Featured Writer On TYKES About W-Sitting

Miss Rachel had the opportunity recently to write an article for Tiny Kansans Early Supports (TYKES) as a featured local expert. One area of dance Miss Rachel is hugely passionate about, is preschool aged dance. The preschool age group is so fascinating because they are developing such important skills and hitting such big milestones that are needed to progress on. Dance can help children develop those skills whether it is motor skill, sensory processing skill, emotional skills, and logical skills. One thing we see time and time again is w-sitting. In fact we have seen it become even more prevalent since the pandemic and in even older students, we can only guess this is due to staying home more, doing activities on the floor rather than a desk at school, and lack off being around early childhood teacher who could potentially change the behavior. In this blog for TYKES Miss Rachel dives into what w-sitting is, when it is a problem, and how to combat it.

https://www.tykesdc.org/learn/all-about-w-sitting

Summary

Rachel Weitekamp, owner and director of Sunflower State Dance, shares information about w-sitting and how caregivers can address it with their child if needed. 

What is W-sitting?

W-sitting is a seated position with knees rotated in and feet out to the side of the body. Essentially it is a collapsed version of sitting on the knees. It is called “w-sitting” because if you are looking down from above the legs are making a “W” letter.

When is this problematic?

W-sitting is extremely common in children during their crawling stage and is completely fine since children under two years old tend to switch positions often. However once children start spending a longer period of time in the same position is when the w-sit becomes more problematic.

Just because children can do something, doesn’t mean it is good for their developing bodies. RACHEL WEITEKAMP, SUNFLOWER STATE DANCE

Why shouldn’t my child sit in this position? 

Children’s bones are very malleable as they are growing and developing which allows them to be able to do this position and may actually find this position very comfortable because their muscles have very little to do. I bet if you, an adult, tried to do this position, it would be very difficult or not possible and it would hurt. This is because adult hips have fully developed and we do not have that hyper-flexibility that young children have. Just because children can do something, doesn’t mean it is good for their developing bodies. Here’s why:

• The w-sit hinders the core from working. Since the knees are stabilizing the upper body, the core gets to take a break and not do its job. It is also preventing the trunk from being able to rotate and the child to move across the midline.

  • Core development in early childhood is very important for balance, coordination, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, and and even potty training.​

• Promotes internal rotation of the hips and plantar flexion (pointing of the toes).

  • Internal rotation of the hip joints can cause pigeon-toed walking which can lead to balance issues and problems with walking in general.

  • Plantar flexion for a long period of time can cause tightening of the leg muscles and tendons which leads to toe-walking.

What can you do?

Often if I see a student sitting in the W position, I remind them of what position they are supposed to be sitting. As a parent you can simply remind them to fix their legs. There are great alternative ways that help promote core development: 

• Criss-cross applesauce

• Elevate the surface to put the child in a high kneeling position with a lower table or an easel

• Straight leg sit

• Tummy position

• Mermaid sit or side sit with legs bent out to the side

• Using a chair and table instead of the floor

Other ways to promote motor skills and core strength for those kids who habitually like the w-sit:

• Any animal play- bear crawls, frog jumps, crab walks, bunny hops all promote balance and core strength.

• Get out and play at a playground- climbing is great at promoting trunk rotation and core strength.

• Get involved in a sport or dance that will help promote good posture, stretching, and help develop those muscles.

Miss Rachel can be found in Lawrence, Kansas at Sunflower State Dance. Additional reading and resources used for this article include:

• When to worry about w-sitting

• What is w-sitting

• The brilliance of w-sitting

Why Choose Sunflower State Dance?

When it comes time to put your child in dance, there are many factors that should contribute to your decision when choosing the right dance studio for your family. At Sunflower State Dance we are different than you average day to day dance studio.

Our Core Values

1) Educated Instructors: At Sunflower State Dance you can rest easy knowing that all of our instructors are college educated in dance or a pursuing a higher level education in dance. Injury prevention and technique are huge priorities to them. Not only have are teachers received education through college but they are also trained right here at Sunflower State Dance on our curriculum and beliefs.

2) Always Appropriate: All of our class content from music to dance moves are always appropriate. We believe kids should stay kids as long as they can. Here we will never have our students wear anything provocative or suggestive in anyway. We keep our costumes and choreography tasteful for everyone in the family! 

3) Family-friendly environment: At Sunflower State Dance you will find a home away from home. We love having siblings and parents hang out in our lobby while classes are in session. Your dancer will be encouraged to be the best they can be inside and outside of the studio. 

Are you and your child interested in coming in for a new student trial class? We would love to have you try out a class! Click the button below to claim you trial class pass gift.

Parents Guide: What to do when your dancer says they are hurt?

Image and reference by Beyond the Barre.Blogspot.com

It is inevitable that sometime in your child's dance education that they will say something hurts. Above is a great guide for parents on what questions to ask your child to figure out what is going on and if they need medical attention. 

Here are some tips from Miss Rachel to add to the great resource above.

Ice is always a great tool for helping reduce inflammation and soothe away pain. It is important to remember to never use heat on an inflamed area, as swelling will continue. Over the counter ibuprofen is also good for reducing inflammation and reducing pain associated with the injury. When using ice it is extremely important to remember never to get up and dance, stretch, or doing any exercising after because the muscle is now cold. After icing dancers should rest and keep the area elevated above the heart if possible. I personally always go to ice before heat. 

Growing pains vs injury- while children's bodies are growing, it is not uncommon for them to experience growing pains or tightness. Growing pains however are not injuries. The best way to treat growing pains is with heat and light stretching of the area. Many times after stretching children will find the area feels better. A gently massage of the area is also helpful in reducing discomfort. Your dance instructors would be happy to show you good stretches or massage techniques for specific areas. 

Tape and braces- always consult a doctor before using a brace or tape. Sometimes braces can hinder movement or cause the injured muscle to become weaker or dependent on the brace. In any case braces should only be used for a short period of time when used to treat muscles. It is best to determine whether some time off would be beneficial and then follow up with a brace for a week after continuing activity. It is always best to talk to your doctor, physical therapist, and dance teacher to get a game plan together when using tape or braces. 

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Sunflower State Dance              104 W 20th St Suite 4 Eudora, KS 66025 admin@sunflowerstatedance.com

Why are educated instructors so important?

Why are educated instructors so important?

In so many sports and extra curricular activities, coaches and instructors are not educated at the college level or certified in whatever they are teaching. In most cases this is completely completely fine and the norm in such things as "little league" sports or even some competitive sports. However in dance this should never be the case. Education is extremely important and just as importantly is continuing education and training to always be on top of the game.

Damage can be done to children's developing bodies. 

• Many parents will stop and think, "well how much damage can an inexperienced, uneducated dance instructor do to my child, she is only 7," unfortunately lots of damage can be caused by simply not being educated on what is proper placement and what is executable for the young still developing body.
• For instance, teaching of the splits should come a bit later in dance education, specifically after age 7. Several things should be taken into consideration before executing the split, as to not cause injury. First other stretches should be used to create flexibility and range of motion. For instance simple hamstring stretches are essential to preparing for the splits. The hamstrings often become tight in children as their legs grow longer when they become taller. If the child has difficultly with simple hamstring stretches then the splits should not be attempted until more flexibility is gained in the hamstring. Secondly the ability and maturity to follow directions is critical for more intense stretches such as the split. Thirdly is understanding the right time to do the more "extreme" stretching. Never should splits be done at the beginning of class when the body and muscle are not properly warm. Any qualified teacher should know that the splits should only be done after a proper warm up. In a ballet class this would go after pliés, small leg warm ups, and hip warm ups such as rond de jambes. In another style class such as jazz or modern splits should only be done after properly getting warm and other stretches such as hamstring stretches and lunges. One huge thing that should never be done to a dancer in the splits is pushing them down forceful or quite frankly pushing them at all!
• Other damage that can be done to children's bodies because of uneducated teachers includes early formation of bunions and chronic knee problems. Many of these can be cause by an instructor telling students to forcefully turn out or not correcting improper usage of the feet, knees, and body placement. Simple bad posture or incorrect body alignment can cause tons knee issues.

Improper training leads to stress down the road

• To give you a better picture of how this can be stressful, I will tell you a personal story to shine light at the problem. When I was five I began taking piano lessons from a elderly lady for a mere $25 a month. (Yes that is ridiculously inexpensive). It was great (so I thought), I was learning notes and how to play songs in knew from show tunes or movie theme songs. It was all great until I started high school where I was in a high prestigious music program and taking private voice lessons, and eventually private piano. What I never realized and neither did my parents smitten with the fact that they were getting a great deal on piano lessons and that my instructor was easily located in the back of my neighborhood, was that I was missing a huge part of musical education, music theory. Music theory incorporates a vast number of things including how to count specific time signatures, identifying what key you are playing in through the circle of fifths, and much much more in which a intermediate to advanced student must know to fully grasp the music. Needless to say this was extremely stressful, because I had to go back to square one and relearn much of what I thought I had already mastered in the 8 years I had been taking piano from the little old lady in the back of the neighborhood. This is completely true for dance.
• Technique in dance is the fundamentals of dance and how a specific step in correctly executed. Dance technique is the proper way to do anything in dance. Dance technique is essential to the success of any dancer. But technique must be taught because not everything in dance is viewable and understandable by just watching. Technique is important in all types of dance from ballet to tap dance. If proper technique is not taught muscles can be developed incorrectly causing bulky muscles rather than the long lean muscles dancers strive for, injury can cause irreversible damage to the dancers body, and if the dancers get far enough to pursue dance further in life huge amounts of stress can be caused due to having to correct incorrect training. Unfortunately technique is not taught at every studio, in fact doing things on the right and left side is becoming less and less common, due to lack of trained instructors.

Our promise at Sunflower State Dance (est. 2015) is to only provide well-educated teachers who are continually being trained in technique, injury prevention, and much more. All of our teachers have degrees in dance or are pursuing degrees in dance at the college level. Be sure to check out our blog What We've Been Up To This Summer to see what continuing education our instructors have been doing!

References: 

http://www.bbc.com/news/education-35130914?SThisFB

http://www.danceadvantage.net/stretching-splits/

What We've Been Up To This Summer

Summer is an important time of year for dancers and teachers in developing their art. Throughout the country countless numbers of programs, conventions, and intensive take place to help performing artists grow. This year all of our instructors at Sunflower State Dance have or are participating in programs to continue their dance education. Check out what we have been up to below!

Miss Rhianna

Cleo Parker Robinson Professional Division Summer Institute

Miss Rhianna took part in the Cleo Parker Robinson Professional Division Summer Institute for two weeks during July in Colorado! At this intensive she took part in classes taught by world renown artists in modern, contemporary, jazz, ballet, and jazz funk.  

"Dancing with a professional company pushed me more than ever and I am so grateful! I hope to return soon!"   -Miss Rhianna

Miss Fall

Miss Fall has been busy all this summer taking various forms of dance classes at her hometown studio Colorado Conservatory of Dance. Here she has been participating their summer intensive. Miss Fall has been studying ballet, pointe, partnering, variations, modern, contemporary, and character all taught by their highly trained faculty and guest artists. 

Miss Rachel

Miss Rachel is ecstatic to be participating in the Dance Teacher Summit in Long Beach, California the first weekend in August! The Dance Teacher Summit is event specifically designed for studio owners, teachers, and professors. There are countless numbers of master teachers who are famous throughout the world. This three day conference includes business seminars, dance classes, guest performances, and a huge exhibit hall filled with the dance world's leading vendors! The Dance Teacher Summit is designed to re-energize teachers and studio owners passion and provide inspiration for the coming dance season. 

"I am so excited to attend the Dance Teacher Summit and even more excited to bring back new ideas and methods to Sunflower State Dance! I can't wait to meet some of my favorite mentors in the industry and check out the exhibit hall."     -Miss Rachel

Sunflower State Dance   104 W 20th St Suite 4     Eudora, KS 66025    785-690-7200

What To Bring To Dance Class

Four Dance Class Essentials Every Dancer Needs

When it comes to what to bring to dance class, many people get overwhelmed on what to bring and what not to bring to dance class. However dance requirements are very similar to any other sport or physical activity. 

1. Shoes: Be sure to get the proper dance shoes for the type of dance class. We sell all of the brands we recommend in our studio dance store.  Always wear regular street shoes to the studio and change into dance shoes before class. Wearing dance shoes outside ruins them.
2. Dance Clothes: All students should be in proper dress code for each class. Ballet students must wear a leotard and tights, in addition to having the proper shoes. See our dress code portion of our handbook in the student portal for more information.
3. Hair Tie: All students should have their hair pull back into a ponytail. If hair is too short pigtails or a half up is fine. This way dancers can focus on dancing and not pushing their hair out of their face. 
4. Water: Students are encouraged to bring a bottle of water. Staying hydrated is extremely important when exercising. Please leave it in your cubby during class unless the instructor says otherwise. Older students are always encouraged to bring water inside the classroom as their classes get more rigorous.

If you ever are not sure on what to bring, just ask! We are happy to help fit our students for the proper dance shoes, leotards, tights, and more. 

Ready to try a dance class?

Straight to the Pointe

"When can I dance en pointe?"

The question every dance teacher loves and hates at the same time.

Pointe shoes allow dancers to rise all the way up on their toes to perform turns, hops, and balances. This may all seem easy to an untrained eye, but looking further into the mechanics and anatomy of dancers one realizes very quick that pointe shoes are not for amateurs.

First imagine your foot just standing. Your body weight is spread out over the entire foot from the heel all the way up to the toes. Now imagine standing on a "demi-pointe" or a less formal term of tippy-toes. The ball of the foot makes a shelf for you to balance on, and the ankles are supporting your body as well. Now imagine you are standing on you toes (this is the edge of your toe right below the toenail, but not the bottom/underneath of your toe). The entire foot, ankle, legs, abdominals, and gluts are supporting you. The surface area of your foot on the floor has now decreased to about an inch. Sound easy? 

Steps to get en pointe: 

• Start by choosing the right studio and well-educated teachers in pointe work and ballet technique. The studio you should be looking for has a strong classical ballet background. The teachers should be educated whether completing a dance degree in college or having been employed by a professional ballet company for several years. In either case your teachers should be committed to continuing education in teaching systems and anatomy.
• Age: while there is some debate among the ballet community most teachers and educators will say no student should go en pointe under the age of 10. However everyones body develops differently and at different times. Age cannot be the only determiner of when is the right time to start pointe. The most important thing is that the student's bone structure is developed. Around the age of 12 (depending on individual growth patterns) 3/4 of the growth plates are already fused. While this is important to combat long-term injuries, age is not the only deciding factor.

• Flexibility And Muscle Control In The Ankles and Foot: in order to stand properly on the toe of a pointe shoe, a dancers ankles must be flexible to pointe fully. If a dancers ankles are not flexible enough they will struggle to get on the box of the shoe, which can be very frustrating. Another important part is control over the small muscle within the foot. These muscles run throughout the foot and the toes. Dancers should be able to isolate different muscles in the foot without difficulty. It is a good test to see in a dancer can to 16 relevés on each foot while maintaining perfect alignment and turnout. This is without clawing the toes and excessive wobbling.

• Balance: Not only do the ankle have to be strong and flexible, but the rest of the body must as well. Abdominal and back muscles are extremely important to pointe work and balance in general. If a dancer cannot balance on flat or on demi-pointe, balancing en pointe will be impossible. Abdominal muscles must be always engaged while dancing to not only support the upper part of the body, but also to ensure the lower parts can move freely. If the upper body is not held, the lower body will be weighed down making even the simplest movements hard or even impossible. Balance is always being tested in a ballet class. Can you let go at the barre immediately after a rising up to demi pointe? Can you perform a grand plié in center floor from fifth position? Can you easily complete turns? (Turns are just a rotating balance!)
• Emotional Maturity: physical strength and flexibility is a huge deciding factor of whether a student is ready to go en pointe. But emotional mature is just as important. First students must pay attention in class, learning the combinations and performing them with proper technical skill and alignment. Then the student must take in feedback given by the teacher to the whole class and maturely take feedback or corrections given to them personally. Not only is taking feedback important but most important is that the student fixes the corrections and continues to work on those corrections in other classes. Repeated correction of the same problem should not be frequent. If a dancer does not take correction well and apply the corrections, pointe should not be an option. The risk of injury then outweighs the benefits.
• Number of Ballet Technique Classes Per Week: at a minimum dancers should take two ballet technique classes per week. These classes should consist of barre work, stretching, and center floor and should not be less than an hour each. On top of that dancers should take other genres of dance such as modern and jazz. Without a proper number of classes dancers will stop improving and muscles will not strengthen enough to properly do pointe work.

Will I ever go en pointe?

Sometimes a persons body or foot shape is not suited for pointe work. The only genres of dance that use pointe work are classical ballet and some contemporary ballet. However if a student has no interest in becoming a professional ballet dancer or a dance teacher, pointe is not needed in their dance education. Yes, many dancers will want to get pointe shoes, but the benefits should always outweigh the risks. A student should never go en pointe just because her friends or classmates are going en pointe.  

Why Dance Isn't A Sport

Why Dance Isn't A Sport

Sports and dance both require a huge degree of endurance, athleticism, and strength. However once delving deeper in understanding different representations of dance, we realize that sports and dance are far different from one another. This brings to light the question of if dance is a sport?

I remember going to see a ballet or dance performance as a young child and being so inspired that the second I got home I wanted to try to mimic the dance moves I saw. I saw the dancers execute turns and leaps so gracefully on stage. I remember struggling very hard as I attempted to lift my leg to the side. How could it be so difficult when the dancers made it look so easy and effortless?

This brings me to my first example, dance requires performance and acting. Yes, one could say that basketball players perform on the court. But they do not have to smile while doing it. Often times dancer’s have blisters all over their feet from pointe shoes or a pulled muscle, but the show must go on and their job is to perform their role. If a ballerina falls down, she gets back up pretending like nothing happened with a smile on her face, even if it really hurt or possibly caused an injury. When is the last time you saw a soccer player, football player, or tennis player hurt themselves and get up quickly with a smile? Dancers in many ballets or performances require much more than just smiling. Arguably one of the most emotionally difficult lead ballet roles is the role of Giselle in the ballet Giselle. Giselle is a beautiful white ballet in which a young girl falls in love with a prince, only to find out he is engaged to be married. As she weeps pulls out her hair from her ballet bun and falls down, dying of a broken heart. Storytelling is a big part of being a dancer.  

Which brings me to my next point of artistry. Art is the creation of something in reflection of emotions or ideas. In dance, artistry is many things. Artistry can be the emotional connection a dancer is making with the movements that is translated to the audience. Artistry can also be reflected in the innovation of choreography; something so creative or a new way of approaching movement. 

Next is the historical representations of dance. Ballet started with court dances, a social pastime that then formed into entertainment for the wealthy and the aristocrats. But as dance traveled through time it morphed into reflections of culture not only for the rich. As music progressed into different styles so did dance. When music wasn't available dancers created their own by use of their feet for example tap dance or classical east indian dance. 

In recent years there has been a shift into making dance quantifiable through judges scoring creating a ranking system. Giving points based on technical skill, difficulty of choreography, and performance just to name a few. This has molded dance into seeming like a sport because many sports are scored by judges rather than watched over by referees. However, there is no universal scoring procedure for dance, unlike gymnastics or diving. Rather dance ranks and scores differ greatly depending on the television show or competition.

In many ways dance will always be compared to sports due to its physical nature, but will always be set apart by its performance, emotional connection to the movement and audience, artistry, and it’s history through time. Furthermore dance is more than a sport.

Are proper shoes that important?

At a very young age I learned about pointe shoes, immediately I knew I wanted to wear them when I grew up. Seeing older dancers graceful float across the stage on their toes had me mesmerized!

Having proper shoes for dance is one of the most essential parts of learning dance correctly... others would include a well-educated instructors to teach, music, flooring, and ballet barres. Proper fitting dance shoes are as essential to dance as a basket is to basketball or a helmet is for baseball. You can practice over and over but with out the right shoes so much can change or be learned incorrectly.

One common question parents have is that their child is still growing, can't they upsize so they will last longer? What harm can be done?

Well there are many things that can happen as a result of poorly fit shoes. For instance, to large of tap shoes can cause blistering from the shoe rubbing back and fourth throughout class. Dancers will actually begin overcompensating by modifying the step to stop the rubbing or some younger dancers will stop dancing altogether because it hurts. Improper fitting ballet slippers means that the student may not be learning to point their toes correctly or learn incorrect standing due to sagging of the shoe or not standing proper on the sole of the shoe. 

Walmart and Target sell ballet shoes- what's wrong with those?

We all love Walmart and Target because these stores are convenient. They are often my one stop shop for food, makeup, clothes, and movies. But they should never be a stop for ballet or tap shoes. Walmart's and Target's goals are to provide a products at the lowest possible cost regardless of quality, especially items in children's sizes. These convenient stores carry inadequate dance shoes, none of them are actual leather or fit properly. Many of these cheap alternatives don't even have soles in ballet shoes or arch support in tap shoes.

Proper fitting ballet shoes usually cost between $15-$30 depending on child sizes or adult sizes. Brands that you can always trust as great sources for dance apparel are Capezio (which we stock at Sunflower State Dance), Bloch, BalTogs, Sansha, and other companies that specialize in dance.

Tap shoes tend to cost more money because of the metal which causes the sound. Children under 8 should be expected to have a simpler version of tap shoes which are far less expensive than advanced dancers or even professional dancers which can range between $50 and $300! These more expensive shoes are designed with sound in mind to produce great rhythm and stamps. But for beginning tappers price usually should be between $18-35 depending on size.

Leather or Canvas Ballet Shoes?

Sunflower State Dance goes by similar standards as any other studio with a firm classical ballet background. We highly suggest students under 8 years old wear leather ballet slippers. These help train young dancers feet properly with out giving them to much freedom. Once dancers get older into beginning technique classes we like them to start wearing canvas ballet slippers. Canvas ballet slippers mold more to the arch of the dancer. At this point dancers feet have developed more and focus should be on foot articulation and strengthening. 

Dancers in canvas shoes are beginning to strengthen feet to eventually go en pointe after age 11 or 12 and with proper testing and training. Pointe shoes should never be worn without permission of a ballet instructor and should never be purchased without proper training and instruction (at least two intermediate to advanced ballet technique classes per week).

What Shoes Does Sunflower State Dance Carry And Recommend?

Students level 5 and below should wear pink leather ballet slippers, we recommend and carry Capezio Daisy Leather Ballet Shoes. Students should wear tan tap shoes, we carry Revolution.

Students above level 5 should wear canvas ballet shoes, we carry Fuzi and Capezio. Students at this level should have black lace up tap shoes, we carry and recommend Capezio Fluid Tap.

For more information see the following website http://www.danceadvantage.net/best-ballet-shoes/

Preparing For Performance

So many things to think about before a performance! Here's a quick list of reminders to help you be prepared for performances ahead.

• Alway pack in advanced, never the morning of the performance. If you are getting nervous chances are you will forget something. Be prepared before to minimize stress and forgetfulness.
• Attach bobby pin to hair piece... and then bring extras! Plus hairspray!
• Have dance makeup ready to go in its own bag. 
• Double check you have all the correct shoes packed.
• Bring at least one pair of extra tights- you never know when you will snag a pair.
• Make sure to bring a water bottle and to stay hydrated! Stay away from sugary drinks and overly caffeinated drinks the day of the performance. This is important to staying hydrated and you will feel less bloated than when drinking carbonated beverages.
• Pack a healthy snack. Great options include protein bars, granola bars with minimum sugar, fruit, veggies, yogurt, dried nuts. Do Not bring candy and/or junk food. You need sustainable energy, not a sugar rush. Remember the sugar can elevate your heart rate which will make you feel more nervous. A snack is perfect for breaks, however you should not be eating in costume or at least 30 minutes before going on stage. A snack should be light not excessive. 
• Pack a lunch, if needed. Many venues do not have healthy options for dancers. To solve this problem, pack your own lunch! Again remember you will be dancing after so nothing heavy that will make you want to take a nap. Stay away from fried foods and fast food!  
• Practice choreography the night before, this will help you be less nervous the day of.
• Practice facial expressions the night before in a mirror. Confidence is key!
• Get a goodnights rest! Make sure you are giving yourself the proper amount of sleep. The night before the competition should be relaxing and mellow.

Benefits of Dance!

Roots Division For School Ages

Bloom Technique Classes