How can I soften up my arms for dancing?

Question:The biggest problem that I have with my dancing is this: my arms. You see, I play violin also, but with the violin, you're not supposed to be soft in your upper half. This means however, that whenever I go to dance, I'm told to soften up my upper half (arms, necks, shoulders). Any ideas of how to do that?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: The biggest problem that I have with my dancing is this: my arms. You see, I play violin also, but with the violin, you're not supposed to be soft in your upper half. This means however, that whenever I go to dance, I'm told to soften up my upper half (arms, necks, shoulders). Any ideas of how to do that?

Since you're training in both directions, it won't ever get into "muscle memory," and you can anticipate an ongoing struggle. Give yourself a little extra warm-up time before dancing so you can stretch and relax your upper half, but you're going to have to work on it continuously.

If you have the time with all you're already doing, swimming.

Swimming builds long lean muscles that will be strong, yet not overly-pronounced for those sexist dancing judges.

yoga is really good for u.Relaxation is also very important.You just have to relax and imagine u were up in the sky laying on cloud with ur arms free like a bird. Don't think about it so much becuz that causes stress and that's very bad. Just calm down and u'll be fine.

it's something that you really just have to concentrate on until you figure out how to do it.. but i find that lengthening my neck puts my shoulders where they need to be while i'm dancing! also, try spinning around in a circle with your arms just relaxed so it kinda makes you look like a helicopter. sure you're gonna look dumb to anyone who is watching, but afterwards your arms should just naturally go limp and you can feel how relaxed your shoulders should be! (make sure to switch directions in your hellicopter circle.. you'll basically look like a little kid who is really bored.)
hope it helps!!!