Lyrical dance is a beautiful and expressive style of dance that combines elements of ballet, jazz, and contemporary dance. It allows dancers to express their emotions and tell a story through movement. If you're a beginner looking to take your lyrical dance skills to the next level, this guide is for you.
Understanding the Basics
Before you can move on to intermediate lyrical dance, it's important to have a strong foundation in the basics. This includes proper technique, balance, and control. Take some time to review the fundamentals and make sure you're comfortable with them before moving on.
Building Strength and Flexibility
Intermediate lyrical dance requires a higher level of strength and flexibility than beginner level. Incorporate strength training and stretching into your regular routine to help improve your technique and reduce the risk of injury.
Strength Training
Focus on building strength in your core, legs, and upper body. This can be done through exercises like planks, lunges, and push-ups. Aim to do strength training at least 2-3 times per week.
Stretching
Stretching is essential for maintaining flexibility and preventing injury. Incorporate dynamic stretching before your dance warm-up and static stretching after your cool-down. Focus on all major muscle groups, including your hamstrings, quads, calves, and hip flexors.
Learning New Techniques
As you progress to intermediate lyrical dance, you'll start to learn more advanced techniques and combinations. This may include turns, leaps, and lifts. Take some time to practice these new skills and get comfortable with them before incorporating them into your performances.
Turns
Turns are a key element of lyrical dance. Start by mastering basic turns like the pirouette and chaine, and then move on to more advanced turns like the fouetté and tour en l'air.
Leaps
Leaps add height and excitement to your performance. Start with basic leaps like the jeté and sissonne, and then progress to more advanced leaps like the grand jeté and entrelacé.
Lifts
Lifts can add a dramatic and emotional element to your performance. Start with basic lifts like the overhead lift and the supported lift, and then progress to more advanced lifts like the fish lift and the shoulder lift.
Expressing Emotion
One of the most important aspects of lyrical dance is the ability to express emotion through movement. This can be challenging, but with practice, you can learn to convey a wide range of emotions through your dance.
Musicality
Musicality is key to expressing emotion in lyrical dance. Listen to the music and let it guide your movements. Experiment with different ways of interpreting the music and finding your own unique way of expressing it through dance.
Facial Expressions
Facial expressions can help convey emotion and tell a story through your dance. Practice different facial expressions and find the ones that work best for you. Remember to be genuine and let your emotions guide your expressions.
Conclusion
Intermediate lyrical dance can be challenging, but with dedication and practice, you can unlock your full potential and become a skilled and expressive dancer. Remember to focus on building strength and flexibility, learning new techniques, and expressing emotion through your dance. With hard work and perseverance, you can achieve your goals and become the dancer you've always wanted to be.
