Many actors don’t realize how often they are called upon to be able to move well. They may not consider themselves dancers or need to be able to do a specific style of dancing for a job.
However, there are many times when physical movement is critical for portraying a character.
Even if you have no intention of becoming a dancer or ever doing musical theatre or a musical film, you may still benefit from some form of dance training as an actor. It gives you a strength within your body and an ability to connect to emotions through movement.
Dance is an incredibly expressive artform and will give you another means of opening up your body and exploring your craft.
Contemporary Dance
If you want a good workout and the opportunity to emote through your dancing, then contemporary or modern is the right choice. It is fairly free in its form and doesn’t require a strong foundation of core basics if you are simply doing it as exercise or to release tension.
While you will need to learn choreography to music, you will also find a lot of freedom in your artistic expression of a piece.
Ballroom Dance
There are many styles to choose from within the ballroom oeuvre, including the waltz, the tango, the foxtrot, the jive and the quickstep. You also get all of the Latin ballroom dances – the salsa, the rumba, the cha cha and the samba. It’s usually best to focus on one or two similar dances and get those foundational skills down first, and then expand into other styles.
The reason why so many actors love ballroom dancing is because it is all about putting on a show. The costumes and the competitions really speak to those who love to be on stage and perform. You also actually improve your brain power through learning ballroom dance.
Ballet
If you ever want to get into a musical of any kind, ballet training will be your best friend. It teaches you a strong core of dance techniques and postures, as well as a knowledge of all the French dance terms traditionally used. Broadway choreographers pretty much all use the same French terms when working in auditions and teaching the cast. It’s essential that you know what the terms mean if you want to make it through an audition.
The strength you will gain from the foundational ballet training will also allow you to move into any other form of dance more easily. You work on your core muscles, your balance, your flexibility and your stability. This kind of muscular strength and the confidence that comes with it will never go amiss in your life.
Jazz
This is another fundamental of the musical theatre world and is as popular as the real money Bingo Australia provides. However, it is also a great way to combine the freeing expressive nature of contemporary dance with the stricter skills required for this form of dance. It’s almost like a mix of ballet and contemporary – based on strong foundations of skills and full of life and artistic expression.
