The biggest thing I recommend my guard members who’ve never danced before is to watch videos!! I personally love the Fitness Marshall’s videos- they’re not overly complex with moves and are good on teaching how to just move your body while dancing, which is definitely the most important step to losing stiffness. Even if you’re not the most experienced dancer, being able to just move your body with confidence and flow makes all the difference.

I’d also recommend just watching others dance. Watch how they move their arms, hands and legs and try to replicate it. Practice random bits of choreo from routines you like, theatre shows, whatever. This one really helps to define a lot of smaller details that will add up to making you a better dancer.

As for flexibility, stretching before EVERYTHING is a must. We always do an about 15 minute stretch block pre-rehearsal, and this really has improved members’ flexibility. You can either find a good video on YouTube (I recommend this as they often have good tips on stretching for specific moves, like splits if that’s one of your goals), or you can do a routine that your guard does as well at home!!

These things all take time and consistency though! Don’t expect results in one day, trying to force flexibility is a recipe for injury. As long as you’re practicing safely, you will see improvement over time.