boysdancetooUK Blog
When Langston Dances
Posted 10 November 2021
Boys will be Boys - Photographic Series
Posted 29 October 2021
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We're saying a sad goodbye to CDL Fulfilment
Posted 05 July 2021
Like countless other small businesses, we've had a hard time recently.
We've taken the very tough decision to say goodbye to our current fulfilment centre, CDL Fulfilment & Distribution, so that we can find a way to keep the online store open, and keep supplying you with awesome male dancewear. However, this does mean that there will be some disruption and a few changes along the way! Please forgive us for any inconvenience that this may cause, and know that we are doing everything we can to keep male dancewear available for you all.
boysdancetoo. USA Fortify+ FREE CLASS
Posted 06 May 2021
Totally Floored
Posted 21 March 2021
Boys Dance Too
Posted 21 January 2021
In this blog post we are going to take a look at the real-life experiences of boys who dance. In particular, do male dancers still face bullying? This is a subject that is close to our hearts, here at boysdancetooUK.
Sadly, it is a very relevant and important subject, and it does need to be discussed. So why bring it out now? Well, we came across an incredible podcast called 'Movers Shakers Makers', which is run by the amazing Emma Lister. We found her recent episode entitled 'Ballet for the Twenty First Century - Boys Dance Too' incredibly inspiring and also very thought provoking. We therefore felt that now was the perfect time to share some of our findings from talking to boys who do ballet (and other styles of dance), and we will share the podcast with you at the end of this blog post.
Video Interview with the Phoenix Boys PART 2: HEROES
Posted 09 October 2020
Video Interview with the Phoenix Boys
Posted 17 September 2020
What DO boys wear for ballet?
Posted 10 July 2020
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What DO boys wear for ballet?
What on Earth is a DANCE BELT?
Is it the same as a jock strap? And when should a male dancer start wearing one?
Let’s tackle the tricky-one first… what is a dance belt? Well, to put it simply, it’s underwear for male dancers and it’s absolutely vital for ‘keeping things in place’ while dancing. Although it’s sometimes called a jock strap, it’s actually different to a standard jock strap that one might use for sport; a dance belt is padded for comfort and normally has a thong back so that there is clean line from the top of your leg to your foot.
Interview with Cristiano La Bozzetta
Posted 21 June 2020
Cristiano La Bozzetta. You may know him as a gorgeous, talented, funny Italian ballet dancer. Or, you may not know him at all. (In which case, get on to Instagram, facebook, YouTube or tik tok and you’ll find him pretty quickly 😉 ).
But what about the man underneath? Well, we were extremely lucky to have a chat with Cristiano, (or Cris), on zoom recently and we’d like to introduce you to the real man.
He’s kind.
He’s generous.
He’s inspiring.
Self-massage; a Practical Guide
Posted 12 June 2020
In our last blog post we explored the advantages of massage for the dancer. But what if you don’t have the time or cash to go for a professional massage? And can you benefit from doing your own self-massage anyway?
The answer is yes. Self-massage is a vitally important element of maintaining your soft-tissue health. So, below you’ll find some useful info and a practical guide for dancers.
To massage or not to massage?
Posted 20 May 2020
Massage encourages blood circulation to the muscles. Massage strokes create a ‘pumping’ action which encourages blood flow to the area, which helps your body to fix issues and flush out waste products. Becky points out how your instinct when you injure yourself is to ‘rub’ the injured area… So it’s actually part of our natural instinct to massage an injury. The main advantages of Soft Tissue Massage are:
- Reducing muscle aches and pains
- Reducing tension in muscles
- Relieving pain from overuse
- Encouraging flexibility
- Treating soft-tissue injury
- Managing the symptoms of some medical conditions
Can you stretch too much?
Posted 11 May 2020
Firstly, is there such a thing as over-stretching?
Yes. One risk of extensive stretching is that if you’re very flexible but not strong enough then you are at risk of injury. In addition, if you hold stretches for too long then you can start to damage your ligaments, which aren’t as robust and quick to repair as your muscles.
We'd also like to take a moment to remind you that in our last blog post we touched upon why stretching for longer than 2 minutes is useless because you reach your maximum around 2 minutes.
So all in all, if you're in the habit of sitting in a stretch for more than two minutes, not only are you wasting your time but you might actually start to do damage... perhaps it's time to change your habits?
What Dancers Want... how to improve your flexibility
Posted 04 May 2020
Top tips and reminders for optimum stretching:
- Contrary to popular opinion, before or during class is NOT the right time for lengthy stretching sessions
- The best time to stretch is after class, when you are nice and warm, as it also forms part of your cool-down routine. You can also stretch before bed.
- Stretching routines may be enhanced by massage and the use of massage balls or rollers.
- Flexibility is a product of your natural body as well as the steps you take to increase your flexibility.
- Even if you’re really flexible, you need strength and control to dance safely… So there’s no point stretching and stretching if you’re not strong enough to show it off – keep working on your technique and practice practice practice.
The perfect pair ... warm-up and cool-down
Posted 16 April 2020
We couldn’t write a blog post about warming-up, without following with a post about cooling-down. We’ve all been there; it’s the end of class and the teacher or choreographer says “do your own cool-down”… and we all turn around and head straight out of the door, back to our dinner and a hot shower. But I think we can all agree that we regret it the next day when we wake up feeling achy and lethargic, with heavy muscles and lots of knots.
So, how can we cool-down properly and why is it so important?
Why your traditional warm-up routine may need updating...
Posted 09 April 2020
For Blog Post 2, we’re discussing WARM UP. Is it really as clear-cut as it seems? And are old traditions actually the safest way to go?
In our experience, when a teacher asks students to ‘warm-up’, most will immediately sit down and begin a lengthy static-stretching routine. But hang on, isn’t warm-up supposed to get your heart beating faster? YES! During this tricky period of working-out at home, we thought we’d help to keep you safe by giving you some great tips for how best to get ready for your daily exercise...
How to stay ballet-fit at home with Pilates
Posted 31 March 2020
Hi there
We’ve been planning to start a blog for a little while, and what with everyone stuck indoors at the moment, we thought that now would be a great time to kick things off. So, for our first ever blog post we are going to share with you some ideas and information about how practising Pilates can improve your ballet technique and even more importantly, your wellbeing...