Bend, Stretch, and Balance: How Dancers Move Their Bodies

Stand up for a second! Now bend your knees down low. Now reach your arms as HIGH as you can. Now try standing on just one foot. You just did three of the most important moves in all of dance — bending, stretching, and balancing! Dancers learn to use these moves on purpose, with control, to make beautiful shapes and tell stories with their bodies.

What You'll Learn

By the end of this lesson you will be able to: • Show what bending looks like with different parts of your body • Show what stretching looks like when you go tall, wide, and low • Try to balance on one foot the way dancers do • Put bending, stretching, and balancing together into a short move sequence

Bending Your Body

When you BEND a part of your body, it gets smaller and folds closer together. The special places your body can bend are called joints — your knees, elbows, hips, wrists, and ankles are all joints. Dancers bend their knees to jump, land softly, and crouch down low. They bend their elbows to pull their arms close. They bend at the waist to lean, bow, or make interesting curved shapes. Try it: Slowly bend your knees until you are crouching like a frog. Now slowly straighten back up. That was a controlled bend! Dancers practice this on purpose so every move looks smooth, not wobbly.

Stretching Tall, Wide, and Low

When you STRETCH a part of your body, it gets longer and reaches farther out. Stretching is the opposite of bending. Dancers stretch in three directions: • Tall: reaching UP as high as possible — like you are trying to touch the ceiling with your fingertips • Wide: reaching OUT to both sides at the same time — like a giant star shape • Low: stretching DOWN toward the floor — like a pancake melting flat Stretching also warms up your muscles before dancing so they don't get hurt. Ballet dancers spend 20 to 30 minutes stretching before every single class! Try it now: Make yourself as TALL as you can. Then as WIDE as you can. Then as LOW and flat as you can. Each one is a different stretch shape.

Always Warm Up Before You Stretch Big!

Before you bend and stretch in a big way, your muscles need to warm up slowly — just like how cold taffy breaks but warm taffy stretches! Start with small, gentle movements for about one minute. Try marching in place, doing arm circles, or wiggling your fingers and toes. After that, your body is ready to bend and stretch safely without getting hurt.

Balancing Like a Dancer

BALANCE means staying still and steady without falling over. Dancers balance in tricky spots all the time — on one foot, on their tiptoes, or leaning way to one side. Here is the secret to great balance: your CORE. Your core is all the muscles in the middle of your body — your tummy and your back. When dancers tighten their core, it is like turning on a superpower that keeps them steady. Big balance trick: pick one still spot on the wall and STARE at it without looking away. Dancers call this 'spotting.' Focusing on one point tricks your brain into staying steady. Try it: Stand on one foot. Find a spot on the wall to stare at. Squeeze your tummy muscles. Can you hold it for five whole seconds without wobbling?

Flashcards — click each card to reveal the answer

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A dancer wants to jump up really high. Which body parts do they BEND first to help push off the ground?

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What is the dancer's secret to staying balanced on one foot without falling?

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My Movement Story

Create a 30-second movement story using only bending, stretching, and balancing! Here is how: (1) Choose a story theme — you could be a tree blowing in the wind, a tiny seed growing into a tall flower, or a frog catching a fly; (2) Plan exactly 4 moves that tell your story — write them down or draw pictures of each move (example: START curled up small as a seed — STRETCH slowly upward as you grow — BALANCE on one foot as a flower swaying in the breeze — BEND and curl as the flower closes at night); (3) Practice your 4 moves in order until they flow smoothly from one to the next; (4) Perform your movement story for a family member or a friend and ask them to guess what your story is about!

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