The Warm-Up
#OmniTips for Social Dancers
Whether you’re a new social dancer or a seasoned veteran, the urge is always the same. You walk into a venue, you hear the music, you see the people, and you just want to DANCE! But…

There’s one really important step you are forgetting before you tear it up on the dance floor. You need to warm up if you don’t want to tear up your body!
As fun as social dancing is, it’s easy to forget that it’s a strenuous physical activity that can result in serious injury if you don’t take care of your body.
Warming up before you dance makes your joints and muscles limber so you can be ready for whatever comes your way on the dance floor.
Here are a few tips for warming up before a social (and not to look silly while doing it). It takes about 5 minutes to do — so no excuses!
Step 1: Dress warmly.
It can be a little embarrassing to be seen doing jumping jacks in the corner of the floor (but if you have no qualms doing this, props to you!). One way to speed along the warming of your muscles is to wear a jacket or warm clothes on your way to the social. Then it requires only a few awkward hops up-and-down to finish raising your body temperature enough to stretch.
Step 2: Roll it out.
Jerking motions are never good for stretching. All of your stretching should have a soft, circular motion to it. And since we are not trying to get our splits right now, these stretches shouldn’t bring pain. If they do, catalog the pain and avoid straining that area.
Neck —Nod your head up and down, side to side, then do some gentle head rolls clockwise and counter clockwise.

Now let’s add another step – expand your chest upwards when your head is back (and breathe in), and collapse your chest when your head is down (and breathe out). This will help start to warm up your shoulders as well, and prevent you from straining your neck.
Shoulders — Alternate rolling your shoulders backwards, then forwards. When they feel nice and limber, extend your arms and do a few slow circles. Roll your wrists out as well.

Legs — They are going to be doing most of the work tonight, so give them some attention before you put your shoes on! Start at the ankles. Stand on one foot (or sit) and draw a clockwise circle with your big toe, then counter-clockwise. Point and flex your foot, and then repeat with the other side.

Moving up the legs now — do a few shallow bends with the knees and move your hips side to side, then in circles like you’re hula-hooping.
And you’re done!
Personally, I love warming up before I dance. It makes me feel rejuvenated and super ready to throw down with my partner, whereas jumping into a dance cold just feels stiff and miserable. Give this a try, or let me know YOUR favourite warm-up rituals in the comments!
See you on the dance floor! ❤
— Elena “The Rhinestone” Rovito

About the Author: The Rhinestone is the Creative Director of the Omni Movement and an avid social dancer. She loves having fun dances with partners of all levels!
