Learning contemporary dance.
I'm a totally new learner. Will I hurt myself?

by Sam
(No location given)

Hi Maria

I'm Sam. I'm 13 and I really want to learn contemporary but I'm scared that if I'm a totally new learner I might hurt myself. I want to know if I should learn any other dance form before learning contemporary. I’m trained in an Indian classical dance form called bharathnatyam. The reason why I have this question is because I have seen this dance form on TV and it looks so difficult. I’m already weak. I have ligament tears but I don't take rest so it doesn’t heal (btw I'm a dance freak).

So, is it going to affect anything? What should I do before I learn contemporary to make myself flexible? (sorry for the long question)

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I'm a totally new learner. Will I hurt myself?

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Mar 08, 2012

Answer from Maria
by: Maria

Dear Sam,

The first thing that seems obvious for me is that you need to rest and follow an appropriate recovering therapy to heal your ligament tear. That is essential before starting to learn any new type of dance or to continue dancing bharathnatyam.

You should not underestimate the importance of a full recovery. That might be decisive for your career as a dancer as much as for your personal life. Do it now and you will not have to think about it in the future.

After you have recovered, you can start with contemporary dance classes for beginners. There are levels for learning contemporary dance and if you follow a progressive learning process, you will not hurt your self.

The difficult moves you've seen on TV are executed by highly experienced dancers. Keep in mind that you should not try those movements until you (or your teacher) are sure that your body is really prepared for them.

If you wish to work over your flexibility, you can practice a basic hatha yoga routine during your recovering time. That kind of technique is very safe and is highly effective for gaining flexibility.

Some weeks ago, another young dancer like you opened a thread that might be useful for you. I suggest you read it too. Here's the link:

How to go about beginning contemporary dance?

So, give your self the time to heal and then go on.

I wish you great fun with contemporary dance!

Warm regards,

Maria

Mar 09, 2012

Thank you
by: Anonymous

Thank you so much I will surely go with what you said

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