While dancing is fun and trying your hardest is important, safety is the number one priority. While following dance videos and doing your own explorations, there are a few things that you should keep in mind to make sure you are being careful and safe. 

• Only do what you can do! This is super important, especially if you are more of a beginner. As much as you may want to get that split or do the triple turn, you need to know that these things take practice and won’t be perfect on the first few tries. Pushing yourself to get it right away could end up in serious injuries. It is important to listen to your body. While being sore is fine, you do not want to be in serious pain. 

• Don’t overwork yourself! Hard work is super important and definitely shows in dance. However, you need to keep in mind that your body is not a machine. Take breaks; you don’t want to injure yourself!

• Drink lots of water! Staying hydrated is super important when dancing. Drinking water helps regulate your body temperature and helps to avoid muscle cramps, fatigue, dizziness, and more. 

• Warm up and cool down. Both of these things are vital to avoiding injuries in dance. Warming up allows blood flow to muscle and loosens joints. It prepares your body for what dancing you are about to do! Equally important, cooling down lowers your heart rate and prevents future soreness and stiffness.  

• Be aware of your surroundings. Dancing at home means you might not have all the space in the world. It is important to be mindful of what is around you, so you do not hit anything or anyone. If needed, you can always slightly (and carefully) shift your furniture out of the way.