While many dance forms allow for a certain amount of freedom, and the exhilarating feeling of moving in a way that might be frowned upon in your local supermarket, freestyle dance gives the dancer complete freedom to make up their own movements and perform to the music in a way that is unique to them.
The world of freestyle dance is one of glamour and glitter, with competitions displaying a wide range of outrageous outfits, big hair, big makeup and big movements. It appeals largely to those who want to take part in a dance form that shows off their own personality, with no strict rules or choreography. Freestyle as a dance form incorporates disco dancing, jazz, funk and even ballet to create something that looks as free as it feels, but still has a certain ‘wow’ factor for it’s audience and is becoming more and more popular.
Popular with adults and children alike, once you have learned the basics of freestyle movement you are then able to make up your own routines in the way that best suits you – never forced into movements you are uncomfortable with or simply cannot do, you can just allow your body to feel the music and move in the way that feels natural.
Competitively, dancers tend to be judged on their showmanship rather than performing gymnastic moves, and freestyle dancers are expected to give a lot in the way of glamour and energy when performing. This is not a dance form for shrinking violets!
In many ways, performing freestyle dance can take an adult back to being a child, before self-consciousness took over and you were free to wave your arms and legs around in a way that just felt right to you, but in adult freestyle there is still an element of control. You will learn to hold certain positions and move your body in a more ‘dancer’ like way, improving both posture and balance and helping to tighten your core.
It is important during freestyle dance to pay attention to the beat and let all of your movements be governed by the rhythm of the music (this sets freestyle apart from abstract dance). From this point on, though, it is about your own personal connection with the music and in that way can be quite a cathartic and emotive dance form, standing quite apart from the stylish but ultimately soulless choreography of more traditional dance forms.
Freestyle dance classes can be found in gyms and private dance studios across the country and are the perfect stepping stone for those who want to feel more comfortable moving into other forms of dance. You will learn to lose your inhibitions and create a firm bond with the music, making it easier to follow into stricter physical disciplines such as urban dance or pole fitness. It will also help to improve your stamina and general fitness, helping you to feel good about your body and learning what exactly you can do with it, as you learn to move in ways you may not have previously even thought of.
Freestyle dance is the perfect exercise form to help you move into other forms of dance, but it can also be just a fun regular class to keep you fit and healthy, and give you a weekly output for your feelings and aggression, all in a safe and comfortable environment. Should you wish to take it to a competitive level, there are plenty of freestyle dance troupes around the country which will happily accept dancers of all ages and levels, just as long as you have the right amount of attitude and showmanship!
This blog post was written by Caitlin who writes for UK online pole dance poles comparison site www.poledancingpoles.info. When she’s not blogging she loves keeping fit and has been an avid fan of freestyle dance for over a year now. She thinks that it is a perfect compliment to her other fitness loves of twirling round her x-poles, shaking her thing at Zumba and swimming.
