The Month of September Can be Tough For Dance Students

Just for Students

How to help yourself get off to a good start in September
Dance classes are often the last activity to get squeezed into a busy fall schedule. So be realistic about what you can handle and still maintain your grades, health, and sanity. Start out with ballet, tap, and jazz classes; then, if you are managing your schoolwork, school activities, and dance classes well by the end of September, go for adding lyrical, pointe, hip-hop, or whatever else you’re inclined to study. You’ll be better served in the long run by building a foundation of the basics rather than attending classes in every style of dance in a hit-or-miss fashion.

About three weeks into every school year students start calling in sick. In addition to setting a realistic schedule, you can avoid getting sick by following some old-fashioned advice:

• Get to sleep at a reasonable, regular time (ideally before 11 p.m.).
• Eat a good breakfast.
• Drink lots of water.
• Wash your hands often. (Do you have any idea how germy ballet barres are?)

But here’s some modern advice too: Turn off your cell phone at night, and don’t spend more time on Facebook than on your schoolbooks. Developing healthy habits not only helps beat back colds and the flu, it helps prevent injury as well. When you’re overtired or dehydrated, you increase your risk of injury, which could sideline you for weeks or months at a time. Don’t let that happen to you!