2020 was the year of social distancing, Zoom classes and working from home. It was enough to make you feel like the walls were closing in on you.
Moving expansively may feel impossible as you continue your training from home or readjust to COVID-19-compliant in-person classes, but it's one of the qualities that can set a good dancer apart from a great one. The expansive mover not only shows up better onstage, but they travel further and have more freedom in their bodies. Cultivating that quality will be just as important post-COVID as it is now, and with the right approach and proper conditioning, dancing with your fullest range of motion will be not just possible, but pleasurable.
Do pre-class self-care
Before you start class, attend to your nervous system. University of Iowa visitingvassistant professor Britt Juleen, whose somatic approach to ballet pedagogy is influenced by Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen's method of Body-Mind Centering, recommends a hot bath or shower with some self-massage before class. "The nervous system wakes up and the blood capillaries expand," she says. "Things have gotten so closed in, so it's important to open up our fluids."
Replicate your commute
Even if you're dancing at home, find a way to incorporate aspects of your former commute. "Getting to class gets the blood flowing," says Juleen. "It became apparent to me when I stopped having to commute. I felt so condensed." Getting out into the world awakens the senses, which affects how expansive you can be. If possible, take a walk or bike ride before class.