Acro dance is a lot of work, especially in the first few years of training while going through the meticulous process of building a strong foundation. Many students don’t ever get past this part of their acro education because they grow impatient, mistakenly thinking that the “fun tricks” are supposed to come quickly and easily.
Training proper acro dance technique must begin early, at the Junior Level, in order to set your students up for future success. However, it can be difficult to explain technical concepts to a 7-year-old.
Before my first acro dance Teacher’s Certification Course, I had never attempted acrobatics and strongly felt that it was something that my body would never be able to do. Growing up, I was not the strongest or the most suited body type to be an acrobat & when my teacher used to add cartwheels to our Across the Floor progressions in Jazz class, I was so terrified that I cried!
Close your eyes and picture an acro dance costume…. Do you picture a unitard, where everything from wrists to ankles is covered? Bonus points if the unitard is in some form of animal print, or black and white so that the dancer can portray a clown.