside of bulking body building- no down side to strength training coupled with dance- only winning. I'm bulking and noticing reduced flexibility but being that I go through 2-3 dance warm ups- and classes a week- plus my own mobility stuff I'm definitely noticing- but not really suffering from it.

the size of development is extremely controllable- it's not like you start lifting and poof- you lose all range of motion.

xilka

Great stuff. Thanks!

DavPul

Where's BP?

ItsCasey

I was a dancer before I started lifting (Latin ballroom). Then my teacher moved away for 2 years, and now he's back, so I'm getting back into it. It has improved my posture, and I generally think it's easier now that my legs and core/back are stronger.