A Dancer tells the Drummers

January 2010

Drum line is both an art and a sport. It’s active and requires physical training, but it also demands grace and theatricality. As a dancer, I have found myself realizing the same thing about my craft. I have had a life long interest in drum line and have found many similarities between the two. Music and movement are a happy marriage in both practices. We train for stamina and performance. Our minds are pushed to the limit with counts and music and our bodies are exhausted from choreography or drill. It’s a lot to handle and it can begin to take its toll.

Dancers constantly suffer injuries from tension, strain, and over work. And we only have to carry our own body weight. Those of you in drum line have the added stress of hefting around instruments. I commend you for that strength and skill. I believe there are intelligent ways in which we can begin to ease some of these stresses we place on ourselves, so I would like to provide you with a few techniques that have helped me in my movement studies.

Stretching. Before and after every practice be sure to stretch your quads, hamstrings, calves, arms, and any other part that you will be actively using during your drill. Stretching releases tightness in your muscles. It can also help with range of motion in your joints and benefit your balance, which for both dancers and drummers can be important. You don’t want to be wobbly when you’re walking backwards on your toes.
Rolling. Sometimes there are muscles that feel knotted and no amount of stretching seems to help. Consider purchasing a tennis ball and slowly rolling it along those trouble spots. This is especially helpful for tight calves. For quads, you may want to consider investing in a foam roller, which can be purchased at OPTP.com.
Alexander Technique. This is my favorite of the 3 suggestions and I believe the most useful. If this is practiced effectively, the other two will be less necessary, because you will have less tension you’ll need to work out. The idea behind Alexander Technique is stopping the habits that cause tension in your body. It has to do with proper posture, but not in a static sense. It is designed to help the “mover”, i.e. dancer, drummer, perform with grace and efficiency. It should make maneuvering a floor with a heavy instrument as effortless as possible. You should let the “neck be free and allow the head to go forward and up”. The rest of the body should fall into place below that. You can use verbal cues to help yourself to feel long and light. You can try different ways of aligning yourself, while observing in a mirror. Your goal is to find the least effortful placement and play with how to use that when moving. When you find a placement that is comfortable for you, everything should move easier and freer.

Hopefully these ideas will be helpful in your practice. They are simple and have benefited me greatly. When your body is at ease, you will have more energy to focus on the music and art of your craft. Train like an athlete, perform like an artist. Happy Drumming!

Amber Hill has studied dance for 19 years, receiving her B.F.A. in Dance from George Mason University where she performed works by Mark Morris and Larry Keigwin. Ms. Hill had the honor of working with Cirque du Soleil during a special event in Washington, D.C. She has edited for the National Dance Association and has a review page on Examiner.com. She is currently teaching dance in southern Virginia and pursuing her performance career.

For more information on Alexander Technique visit Alexandertech.org.

Submitted by: Michael Kirby