How big should a dance floor be for 100 people

Dance Floor Rental - Reventals Event Rentals

Is it truly a “party” without a dance floor rental?!? I don’t think so. The most fun I’ve had at events (some embarrassing) have be on the dance floor – either dancing or just watching. It’s great entertainment, but you can’t just call a rental company and say “I want a dance floor.” You have to know what you want to get the best quote for your dance floor rental.

Here is a calculator to help you determine the approximate square feet you need:

On the chart below, I’m giving you an estimate based on common dance floor sizes. For the average party, you can expect that the most amount of people on the dance floor at a given time is around 30 – 40%. Now, there are exceptions to every rule. When I was 23, my life long friend, Claire, got married. She had 10 attendants and most of the guests were in their 20s. For that party, a lot more than 40% were dancing (some even on stage with the band – I won’t name names ;-). Contrast that to my grandparents 50th wedding anniversary: I bet less than 10% were dancing. (I got the honor of dancing with my grandfather so I was glad they had it there: dance floors make the best memories).

For each person, you need approximately 4 square feet. The chart below is an oversimplification for 2 reasons:

I based this on the least expensive dance floor option at $1.50 per square foot, and
You can’t get the exact amount of square feet you need because the dance floors typically come in 3×3 or 3×4 sections. I’ve rounded to the common dance floor sizes, but you will have to adjust based on the size of the sections you rent.

(Pro Tip: just email [email protected], and we’ll figure it out for you for free).

Dance Floor Rental Size Chart

Total Guests	Dancing at one time	Approximate Square Feet	Common Dance Floor Size	Average Price
100	30 – 40	144	12 x 12	$216
150	50 – 60	225	15 x 15	$340
200	70 – 80	324	18 x 18	$485
300	110 – 120	441	21 x 21	$670
400	140 -160	576	24 x 24	$870
500	180 – 200	729	27 x 27	$1100

Note: these are prices without delivery fees, and most of the rental companies will require that they deliver and professionally install for liability purposes. Standard delivery fees will vary dramatically based on location, but you can expect them to be around $75 each way or $150 total. You can easily double that amount if the pick up has to happen after hours (for example after the event ends at night or on Sunday).

Types of Dance Floor Rentals

In my chart above, I used an average square foot price of $1.50 per square foot (this is for the commonly used, light wood floor). There are many different types of dance floors with a wide range of prices. This chart will give you the average prices of popular types of floors:

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best dance floor size for 100 guests?

A 12×12 dance floor is a good size for an event with 100 people. This will accommodate 30-40 people dancing at one time. The average price for a 12×12 is $225 plus delivery.

What is the best dance floor size for 150 guests?

A 15×15 dance floor is a good size for an event with 150 people. This will accommodate 50-60 people dancing at one time. The average price for a 15×15 is $350 plus delivery.

What is the best dance floor size for 200 guests?

A 18×18 dance floor is a good size for an event with 200 people. This will accommodate 70-80 people dancing at one time. The average price for a 18×18 is $485 plus delivery.

What is the best dance floor size for 500 guests?

A 27×27 dance floor is a good size for an event with 500 people. This will accommodate 180-200 people dancing at one time. The average price for a 27×27 is $1100 plus delivery.

I hope this helps you with your party planning. Here are a couple of other relevant blogs I’ve written:

Event Tents: Types, Sizes and Prices

Table Sizes and Seating: How Many People Will Fit?!?

Types of Rental Chairs and Average Prices

What Size Linen Fits My Table?

How much does it cost to rent table place settings?

Party Drink Calculator: How Much Alcohol Do I Need?

Let me know what you think or what other topics you’d like me to cover.

DANCE FLOOR for our wedding or corporate event- How big to go?

When planning a wedding reception, party, or corporate event and hiring a DJ, most clients have visions of a non-stop dance party.

Regardless of what else is on the agenda, the goal inevitably at some point (if not the main focal point) is to get as many guests on the dance floor as possible for as long as possible.

They imagine all they have to do is hire an amazing DJ, and their floor will magically be packed all night!

Yes, we believe it’s crucial to hire an experienced & talented DJ with great room awareness, but even the best DJ can only work so much magic if the logistics of the room are working directly against them.

A common oversight from clients when planning their wedding or corporate event is overestimating how big the dance floor needs to be in the room or event venue in relation to the number of guests. Another mistake is not renting an actual square dance floor because they venue floor is already made of wood, concrete etc. .

If room layout and dance floor size are planned incorrectly, the dance party can sadly look like this:

At Hey Mister DJ, we specialize in keeping dance floors constantly packed in Los Angeles and the greater Southern California area.
It’s our specialty, but there are many factors which will help or hinder the our ability to create and maintain dancing.

Room size, lighting levels, guest count, timeline floor, bar & photobooth placement etc.. which all play a crucial role in funneling guests where you want them moment by moment.

For today we are just talking specifically about dance floor SIZE and placement.

In a nutshell…the key points are these:

A small floor that is packed and hard to get onto always looks better than a giant floor you can’t quite fill.
A dance floor that is too far removed from the dinner area or logistically hard to get to may end up empty.
A room that has no dance floor and instead just an open wood/concrete floor is confusing to guests.

Clients always worry about if the floor will be big enough, but if you have guests dancing on the carpet that is a happy problem. In other words, the larger the dance floor the harder it is to keep it full and create the appearance of a rocking party.

Does this look inviting to you?

With these, there is no lighting on the actual floor itself and no perimeter to define where dancing begins or ends it still feels intimidating and uncomfortable to the eye.

Guests need the dance floor area to be clearly defined and separated from the rest of the room so they feel comfortable.

With this next one, they did a great job lighting the perimeter of the room, but again, the dance floor has no defined beginning or end. In this situation we’d use pattern & wash lighting to help create a perimeter in lieu of an actual dance floor boarder.

Lighting can help to offset this problem (See our BLOG) “Why dance floor lighting matters” but clearly defining the area you want guests to dance is always a plus and helps draw them in. Human nature dictates that people like clear direction and containment, it’s just how the brain works.
When you have 4 corners it’s easy for the brain to day “I should dance here” but when you have an open space it creates anxiety because the brain can’t map where the space begins or ends.

Now, let’s look at a room that has placed down a dance floor that is the appropriate size in relation to the room and lit it nicely to make it appealing and inviting. They even used couches for framing and to fill in “dead” space in the room instead of adding more tiles to the floor. Your wedding planner or room designer will usually have ideas on how to utilize furniture, lighting, pipe & drape, and other elements to make a big room feel more cozy and inviting.

Keep in mind that you will maybe have about 40% of your guests dancing at any given time.
Others may be at the bar, conversing, bathroom, photo booth, updating their Instagram, eating dessert, etc.

Our Jewish wedding or Mitzvah clients are usually concerned with doing an amazing HORA (group) dance and want enough space for everyone. But it’s a critical mistake to build a dance floor that accommodates the entire guest count for only those 10 minutes when we will be struggling the rest of the night to keep it filled.

If during the HORA some guests are on the carpet, it’s totally fine!

One of the most common situations that put clients in this challenging position is when they book a venue that is too large for their guest count. Once the venue figures out how many tables they need and exact placement, they realize they have too much dead space, so start adding extra tiles to the dance floor to fill in space. Now you have a HUGE floor that you’ll never be able to fill with enough guests, but the edges of the room don’t look as empty.

It’s ok to have some empty space on the perimeters of the room. Here’s another great example of a room with a dance floor that is an appropriate size in relation to total room size:

Here is a handy chart to use as a reference based on guest count assuming that roughly 40% of your guests are dancing simultaneously:

#of guests # of dancers Size of dance floor

60 14-20 10 x 10

100 32-40 12 x12

150 50-70 15 x 15

200 78-90 18 x 18

The industry standard suggests that each wedding will need 9 sq ft per couple (that’s over 4. 5 ft per person). Example: Let’s assume a party has 200 guests. 40%, or 80 guests, will be dancing at any one time. This means that you would need approximately 360 square feet of dance floor for this party, or about a 16×20 dance floor.

If you figure 40 of 100 guests will dance, then you need about a 200 square foot dance floor. If you double that for 200 guests you would need a 400 square foot dance floor. With 300 guests you need a 600 foot dance floor. You can see how easily that rule could get out of hand.
(When it comes to choosing your dance floor size, we have found that a 12’x12’ dance floor usually accommodates a small to medium size wedding or event. That’s 144 square feet)

However, you do have to consider other factors like the age of your guests, and how many people you really think will be dancing at one time.

Keep in mind that every event has 3 times of people:

Group #1: I will dance for sure no matter what! (The party starters- small in numbers but reliable)
Group #2: I most likely will NOT dance (Although with enough alcohol…)
Group #3: I am unsure/on the fence but might dance if the situation is ideal (usually the largest # of guests)

This last group is who we should always be thinking about when designing a room/event venue for a wedding, party or corporate event. Group #3 is saying “well, if I feel comfortable enough and the energy is good I will possibly jump on board” so the room must always be setup in a way that maximizes the potential for them to join.

So take this dance party for example:

If you count, there are about 45 people on the floor, and they are clearly having fun.

But because the entire room is a wood floor and there are no corners telling guests where the dance floor ends, they all spread out, and consequently it looks like it’s not a packed floor and thus not as much energy in the room as possible.

Now compare that to this dance party:

Notice that there are only about 20 people on this floor. Almost HALF less than the previous photo but it appears to have more energy because everyone is grouped together tight because they are on a rental dance floor that has defined edges.

There is also much better lighting in this room which helps add additional energy visually.

To Recap: Hey Mister DJ always recommends having some type of dance floor for every event…even when the venue has a natural concrete or wood floor. Again, the reason is that the perimeter creates what we call “defined space” that draws people in and helps ensure more dancing. An open area is “undefined space” and often guests feel uncomfortable dancing in such an area.

Here’s a few venues in Los Angeles area we play often that always get the dance floor size right:
www.laventa.com
www.belairbayclub.com
www.calamigos.com
www.calamigosequestrian.com
www.laac.com

It’s counter-intuitive but when you have a SMALLER dance floor, you are likely to get MORE people dancing. Now go out and have the best dance party ever!

P.S.
Are you searching for an amazing DJ/MC for your wedding?
We service the following areas in Southern California:
Greater Los Angeles, Malibu, Calabasas, Westlake Village, Ventura, Bel Air, Beverly Hills, Hollywood, West side, Valley, Downtown, Santa Barbara, Orange County, Anaheim, Palos Verdes, Pacific Palisades and more.

See a full list of the venues we work with often HERE

Choosing a room for a restaurant - Restconsult.

In addition to the obvious requirements for an institution by the concept, there are also state standards that regulate the size and composition of the premises for a catering establishment.

Area and its filling

In addition to the obvious requirements for an establishment by the concept, there are also state standards that regulate the size and composition of the premises for a public catering establishment. So, according to GOST R 50762-95 "Public catering. Classification of enterprises", the composition of premises for consumers in a restaurant should be as follows: a lobby, a wardrobe, a hall, a banquet hall, men's and women's toilet rooms with a room for washing hands, a smoking room. This is the minimum without which the restaurant cannot function.

According to the law, there are no serious restrictions on the footage of the premises. But there is an established ratio of the kitchen area to the hall area as 1: 2, that is, with a hall area of 200 square meters. m (in Moscow this is the average) 100 sq. m. In reality, high rental rates and shortage of premises often reduce this ratio to 1:4. Mark Veksler, director of franchising at Brothers and Company LLC, says about the requirements for restaurant footage: "The area of the restaurant should be 250-500 sq. m (or 80-120 sq. m if the restaurant is located on the food court)".

Another aspect of the choice of footage directly relates to the calculation of payback. As experience shows, the more tables in the hall, the more the restaurant is able to accommodate visitors, the higher the profit. But it should be borne in mind that, firstly, an excessive concentration of seats can have a strong impact on attendance in general, since it turns the restaurant into a kind of dining room. Secondly, there is GOST R 50762-95 "Public catering. Classification of enterprises", which states that one visitor in a restaurant should have at least 1.8 square meters. m or 2 sq. m, if the restaurant has a dance floor or stage. This means that a restaurant with a hall area of 150 sq. m should have no more than 83 seats. Finally, when choosing a room, you need to correctly assess the potential traffic of the institution, so as not to overdo it when determining the number of seats. Table turnover is considered good for small restaurants - at the level of 2-3 landings per day, for large ones - 1-2 landings, respectively.

Selection rules. Fundamental points

In addition to space requirements, it is worth remembering such fundamental points as:

1. Communications. Ventilation, water supply, electricity supply, sewerage are the key points in the work of the restaurant. In the center of Moscow there are houses without hot water supply, there are houses with non-standard voltage in the network, with serious and regular interruptions in electricity and water supply. “In my practice, there was a case when a person found an excellent premises for opening a pizzeria: the place is very successful and lively, the rent is low, and the size of the premises is optimal,” says Sergey Klyuchansky, chef and director of the Capriccio restaurant. “It would seem like a gold mine, but + As it turned out later, there was simply not enough electricity.”

2. Condition of the premises. This aspect is especially relevant for the old part of the city, since it is there that buildings often require serious repairs, reconstruction or bringing the premises in line with technical requirements. In any case, when choosing a room, you should consult with experts. "Experienced consultants will tell you how much it will cost to repair and redevelop the received premises for the planned concept, - recommends Alexander Minaev, CEO of the consulting and design company Art People Group. - I advise you to take this issue seriously, because this is a fairly significant expense item: practice shows that it is construction and finishing works that take about 40% of investments in the opening of a restaurant.

3. Heavy legacy. It would seem tempting to buy a closed catering facility for the opening of a restaurant business: there is a clear saving in the means and timing of the opening. However, in such a situation, one should find out the real reasons for the closure of the "precursor".

4. Accommodation in a residential building. The location of the restaurant in a residential building leaves its mark - additional investments in sound insulation, a ventilation system will be required, there will be restrictions on working hours, there may be problems with residents of the lower floors, etc.

5. Conditions of lease, if the property is not purchased as a property. The most important factors are the rent (which should not exceed 5-6% of the expected profit), its composition and the lease term. The rent includes the actual rent, utility bills, taxes and operating costs (cleaning, security, etc.). Often the owner announces in advance only the rental rate, and the rest of the components the entrepreneur will pay on top of this on his own. In addition, landlords prefer to conclude short-term contracts, and this is a big risk for a future restaurateur: it will take six months or a year to actually open a restaurant (design, construction and finishing work, etc. ), another 2 years to return investments, and only subsequent years will bring dividends.

Selection rules. Location

It is worth considering the special requirements for the location of the restaurant. In the most general terms, 7 basic principles can be distinguished:

Principle 1. The premises should be located in the city center or in one of several promising residential neighborhoods. If earlier only the center was traditionally considered a win-win option, now the city authorities are trying to establish the infrastructure of new microdistricts: large shopping and entertainment centers are being built, the first floors of residential buildings are already allocated for infrastructure during design, etc. Indeed, a huge number of people live in residential areas who want to occasionally eat out. In terms of traffic, such places are very good, and the rent in these microdistricts is comparable to the rent in the city center.

Principle 2. The premises, especially for a stand-alone restaurant, should be located near the metro: paradoxically, practice shows that the success of even an expensive restaurant is affected by proximity to metro stations.

Principle 3. The premises should be located on the first floor - as experience dictates, a restaurant located on the second floor, even in the first line of houses, usually goes bankrupt.

Principle 4. The premises must be strictly in the first line of houses. Here you need to be especially careful, because there are "pseudo-first" lines, when the building is the first relative to the road, but is located at some distance from it. And if in winter the building is clearly visible, then in summer dense greenery can completely hide it from the eyes of potential customers passing along the road.

Principle 5. Active vehicular and pedestrian traffic must pass nearby. It should be borne in mind that it will be difficult for customers of the future institution to get to dinner if there is a regular traffic jam on the highway opposite the institution at this time. Regarding pedestrian flows, it is worth noting that the concept of the institution should correspond to the composition of the flow, i. e. if the flow is formed by students of neighboring universities, it makes no sense to open an elite restaurant here. The direction of the flow is also important, i.e. a potential client, having decided to go to a restaurant, should not cross the opposite part of the flow, the establishment should be on his side.

Principle 6. Convenient access and parking. For the center of the capital, densely built up and crowded with cars, the availability of parking is a very significant advantage.

Principle 7. Places of natural congestion of people are considered successful: shopping and entertainment centers, recreation parks, as well as proximity to large office centers, banks, elite residential skyscrapers.

Margarita Moiseeva
www.sob.ru

BALANCE. Part 1: Personal: zoukability - LiveJournal

Author: Murasheva Nadezhda, Moscow

Why is it difficult to stand on your feet in some cases? It happens that for some reason the body collapses, although the movement has long been worked out. And on rotations... The reasons for losing balance can be different, and I propose to understand them in detail and at the same time understand what can be done about it. This is the first article on balance, which is devoted to the general theory and personal balance of any person, regardless of gender and style of dance.

Balance is one of my favorite topics. All the time that I went to different classes, all I heard and knew about balance was "spread your legs wide" or "pull your abs and ass together." So I danced for a long time as a beginner who does not understand how it all really works, until ballet and modern jazz came into my life. And then my world began to turn upside down.

*Lots of nerdy information ahead*

I can picture my evolution of balance as follows:

Take a firm stand. The more difficult it is to maintain balance, the wider the legs. Partners who put their feet together on the work of the body - how the hell do they do it ?! It's so unstable.

Yes, I have a butt and abs, how useful they are!

...So that's what it means to keep your back! The feeling of self-importance jumped sharply, as if she had joined the secret knowledge. 9&t, more feet.

I will share a revised experience of what I have understood about balance so far, and what I have learned to apply effectively in social dance over several years of amateur practice. I try to write in the simplest possible language and sort out the information on the shelves, because I write for non-professionals and I remember how I myself was a dancer without additional classes for a long time. training, knew nothing about the work of his body. The phrase "turn on your back" would not have told me at that moment absolutely nothing.

With this article I want to help dancers who really need this information. Girls are more aware of the need to work on balance because of all the insane hell we're having in dancing. But all this is just as necessary for partners, since they need to keep themselves steady and be able to support their partner if necessary.

If you have a strong background, then you know all this for a long time, you know how and definitely cool;)

Let's start with pure theory. Having imagined it well, it will be easier for you to understand why you need what will be discussed later.

______________________________________________ ____________________________________

I. VERTICAL AXIS AND CENTER OF GRAVITY

Center of Gravity is the point on the ground where your maximum weight falls. It may not match the position of your feet.

Vertical axis - an imaginary vertical that comes out exactly from the center of gravity and is directed upwards (the so-called line of gravity).

To feel your center of gravity shift, simply stand up straight with your feet parallel and slowly put more weight back into your heels, then forward into your toes, right and left. Along with the shift in the center of gravity, you deviate from the vertical axis. Now put one foot forward and the other back. Feel how the center of gravity can be in the middle of your feet, on the front or on the back foot, go to the right or left. This happens to you all the time in the dance, and the position of the center of gravity has a huge impact on your dance.

As long as the center of gravity does not go beyond the foot, you can keep your balance in this position. But if you give too much weight, and the center of gravity goes beyond the feet, then you will feel like you are falling over. In dance, this often happens for various reasons.

There are three ways to restore the overwhelmed balance in this position:

Take a step in the right direction . In this way, you shift your body so that the center of gravity is again under the feet, and the vertical axis again passes exactly through your entire body. You are catching up with the departed center of gravity. Within the framework of a paired social dance, this is the regulation of the length and direction of one's step. There are situations where this is exactly what is needed. We will talk about this in more detail later in the continuation of article "9.0005 BALANCE. Part 2: Balance in a pair ".

Strongly "pull" yourself up. The muscles of the back, abs and buttocks can pull yourself out of the blockage if the loss of balance is not critical. It takes some time to find the right muscles in yourself and learn

Balance yourself The pelvis deviates to one side and the upper part of the body to the opposite. That is, the hips to the right - shoulders to the left, butt back - shoulders forward. This way you return the center of gravity under you, remaining in place, and symmetrically position your body on both sides of the vertical axis. This process occurs in the dance as consciously, when you clearly understand the mechanics of movement (deep cambrai ), and unconsciously, when your body itself tries to compensate for the lack of balance (not always correctly and beautifully). This technique is hardly suitable for restoring lost th balance, but is the technical basis of a number of movements. In social dances, counterbalances in a couple are built on it.

The vertical axis does not always pass through the entire body. Examples from other styles:

In zouk, the body will move a lot relative to the axis only on amplitude waves, on deep cambra (the axis passes through the press) and on counterbalances. All these movements are controlled and managed. In all other movements, the axis will pass through the entire body.

Perhaps you will say: "But what about all these movements with the tilt of the upper body?.." So only the frame shifts there, and the axis still passes through the whole body to the chest. Illustrations for clarity:

The formula for good balance in theory:

Sensitively feel where the center of gravity is, control it.

Maintain a vertical axis in your body.

In fact, what will need to be done is to remove the factors that lead to loss of balance and skidding in movements. Pump the body and control individual muscle groups. Correct the distance in pairs.

____________________________________________ ____________________________________

II. FIXING MOBILITY

Imagine jelly. What happens if you shake the plate? It will start to wobble. At the moment of swaying, the center of gravity will walk from side to side. The stronger the impact, the more it will loosen up.

A relaxed body reacts in the same way to movement. If it is only your own movements, then the hesitation will be imperceptible, but it does not change anything. The back, shoulders will sway, a deflection in the lower back may appear, the hip joints will add more amplitude. Paired with a neat and experienced dancer, this will not bother you. But somewhere around 70% of the partners are those who shake the plate with varying degrees of force (Moscow statistics)) . The harder the dribble, the more furiously partner dribbles , the more you are swayed.

Accordingly, in order not to be sausage, you must not be jelly and form a fairly elastic structure from your body. It has nothing to do with tightness and "woodenness" in the body. Let me explain the difference right away. Balance control, stability - this is the opening of the body, the direction "from the center", in particular - upwards. It's a feeling of elasticity. And tightness and "woodenness" is a closure, a direction "towards the center", towards oneself, the desire to make oneself smaller. Hands are glued to the body, shoulders rise to the ears, the back hunches as if in a desire to cover the chest from the energy of the partner. So it is not necessary.

Joints provide mobility of the body. Thanks to them, you can move, walk, dance. And because of them, your balance can become loose if they are too mobile.

The mobility of the joints is regulated by the muscles adjacent to them. To be honest, I hadn't thought about it before. Muscles can fix the joint in a certain position and limit its mobility. Now you only need to understand what and how to fix, and learn how to do it.

1. Back

The importance of the back in the dance in general and in maintaining balance - in particular - cannot be overestimated. The spine supports your body and has a huge impact on stability. If this complex long structure staggers and collapses in some part of it, then the balance will constantly walk. Just imagine.

Zouk often uses thoracic slopes. For such a design to be stable, you need a strong straight (!) Loin. This is the rod that holds the center and coincides with the vertical axis.

An even, stable position of the spine is held by many muscles. You will not be able to keep balance with your back if you pumped up only one muscle and forgot about others. You can do a hundred "boats" every day, and this will not give anything if the longest muscles of the back and the internal oblique muscles of the abdomen are not in good shape, for example. No wonder there is the concept of "muscle corset". The entire muscular corset must be harmoniously developed, and then everything will start to work out.

What happens in practice (we study the picture below) :

The entire press is pulled up ( The transverse abdominal muscles ) and The oblique muscles of the abdomen are , and the longest back muscles 6 are pulled up upwards. These are the muscles that you can consciously control and physically feel their work in the dance.

When you need to resist strong pressure from the side and protect your lower back from unnecessary deflection, the press is collected more strongly, and quadratus lumborum . She helps girls save their backs from uncomfortable, dangerous cambras and from too strong an amplitude when it is not needed. For guys, this is a guarantee of safe performance of cambrai (especially if the partner collapses) and high-quality performance of "balao". During the "balao" the partner should not hang over the girl with his bodies, but on the contrary, he should be a stable support that does not bend anywhere.

The longissimus dorsi muscle is perhaps the most difficult to master, but once you find it, you will feel euphoric at how much easier it has become for you to dance. And especially rotate ;)

How to achieve it all:

Attend individual classes with a teacher who will select a set of strengthening exercises for you and monitor their correct execution. To begin with, you need someone who is familiar with the anatomy and physiology of movement, who understands how to competently develop the necessary muscles. In the case of the back, you will not be able to strengthen it by intuitively doing boats and tilts at home. When you find the right muscles in yourself and feel how they should work, then it will be easier to follow them.

As I wrote earlier, I found the right muscles in myself when I went to the ballet and started doing exercises there without support (the barre had no effect). When you try to stand in a wildly uncomfortable position on one leg, and at the same time make some other movements in the air with the other, the body gradually begins to pull itself up, because it’s really easier to stand that way. I can’t forget my surprise at the new feeling of fatigue in my back, because nothing worked there before, despite 2 years of zouk.

2011 / 2016. It's a pity that in the first photo the topic covers the skin, the lower back is not visible. Except in the lower back, the back did not bend anywhere else. The body was like a sack of potatoes: where it was tilted, it fell all over there.

2. Hips and legs

I would say that the back is the dancer's top drive and the hips are the bottom drive. Both are equally important and significant for balance. A four-wheel drive dancer can control both his back and his hips equally. But learning to regulate the dance with the hips is easier and faster.

Due to their structure, the hip joints are highly mobile. This allows us to make many beautiful movements, sit on the splits, swing our legs, etc. But this same mobility is also a common cause of loss of balance. Any movement of the hips shifts your center of gravity forward, backward, left or right. If the center of gravity shifts within the feet, then everything is fine, but as soon as the amplitude of movement turned out to be slightly larger and the center of gravity went beyond the foot, you skidded.

Muscles of the thighs regulate joint mobility, stride length, tension in the legs. The point is that your hips should move only when you need to, only in the right direction and only with the necessary amplitude. Most often I use the thigh muscles when I need to keep the center in one point - rotations, "onda" in place, shifting the frame, counterbalances, etc.

What happens in practice:

In the diagram you can see that there are as many different muscles here as in the back. Therefore, the formula "pull in the ass" is actually not very correct. This will come down for a beginner level, so as not to overload the brain with unnecessary information. Yes, and the ass, too, can be retracted in different ways.

First of all, naturally, the gluteus maximus is tense . Try to move your hips with a tense booty or take a step. You can't make an amplitude movement, right? The center of gravity cannot go beyond the foot. Great, the effect is already there. If all the information is new to you, and the body is not accustomed to working, concentrate only on this for a start.

In addition to the gluteus maximus, the gluteus medius and minimus are also tense if they are in good shape. I found them already on Jazz Modern, they raise the leg to the side in a non-reversible position. If they connect, it adds even more stability.

At the same time, if you stand upright, the pelvis does not turn forward. "Clamping a coin in the pope" is the wrong wording, and it is not necessary to feed the pelvis forward for stability. This position is good and useful in movements that require arching under the shoulder blades and when playing cambrai to reduce the load on the lower back. In other cases, this provision is not very effective. It is unaesthetic and blocks the work of other muscles that are useful for balance.

It is also very important to say here about a strong reduction of the legs to the center. All the crosses in the legs and just legs placed close together, if you try to bring them together, as if to squeeze something between them (the same coin), they give excellent fixation and stability! At the same time, long adductor muscles will work in the cross. If you put your legs together in parallel (non-reversible), thin thigh muscle starts to work , and if you turn it out (socks to the sides) - adductor magnus . It is convenient for me to turn my feet a little for stability, because the large adductor muscle is better pumped and holds well, and even in the eversion position, the knees do not press against each other.

And another cool trick that I only recently realized at the ballet and noticed that it automatically appeared in the zouk as well. It helps a lot to maintain tension in the uppermost part of the semitendinosus and biceps femoris (look in the central picture) , at the junction with the gluteus maximus. This is the place under the booty where women traditionally get cellulite;) If you try to pull the butt up a little without bending at the same time in the lower back (!), then tension appears in this place. When the muscles there become strong enough, they also help to maintain balance, even standing on one leg. But if you move the pelvis forward, then this just won’t work. But it is rather a tool for an already pumped carcass.

Knee extension is also a useful tool. First, the knee-in leg is more stable than the relaxed leg. Secondly, it's just beautiful.

Plié (squat) as opposed to stretching the knees, also helps to keep the balance. If you perform movements in a small plié, other muscles work. Plie allows you to remove part of the load on the back if the partner strongly bends / collapses (the impulse will fall above the waist, and it’s easier to group this way). And also it is an indispensable help when the partner is shorter and often leads under his arm. Plie will help to keep balance if the muscles of the legs and priests are tightened at the same time. That is, this is not a humpty-dumpty on bending legs, but a fixed stable position.

3. The rest

What else affects the balance? These are all the joints that connect you to the ground and that conduct impulses in pairs.

Stop!

Perhaps this is the part of the body that has been underestimated by the social dancer for a very long time. And in vain. Feet affect balance, even if everything is fine with the back and hips. If the muscles of the feet are weak, not used to the load, then the feet periodically fall on the outer / inner rib or wrap inward and make your position more precarious. Blockages are especially bad in heels, as it increases the risk of injury.

How to strengthen, you will find a lot of information on the Internet. Rolling a rolling pin, pulling up a napkin, and ballet exercises will do. The main thing is that the dance should not be like this:
(this is me again a beginner, but I know for sure that many girls have similar photos)

Shoulders

Shoulders affect personal balance if you perform movements with an emphasis on the arm or shoulder (contemporary, breakdancing, hip-hop, yoga, etc.). Then the shoulder joint, in order to avoid injuries, should be well fixed, that is, strongly lowered down.

In pair dancing, the shoulders must also be in good shape to effectively transmit impulses and maintain balance. Shoulders are a mandatory part of FRAME . I will write about the frame next time as an important element of balance in a pair.

Hands, fingers

Also important.