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Your previous dance and cheer experience will really help you in the tryouts!. Kicklines are all about being sharp and exact, so when practicing the material, really focus on hitting each move with precision and accuracy!.

When you stretch, always make sure you are properly warmed up!. Stretching when your muscles are cold makes it very easy to pull a muscle (been there, done that, many times)!. So do all your deep stretching -after- practice or exercise!.

For hamstring flexibility, the best stretch is simply lying on your back and holding onto one foot, keeping your leg straight, and pulling it slowly toward you!. A good variation on this stretch is to push against your hands (as if you are going to pull your leg all the way down), offering resistance with your hands so that your leg doesn't actually move!. Then relax, and try pulling your leg a little closer!. Repeat this a few times!. Activating your muscles helps them get tired more quickly so they will stretch!.

When stretching to increase flexibility, always hold a stretch for no lass than 30-60 seconds, and for no more than about 3 minutes!. A muscle's first reaction to a stretch is to contract!. It takes a while for it to relax and allow itself to lengthen!.

also, don't "bounce" in a stretch - this will just make your muscles tighten up (i's a safety precaution to prevent injuries), and possibly tear!. If you pull a hamstring, you're looking at a couple -months- of pain!.

You also should stretch your middle splits!. Lie on your back next to a wall and put your legs up on the wall!. Scoot toward the wall until your hips are touching it!. Then, open your legs in a split position and chill for a few minutes!. Gravity will gradually pull your legs down!. It's a good gentle stretch but after just a minute or two it's very effective!.

Start stretching today and stretch every day!. If you don't, your muscles will tighten up again after one day of stretching!.

And the tryouts may be Friday, but the coach will probably be looking at you all next week!. Stand in the front when you can and pay close attention so you can pick things up quickly!. Work really hard and show them that you are dedicated and will be an asset to the team!.

Good luck with the tryouts!Www@QuestionHome@Com

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uhm!.!. A good stretch i would try is standing up and trying to touch your toes!.!. If you can do that try more complex stuff!. also for your turn out to stretch sit on the gorund and sit like a butterfly push your thighs to the ground!.!. It works really good!. And finallly try to do a back bend!.Have you ever done the thing were your knee touches your chin and then you bring it back to touch your back of your head!. Those are some stratagies that i can think of off the top of my head!. All in all, i hope you make the dance team and good luck and i hope my stretches make out for the best of you!.:))))))))))))Www@QuestionHome@Com

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I think you will do great, if you did dance and cheerleading all those years you should do fine!. just remember - BREATH!!!! :) lolWww@QuestionHome@Com

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hey:] I think it's great that you've done both dance and cheer!. Since you've done dance you probably know more terms and teccnique than many of the others giving you a great head start!. I'm a competition dancer now and love it! I was really nervous at tryouts but I all I did was keep it together and tried my best!. You should do the same!. it'll really help! If you want to get a good stretch before doing the splits use a ballet bar or a sturdy table and place one ankle on the edge of the table!. Then, pull your other leg back as far as you can giving your inner thighs a good stretch *This also helps with kicks, leaps, and leg holds!.* You'll go down way further!. hmmm!. let's see!.!.!.

listed below are a bunch of dance terms incase you forgot or haven't heard of them!. don't worry I don't think they'll use too many of these words!. you just basically need to know a leap, and pirouette for sure!. I hope all goes perfect! Have a lovely day!

:D m!.g!.



Ball Change: This is a change of weight between both feet!. Change weight and do a stamp-stamp!.

Barrel Jump: Basically a jump in the air with both legs bent back from the knee and both arms in the air in any basic pose!.

Barrel turn: A turn with your arms straight out but one is higher then the other and as you turn the arms switch heights!. The arms can stay opened or closed during the actual turning action!. The body stays bent forward and the dancer spots the floor or to the front!.

Bounce: Basically a swing type step or bounce to a step!.





Cake Walk: A type of diagonal walk with each step the foot raises as far up as to the knee – like an obnoxious type of exaggerated walk almost with an arched back!. This was developed in the old days back when slavery was still happening and the black entertainers would do this walk to imitate the white high society as a parody!. So it was a comical satire that turned into a dance step!

Cat Walk: A type of walk where one leg smoothly crosses over the other in a tango like fashion or a “cat like” way with the other foot bending back from the knee and the other extends forward!.

Catch Step: This is a flat footed ball change!.

Chassè: A basic ballet move that is used in all styles!. A chasse is a kind of gallop where one foot chasses the other!. It is a traveling step!.

Coffee Grinder: This is a turning step that starts with a pirouette fouetté jump and one leg is bent while the other is in 2nd position!. So do the fouette and a little jump while in mid turn!. Others say this movement is closer to the ground while the body squats and one leg is bent and positioned unfer the working leg!. Then the straight, free leg does a floor circle around your body and the supporting leg hops over the working leg as it is going – which describes more of a Russian move that a breakdancing move is now derived from!. Both types of movement are basically called the same thing but the former is a more typical jazz mvoement!.

Contract: A basic modern movement used in all styles!. This is where the dancer contracts the mid section and pull back against a movement for emphasis!.

Curve or “arch”: This is the opposite of a contraction!. The mid section pushes forward and the back arches curving the back!.




Dolphin: This is a movement where the body flows in a snake type movement starting from the chest moving up!. Shakira does this a lot! By the way, this movement is named several different things! We can call it the “s” move, the snake etc etc!.!.

Drop and Recover: This is more of a modern dance step but can be used in jazz as well!. It’s when a dancer has to drop to the floor in a controlled fall from a position!.




Fall: A way for the dancer to fall to the ground in a graceful and controlled movement that appears natural!.

Fall Over the Log: A step where the dancer steps out onto one foot while the other foot lifts and points at the knee of the other!. In ballet terms it would be considered a “piquè passé”!.

Fan Kick: This is a round about kick where the body stays aligned but the leg kicks high in a fan motion starting inward and around or vice versa!.

Figure 8: This movement you will see in mambo or the like and belly dancing even: it is when the hips smoothly roll around in the trace of the figure eight!.

Flick: A jazzy and sassy way of doing a développe enveloppé!. Basically the working leg sneaks up the supporting leg and flicks out straight ahead!.

Flick Kick: Another ballet move done in a jazzy way which is basically a développé battement!. This is when the working leg again sneaks up the supporting leg in a passé then jets out to a high kick in a flicking motion!. This is a very “Fosse” like movement!.

Freeze: Just what you think it means…to freeze a movement! This type of movement (or lack thereof) is more of an accent on music then a movement!. It gives a moment flare and emphasis in a subtle way!.

Funk: This is more of a energy then a specific movement that tells the dancer to get into the music and ride with it or grove with it in a loose and fun way!. Funk is also a rhythm and a type of music!.



Head-roll: Speaks for itself! A head roll is letting the head move around it’s entire circular access in a controlled but relaxed fashion while the body stays aligned and in position!. Head and hand rolls where a very popular movement Bob Fosse used!. He liked small rolling movements as in his choreography from “Cabaret”!.

Hinge: This is when the body is aligned but it is being tipped from the knees down with the feet on the ball pushing it forward!.

Hip Walk: A basic jazz walk that jets the hips out in a circular sexy movement with the arms rounded in back while in pliè!.

Hip-fall: This is a controlled drop to the floor whether on knees or feet and a slide through till the body is on the floor on it’s side and one arm is straight out against the floor!.

Hip-roll: This is an isolated roll of the hips while the rest of the body stays in position!.

Hitch Kick: This is like the famous “Karate Kid” finale kick! You give a little jump up with one knee in the air, and as soon as you kit the ground the other leg whips into a high kick!. The former move is a preparation for the high kick

Hop: This is a jump off of one foot that lands on the same foot!. Like in hop scotch…




Jazz Drag: This is a jazz walk or hip walk with a drag in it!. Sort of a dragging jazz walk!.

Jazz Run: A running jazz walk! This requires a fluidity and grace to make it look natural and not awkward!.

Jazz Split: This is a split on the floor with the back leg bent upward from the knee!. Sometimes the knee can be grabbed or the head can be arched back towards it!.

Jazz Square: This is a smooth four step movement, example: step out on your right leg, step back with your left, cross over with your right leg and step forward with your left!. A full square movement in a sassy jazzy motion!.

Jazz Walk: A low gravity type of walk where the body is in pliè and the shoulders and arms are curved in opposition while walking forward!. This is without a hip roll!. The Hip walk is the same but with a hip roll!.

Jump Over the Log: This is a jump from one leg to the other that is a little more grand but not big enough to make a flying leap!. It’s a control leap from one leg to the other!. In jazz a slick and catlike form must be kept for the movement to “gel”!.



Kick: This is a high kick that throws the working leg in the air in a controlled manner, while the supporting leg and body stay properly aligned in the jazz position of choice!.

Knee Fall: This requires knee pads! It’s a fall onto the knees which usually preludes another move and lands as a “punch” in the choreography!.

Knee Slide: This is a very “rock n roll” move! It requires knee pads as well so you can slide across the floor on your knees without floor burn (ouch)!

Knee Turn: A 360 degree turn or the like but on both knees or one knee (usually two)!.




Lay Out: This is the jazz moves of all jazz moves!. The layout is a difficult one to master for some!. The body must be flexible to kick out and within’ the kick the body will lean into it with the leg still high, and the entire torso will follow it until it’s parallel with the floor and the arms follow behind (or above) it!.



Jazz Layout


Limbo: We’ve all done or seen the limbo! Basically walking in a hinge and sometimes adding a shimmie to the shoulders!.



Mess Around: This is a static turn that starts with one leg that crosses over the other and brings the body around in a 360 degree two legged turn (in ballet it’s called a soutenu)!. The head sometimes roll as do the hips and the arms are straight out in opposition like an “airplane” move!.

Moonwalk: Michael Jackson originated this one…



Moonwalk





Pencil Turn: This is a spin on both feet where the body is straight and the body spins a few times with ease!.

Pitch: Often the position is a deep arabesque with the playing leg up in the sky and the chest towards the floor hitting the standing led!. It's a very dynamic movement often done after a pirouette (turn + pitch)!.

Pivot Step: This is a step forward (or in any direction) with a pivot right after!.

Primitive Squat: This is a hop forward into a deep 2nd position (see ballet terms) pliè!. But in jazz, you won’t be required to be turned out as much (whew)! This is to make the move more sassy then classical…as is jazz ;)



Release:The opposite of contract!. A release is only done after the contraction!. It is a “letting go” of whatever forced movement or pose your body was in!.

Ripple: A snake movement which starts at the pelvis and works it’s way up to the torso and moves in either direction one after the other!. The actual “snake” starts from the head though – this differs cause it starts (again) from the pWww@QuestionHome@Com

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Oversplitting helps with flexibility!. Get a gymnastics mat and try that!.

If you look in the chosen answer of this question, towards the end it talks about gaining flexibility and overall about starting to dance [in your case, again]
http://answers!.yahoo!.com/question/index!?!.!.!.


Here's someone asking about ways to increase flexibility for kickline just like you:
http://www!.elitefitness!.com/forum/women-!.!.!.



Here are some other sites that might help you out!
http://www!.teachingarts!.org/danceQuestio!.!.!.

http://ezinearticles!.com/!?Excellent-Way-!.!.!.



Hope this helps!
Good luck at tryouts!
:]Www@QuestionHome@Com

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