• Bhangra discussion is still going strong. Join us in our Facebook group!

    New user registration has been closed (as it was entirely spam). We encourage you to post in our Facebook group, even if it's a followup to an existing thread. BTF will continue to be archived and hosted here - Saleem

How to build stamina and energy for Bhangra

sunnysingh93

New Member
Messages
4
Any advice to new bhangra dancers on how to build stamina and energy to dance for the long period of times of stage?
 

Ricky

NYPD BHANGRA
Messages
142
Do the set as many times as you can for how ever long you can , that's it!
 

shwinerz

Member
Messages
101
I go by do your best to train as hard as you can.

If you have a two hour dance rehearsal, make sure your knees come all the way up right till the end of practise, make sure your arms fully extend. Its easy to let those legs drop and make movements smaller, and in makes a big difference in the long run
 

Basim

♥ BTF ♥
Staff member
Messages
1,459
So if you use the forum search feature: http://bhangrateamsforum.com/discuss/search/

Or if you use the BTF Google Search bar on the top right of the page, you'll come across many topics that will contain answers to your questions.

There is so much content and knowledge on the forum, you may just need to do a bit of homework first. See below.

http://bhangrateamsforum.com/discuss/help-and-how-to/increase-staminastrength/

http://bhangrateamsforum.com/discuss/main-bhangra-discussion/bhangrastamina-conditioning/

http://bhangrateamsforum.com/discuss/main-bhangra-discussion/how-do-you-build-stamina-for-bhangra/

http://bhangrateamsforum.com/discuss/main-bhangra-discussion/endurance-stamina-exercises/

Hope that helps,

~ Basim :)
 

Ricky916

Member
Messages
302
Eat alot of McDonalds before & after practices and before you perform on stage!

But on serious note, I think the best way to build stamina is doing an all out runthrough and then pushing yourself to do another one right after with no break, if you train your body to be able to do two runthroughs all out there should be no problem hitting one with stamina on stage.
 

Bilal_Ali

Member
Messages
33
Ricky916 said:
But on serious note, I think the best way to build stamina is doing an all out runthrough and then pushing yourself to do another one right after with no break, if you train your body to be able to do two runthroughs all out there should be no problem hitting one with stamina on stage.

Yea, in theory this should work, but from personal experience you often have dancers saving energy for the 2nd runthrough. I think it's better to focus on getting one runthrough all out which is what they'll be expected to do on stage. Just my opinion, different teams operate differently so do what ever works for you best.
 

Ricky916

Member
Messages
302
Bilal_Ali said:
Ricky916 said:
But on serious note, I think the best way to build stamina is doing an all out runthrough and then pushing yourself to do another one right after with no break, if you train your body to be able to do two runthroughs all out there should be no problem hitting one with stamina on stage.

Yea, in theory this should work, but from personal experience you often have dancers saving energy for the 2nd runthrough. I think it's better to focus on getting one runthrough all out which is what they'll be expected to do on stage. Just my opinion, different teams operate differently so do what ever works for you best.
I agree that dancers might save energy for the second runthrough but we used to record both runthroughs and go back, watch them and point out the dancers that were slacking. It might be because we had a relationship with eachother where we could call someone out and tell them they are holding the team back to motivate them, but not everyone runs that way.
 

Bilal_Ali

Member
Messages
33
Ricky916 said:
It might be because we had a relationship with eachother where we could call someone out and tell them they are holding the team back to motivate them, but not everyone runs that way.

haha yea, I guess just the differences between co-ed and all guys teams. Just have to operate a little differently to achieve the same end goal.
 

Sue Sylvester

kinnell
Messages
467
Over the years, I've found that stamina tends to be more of a personal issue. I say this because many of the underlying issues for "being able to execute a full set in an acceptable manner" can vary from dancer to dancer, whether physical fitness, motivation or mental discipline. Trying to increase your team's stamina as a whole may require a more of a catered-to-individuals approach rather than a one-size-fits-all undertaking.

I completely agree that doing run-throughs is 100% absolutely necessary. This is your bread and butter - runthroughs are the best. But many dancers find that they hit a plateau in terms of stamina from just doing runthroughs.

If you don't see yourself having more energy in later segments without better execution in earlier segments after doing multitudes of runthroughs, chances are that you're hitting your plateau. For those who workout, I see it similar to increasing your one rep max on bench. You can keep hitting the bench press and you may see some little gains after you've hit your plateau, but you'll be able to blast through that limit if you begin to focus and strengthen your shoulders, triceps, back, core..etc and vary up how you train your chest in weight, frequency & volume. Likewise, if you acknowledge the other components that are critical for you to dance through the routine for the full 8 minutes (while executing with good form, high energy and precise technique), you'll be able to get more out of your run throughs.

Personally, for me, looking back in the past few years, my stamina was highest during my performance at Bhangra Idols 2012 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPZWfo1Yiko) (I'm the dashing young fellow in blue with slight beard :) ). The following are some of the things that just worked for me back then - maybe, others may benefit from them as well.

1. Get fitter. Stay healthy.
It still perplexes me how people sometimes miss the connection between fitness and dancing. You don't have to be super fit to be a good dancer, but it can only help you. Yes, you can get lose fat by doing runthroughs, but working out with weights will see you benefits in good form, better execution, better energy and better aesthetic appeal because of increased muscle strength and better posture. Back in 2012, I worked out in the mornings before work and my day culminated with practices that I basically treated as cardio sessions. The strength you can gain from working out results in fuller extensions, deeper squats and higher jumps. Being healthier makes you a better athlete which makes you a better dancer.

2. Practice with isolated segments (even after full routine is done).
It's not rocket science to realize that once you hit later segments in the routine during a runthrough, your energy levels drop, your precision may become haphazard and sometimes execution suffers and sometimes this softer, weaker execution becomes engrained in muscle memory to the point where you may not consciously realize how far from the original (standardized) execution it truly is. One way I tried to circumvent this was to continue to practice individual segments in addition to doing full runthroughs. The former allowed me to reinforce the way I wanted to execute the choreography and I was reminded of it and was able to recognize shortcomings during the actual full runthrough instead of after while watching the practice video. This also served as good internal motivation for me while dancing through each segment of the routine.

3. Increase your mental strength.
Even if you're conserving energy through a physically draining performance, there comes a point for most dancers where, even though you may be able to finish the set at 100%, your mind has begun to manifest excuses to start giving up in terms of energy and you begin to deter from your quest to finish how you intended. One of the ways I strengthened my mental toughness back then was by taking Scottish showers. Google it to get a full understanding of what it is and all of the apparent benefits, but in a nutshell, it involves showering with hot water and turning to full frigid cold. In the few seconds it takes for the water to turn to ice, your mind begins to think of excuses for you to give up. But in the end, if you persevere in this daily internal struggle, you realize that your mind was more afraid of the shock of the cold and that the cold itself isn't that bad at all. With working out everyday and with long unrelenting practices, your sore body will also thank you but the mental toughness you develop as a result of forcing yourselves to cold showers will not only invigorate your mornings but it will come in clutch during times of high stress and physical strain. On stage, at Idols, it snapped for me at around 6:46, essentially right when you start nearing the end of the routine, when you normally would feel like giving in and simply just going through the motions, maybe even stop lifting legs as high or even stop completely finishing moves, if you focus on improving your mental toughness, you'll have gained more of a mindset and willpower to bolster through without sacrificing the quality of dancing in these key final moments of a routine.

There's a bunch of other things I tried to increase my personal stamina & quality of dancing that had varying degrees of success but that will be for another time, another BTF post.
 

Basim

♥ BTF ♥
Staff member
Messages
1,459
KironMizanur said:
my response to this got removed? :-\
Nothing got removed from this thread. Maybe your response never got posted in the first place? Not sure.

Sorry sir,

~ Basim :)
 

sumeetj

Active Member
Messages
631
definitely follow sue's advice - there aren't many dancers on the circuit who have danced for so long at such a high frequency and stayed physically fit enough to do so
 
Top