April 1, 2025 • 20 mins
Dancers often say, “I’m so rusty” after missing just one or two classes — but is that really the case?
In this episode, we dive into the science behind this common belief and explore how saying you're rusty can actually shape your experience.
We’ll discuss the studies that show how your body and mind hold onto more than you think, even after taking breaks. Plus, you’ll learn why your mindset plays a huge role in how you return to the studio.
Listen to this ep to rethink the “rusty” myth and come back stronger, no matter how much time you've had off! Yeah, really!
Episode 2 of my Return to Dance docuseries (mentioned in this ep)!
Check out my Return to Dance docuseries!
Support my Instagram — where I post daily dance inspo, insights and fun! @backtogreat
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hey, it's your dance friend, Miller Daurey, and welcome to my podcast, Hey, Dancer.
(00:09):
Today, we're talking about something that every dancer has felt at some point, said
at some point, wondered at some point because honestly, this is something I have heard
ad nauseam since my teenage dancing days.
And I hear it now today all over again in my return to dance journey.
And you know it, you know that old adage about feeling so rusty if you miss one class.
(00:33):
Yeah, literally one class, maybe two.
I mean, come on, how many times have you heard Dancer say, oh my god, I missed class
last week.
I'm so rusty.
Oh my god, so I wasn't even here yesterday.
I don't know what to do.
I'm so behind.
But why do Dancer say this all the time?
Is it even true?
But before it just hold up real quick, take a moment if you're listening on Apple to
(00:57):
follow the show and rate and review share with your dance fam because everybody can relate
to this topic.
Am I right?
If you're watching on YouTube or Spotify, please like and comment, subscribe, follow all the
things again.
I love it.
It means a lot to me.
I pay attention to all of those random stats and it always touches my heart when a new
(01:19):
review or rating or something like that comes in.
It really helps with engagement.
It helps the algorithm.
Okay.
Let's get into it.
Okay.
In preparation for this podcast, I put up a poll on my IG stories yesterday and damn, the
data was quite telling.
And honestly, if you're a dancer, maybe not too surprising.
(01:39):
So the question I posed was, dancers, how long can you go without dance class before you
start to feel you're getting rusty?
I gave four options.
One, just a few days.
Two, about a week-ish.
Three, two to four weeks and four a month plus.
Well, the results, 40% said just a few days.
(02:02):
As of the last time I look, which hadn't even been 24 hours yet, that was 636 dancers.
I mean, that's decent intel, right?
Now not far behind was 35% said about a week-ish, 14% landed at two to four weeks of missing
class and they start to feel rusty and 12% said it takes more than a month to feel rusty.
(02:26):
So if that isn't telling about dancers feeling wonky from missing only up to a week of class,
I don't know what is.
Now this belief has been around forever, probably for dancers I imagine, but it really
got legs with Rudolph Nuryov, the iconic ballet dancer.
At least he is the first I could find to really say it out loud, like it's a famous quote,
(02:51):
quote, "When I miss class for one day, I know it.
When I miss class for two days, my teacher knows it.
When I miss class for three days, the audience knows it."
Misty Copeland grew up hearing a twist on it too.
She said once in an interview, quote, "They say that if you miss a day of class, it takes
(03:11):
three days to get your body back to the way it was."
She soaked that up, believed it, just like so many dancers do, and then there's the biography
on George Balanchine by Bernard Taper, where he says that Balanchine said, quote, "You stop
for a few days and you're stiff.
You're not dancers anymore."
(03:33):
End quote.
"Wow, I mean, come on, that's really intense, right?
It's everywhere this idea that missing a day or two of class just wrecks you.
But come on, are we really toast after missing class for a day or two, maybe a week or
two, or is there more to it?
(03:54):
I want to figure this out today, and hopefully ease your mind if you miss class for a bit, and
perhaps even lift you up if you've been out for a long while, like with an injury, or maybe
you're like me, and you walked away from dance and are returning or want to return decades
later.
Okay, so let's try to unpack this together.
(04:15):
I'm here for you."
So what is being rusty anyway?
Let's just start there.
I think for most of us.
I don't know, it's that feeling that your technique is maybe kind of off today.
Your balance is shaky.
Your, your blinking on cori, or your body feels extra tight and maybe even lost flexibility
somehow.
Now, I did dig into some studies to see what is actually going on when we step away.
(04:40):
Let's start with the body.
So check this out.
Here's a study from a 2024 called Strength and Conditioning in Dance by Needam Beck and
Team, and it says that muscular strength and power exhibit resilience to brief interruptions
in training, and by brief interruptions, we're just talking a week or two off of dance.
(05:03):
So yeah, your muscles are holding on tight.
Then there's this 2017 study called Effects of Dancing on Physical Activity Levels of
Children and Adolescence by Santos, Lozano, and Friends.
They found intermittent breaks did not significantly alter overall fitness levels.
Kids miss classes a day, maybe a week, and guess what?
(05:26):
They were still solid.
So a day or two off, you're losing nothing.
Now, what about short breaks that are longer?
Like maybe a month, maybe two?
Well, there's this one study from 1999 and bear with me on the title.
It's a long one.
Speaking of deep breath, the effects of rest and subsequent training on selected physiological
(05:49):
parameters in professional, female, classical dancers.
I did it.
By the way, all studies, in case you were curious, are below in the show notes or episode description,
depending where you're watching.
Okay, so this study, they followed 17 pro-valorinas after a six week summer break, six weeks, no
dancing at all.
(06:09):
And here's what they found, physical condition either remain unchanged or improved after
the holiday.
Yeah, improved.
Flexibility jumped 15%, leg strength went up 16%.
Power climbed 14%.
Cardio ticked up 10%.
My gosh, six weeks off and they're not crumbling.
(06:32):
They're actually better.
Why?
They say fatigue accumulated during the season negatively affects fitness mechanisms.
So rest wipes that slate clean.
Your body is like sweet.
I needed that.
This actually reminds me of, and it's crazy how memory works because this happened in like
(06:53):
1995.
And I remember it so clearly, I could see where I was.
I could see where the teacher was.
So Margaret Derrick, who you may know is one of the most iconic, acclaimed prolific
choreographers of our time.
And she was my mentor.
I took her class a whole bunch when I was a teenager up until the age of 19 maybe.
(07:16):
I was actually in her class when she announced the big jobs she was booking.
And those are stories I can't wait to share one day.
But I do very much remember her saying this and this is when I first, I think, heard it
and it clearly had an impact on me.
I can see where I was standing like we were about to go across the floor on this one side of
the room and she stomped us and she was talking about a dancer who had intense in a long
(07:41):
time and they came back to dance.
Isn't that funny that I remember that as being someone myself who returned to dance and
I couldn't have known that that would be my story.
And she was talking about how after a couple classes back, this dancer was so strong
again and it was an older dancer in my memory at least if I'm remembering correctly.
(08:01):
But I remember for sure her saying and I can see her saying it.
I can see where she was standing and she was talking about how our muscles have memory.
And if the technique is solid, you know, and the foundation is there, it's always living
inside you and it will come back and pretty quickly.
I just remember that moment for me was so powerful just listening to her and I believe
(08:23):
that is true.
And I think that these studies here are confirming that actually another personal anecdote in
my return to dance docuseries.
I'll play you this clip in a moment.
If you're watching on YouTube, it'll be a little more powerful.
So the link is below if you're not watching in case you want to watch it.
But I remember in episode two when I took my first dance class back after 25 years and
(08:46):
we're doing the warm up.
I said this.
I remember the music playing and the warm up starting to happen and I always get the chills
right now thinking about it.
I was afraid that I was going to feel so out of place and my body wouldn't know what to
do.
Honestly, it just felt like home.
(09:08):
It really did.
I think when the technique is there, even if it's been decades, your body remembers.
And there you are.
The body knows the body, the mind it remembers.
Speaking of the mind, let's get a little more into the brain here.
You know, what about the brain and choreo?
You know, that particular sharpness.
(09:29):
So this 2022 study from Frontiers in Psychology called the neuroscience of dance says motor
learning in dance strengthens neural pathways that endure beyond active training, meaning
your brain's dance wiring doesn't just vanish after a week.
I mean, you know, you might feel a little bit rusty, some choreos, some steps.
(09:54):
They might trip you up at first, but it's still in there.
Muscle memory is your friend and it doesn't ditch you after a couple of days.
A month off, you know, six months, whatever, sure, you're a little bit fuzzier, but it's
not erased at all.
Here is where it gets really interesting.
I mean, I think it's all been interesting.
If I may say so myself, but this maybe is more interesting.
(10:18):
Rest is crucial for dancers and really actually helps take this 2000 study, the effects of
detraining and retraining on physical performance in athletes because as we know, dancers are
athletes.
And they note in this study after less than four weeks of detraining, muscle strength remains
(10:40):
largely intact.
Cell flexibility may increase due to reduced tension.
What?
A weaker to off and your strength is fine, plus you might stretch better and be more flexible
because your muscles aren't fried, but they add beyond four weeks aerobic capacity declines
(11:00):
by five to 10% with endurance dropping noticeably.
So that's when rust, I guess you might say hits and stamina fades, you know, when you're
winded faster.
Still, they say retraining reverses these losses rapidly.
It's not a permanent hole.
K Sandel or Sandel, I'm not sure how you say her name from Oklahoma City University backs
(11:25):
this up in Dan's spirit magazine online.
She says after three weeks off, your muscles have relaxed, they're rested and ready to work
for you again.
That first class back, yeah, it actually feels really good.
Even if you're not at your peak, she figured out that she's not going to be in the
she figures three weeks to rebuild matches three weeks off.
(11:45):
Yeah, so not a dance crisis, am I right?
Dance magazine's Julie Green agrees.
She thinks that strength goes fast, but a few classes bring it right back.
A weaker to off, maybe you're a little stiff, but yeah, you're not sunk.
My any stretch of the imagination, plus, and I'll get to this more in my next podcast,
(12:06):
just because a dancer has a break from dance training doesn't mean they're not cross training,
lifting weights, meaning the loss of aerobic capacity or endurance wouldn't even fit in those
scenarios, right?
So you as the dancer, you have the option, okay, maybe I'm not dance training, but I can do
other things.
I can do yoga.
I can lift weights.
(12:27):
I can do things to keep up stamina to keep up strength and endurance.
So some of the studies I've mentioned here don't even really apply if you're still doing
stuff, you know, some physical things.
Now here is the big twist, maybe the realist thing I've found in all of this, feeling rusty.
It's mostly in our heads.
(12:47):
I know we don't want to hear it, but as somebody myself who has been on a healing journey for
so long and understanding the mind, body connection in ways I could never even have imagined,
I know this with all of my heart, soul, gut is really, really true.
So think about, you know, Misty Copeland, for example, believing what she I mentioned said
(13:09):
earlier, right, that missing one class takes three days to fix.
If she buys that, her brain is going to make it true.
There's this 2018 study from psychological review, the role of expectation in perception,
okay?
It says, prior beliefs amplify sensory experiences, making small errors feel like failures.
(13:35):
So yeah, you expect to be off after a day or two away from class.
You say it, you think it so you expect it.
Therefore, every wobble, you know, or tight muscle turns into a neon sign, a week off and
your brain is yelling, "Ah ha, I told you, I told you so."
But science says something different.
(13:56):
It's like no, two weeks, even a month, you're not starting over, you're perfectly fine.
Past six weeks, yeah, okay, fine sure, it's going to be a bit tougher.
Your stamina might be shaky, your moves are off, picking up Corio is more of a challenge,
but you're still very much in the game.
So why dancers, do we keep saying this though?
(14:16):
Is it just because Nuriyev said it all those years ago and were like parrots and we got
to repeat it over and over and over again?
I mean, it kind of feels like it's probably some kind of self-fulfilling prophecy.
You know, you say you're rusty enough and yeah, you're going to feel rusty enough.
Dr. Brian Gunin, a psychologist, told Dance Magazine, "If you're always practicing without
(14:38):
a break, your brain can't synthesize what it's learned."
Meaning no rest and you burn out.
Mentally, not just physically.
That's why we feel off.
It's not just our legs, it's our heads.
So here's something else to chew on, dancers.
Where you're at in your dance life changes how this feeling rusty thing is going to feel
(15:01):
for you.
Think about it, a teenager just starting out, a college dancer in the thick of it, a pro
who's been around forever.
They're not all going to feel a missed class the same way.
I was reading this Dance Magazine piece about a college grad who just finished four years
of daily classes.
She's in her tiny New York City apartment during the pandemic, seeing her friend's post
(15:24):
Zoom class video is on Instagram.
And she's full stressing about it.
Should I be dancing every day too?
You know?
For her, skipping one day felt like a betrayal because she was used to that non-stop grind.
Compare that to a pro who's been at it for years, say someone like Brian Friedman or Jennifer
Hamilton Goldsmith.
(15:45):
Time off will not phase them as much.
Their muscle memory is stacked deep or picture a young dancer, you know, maybe 12 years old
training Monday through Friday.
And then one week they miss a Tuesday and a Thursday.
Those two days off might feel very big to them like they're out of sync because they're
so used to that daily specific grind, that schedule, that groove.
(16:09):
But as I've already proven, studies show it's not as bad as it feels no matter where you're
at.
In 2024, Needam Beck study I mentioned, they say strength sticks around during short breaks
and they say seasoned dancers hold on to it even longer because of experience.
Point is, a couple of days off doesn't tank you whether you're just starting or years
(16:32):
in.
Your stage in the game shifts how rust feels, not how it actually hits.
So here is the truth dancers.
I'm about to get real, so buckle up.
Miss a class miss to miss a week, miss a month, you're fine.
Can we just stop joking around and being kind of cute and funny about it?
(16:52):
You know, oh my God, I missed class last week.
I'm so rusty.
And then we all laugh and we commiserate because yeah, in some ways, it's like a bonding thing.
You know, it kind of brings us closer because we've all been there.
But my point is is that your brain is listening.
It doesn't know anything you're saying is a joke.
It's like your body has a reaction, your mind has a reaction to it and it's a neurological
(17:16):
thing.
So let's flip it.
Instead of saying, I'm so rusty because I missed a class or five last week.
Say, oh my gosh, I missed class last week and you know what, I'm going to be stronger for
it.
Say it.
Even if you don't buy it, you'll start to and it beats the whole, I'm so rusty monologue.
You feel me?
(17:37):
And if you took, you know, longer a month, six months or something crazy off, of course,
you're going to feel it.
Of course, your body is going to be different, but maybe still talk about it in a positive
way.
My body needed that rest.
I'm going to figure out ways to come back and make this return even stronger because I'm
a wiser person now and it's going to be reflected in my dancing.
(17:59):
How we talk about ourselves in whatever area of life is what eventually comes true for
us.
What is positive or maybe you're like me and you return to dance decades later or you're
like me and you have an injury or chronic pain and you're out again, all of a sudden for
more than a couple of years.
And I get it.
I've been there multiple times now, but you're still a dancer.
(18:24):
You're always a dancer.
How you speak, how you frame things in your mind out loud plays a massive role in your
success.
That's just the bottom line.
So that Nuri of famous quote, I mean, I think this podcast hopefully illustrates maybe even
proves that in many ways it's much more myth than fact, at least in my opinion and according
(18:47):
to a lot of studies, I've shared.
And of course, I'm not a fool.
I understand that there are so many variables and there's no, perhaps, you know, generalization,
100%.
There's always going to be exceptions.
You know, there's your particular trading.
There's your stage of life.
Whenever it is, they all play a role in this, but on that note, we'll kind of on that note,
(19:10):
I just want to say that I'm not advocating for always taking time off.
Hopefully that's pretty obvious and clear.
This podcast is really just about dissecting the idea about being rusty after missing a
class or two.
Because I mean, I hear it all the time and I know you do too.
I'm a huge believer in consistent training and being in class and that repetition, you
(19:32):
know, the more you show up, the better you're going to be with regard to all the things,
ability to pick up choreo, technique and just all of it.
I'm just stating here today on this one very day that it day off here and there and sometimes
even maybe a month or two when life gets in the way is not as bad as we often say or believe
(19:53):
it is.
Okay?
So next time I've got tips for easing back after a break, ways to shake off if you do feel
kind of rusty when maybe there is actual rust because maybe it has been a long, long while
and if it hasn't, maybe it's been short, whatever, I'm going to give you tips for just easing
yourself back into class.
(20:15):
Okay?
So if you enjoyed the podcast, please share it with your dance fam and I appreciate you
being here.
Don't forget to follow and rate, review, like, subscribe, share, comment, all the things.
Let's spread the dance love and I'll see you next time.
(20:36):
(upbeat music)
(upbeat music)
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Hey, it's your dance friend, Miller Daurey, and welcome to my podcast, Hey, Dancer.
(00:09):
Today, we're talking about something that every dancer has felt at some point, said
at some point, wondered at some point because honestly, this is something I have heard
ad nauseam since my teenage dancing days.
And I hear it now today all over again in my return to dance journey.
And you know it, you know that old adage about feeling so rusty if you miss one class.
(00:33):
Yeah, literally one class, maybe two.
I mean, come on, how many times have you heard Dancer say, oh my god, I missed class
last week.
I'm so rusty.
Oh my god, so I wasn't even here yesterday.
I don't know what to do.
I'm so behind.
But why do Dancer say this all the time?
Is it even true?
But before it just hold up real quick, take a moment if you're listening on Apple to
(00:57):
follow the show and rate and review share with your dance fam because everybody can relate
to this topic.
Am I right?
If you're watching on YouTube or Spotify, please like and comment, subscribe, follow all the
things again.
I love it.
It means a lot to me.
I pay attention to all of those random stats and it always touches my heart when a new
(01:19):
review or rating or something like that comes in.
It really helps with engagement.
It helps the algorithm.
Okay.
Let's get into it.
Okay.
In preparation for this podcast, I put up a poll on my IG stories yesterday and damn, the
data was quite telling.
And honestly, if you're a dancer, maybe not too surprising.
(01:39):
So the question I posed was, dancers, how long can you go without dance class before you
start to feel you're getting rusty?
I gave four options.
One, just a few days.
Two, about a week-ish.
Three, two to four weeks and four a month plus.
Well, the results, 40% said just a few days.
(02:02):
As of the last time I look, which hadn't even been 24 hours yet, that was 636 dancers.
I mean, that's decent intel, right?
Now not far behind was 35% said about a week-ish, 14% landed at two to four weeks of missing
class and they start to feel rusty and 12% said it takes more than a month to feel rusty.
(02:26):
So if that isn't telling about dancers feeling wonky from missing only up to a week of class,
I don't know what is.
Now this belief has been around forever, probably for dancers I imagine, but it really
got legs with Rudolph Nuryov, the iconic ballet dancer.
At least he is the first I could find to really say it out loud, like it's a famous quote,
(02:51):
quote, "When I miss class for one day, I know it.
When I miss class for two days, my teacher knows it.
When I miss class for three days, the audience knows it."
Misty Copeland grew up hearing a twist on it too.
She said once in an interview, quote, "They say that if you miss a day of class, it takes
(03:11):
three days to get your body back to the way it was."
She soaked that up, believed it, just like so many dancers do, and then there's the biography
on George Balanchine by Bernard Taper, where he says that Balanchine said, quote, "You stop
for a few days and you're stiff.
You're not dancers anymore."
(03:33):
End quote.
"Wow, I mean, come on, that's really intense, right?
It's everywhere this idea that missing a day or two of class just wrecks you.
But come on, are we really toast after missing class for a day or two, maybe a week or
two, or is there more to it?
(03:54):
I want to figure this out today, and hopefully ease your mind if you miss class for a bit, and
perhaps even lift you up if you've been out for a long while, like with an injury, or maybe
you're like me, and you walked away from dance and are returning or want to return decades
later.
Okay, so let's try to unpack this together.
(04:15):
I'm here for you."
So what is being rusty anyway?
Let's just start there.
I think for most of us.
I don't know, it's that feeling that your technique is maybe kind of off today.
Your balance is shaky.
Your, your blinking on cori, or your body feels extra tight and maybe even lost flexibility
somehow.
Now, I did dig into some studies to see what is actually going on when we step away.
(04:40):
Let's start with the body.
So check this out.
Here's a study from a 2024 called Strength and Conditioning in Dance by Needam Beck and
Team, and it says that muscular strength and power exhibit resilience to brief interruptions
in training, and by brief interruptions, we're just talking a week or two off of dance.
(05:03):
So yeah, your muscles are holding on tight.
Then there's this 2017 study called Effects of Dancing on Physical Activity Levels of
Children and Adolescence by Santos, Lozano, and Friends.
They found intermittent breaks did not significantly alter overall fitness levels.
Kids miss classes a day, maybe a week, and guess what?
(05:26):
They were still solid.
So a day or two off, you're losing nothing.
Now, what about short breaks that are longer?
Like maybe a month, maybe two?
Well, there's this one study from 1999 and bear with me on the title.
It's a long one.
Speaking of deep breath, the effects of rest and subsequent training on selected physiological
(05:49):
parameters in professional, female, classical dancers.
I did it.
By the way, all studies, in case you were curious, are below in the show notes or episode description,
depending where you're watching.
Okay, so this study, they followed 17 pro-valorinas after a six week summer break, six weeks, no
dancing at all.
(06:09):
And here's what they found, physical condition either remain unchanged or improved after
the holiday.
Yeah, improved.
Flexibility jumped 15%, leg strength went up 16%.
Power climbed 14%.
Cardio ticked up 10%.
My gosh, six weeks off and they're not crumbling.
(06:32):
They're actually better.
Why?
They say fatigue accumulated during the season negatively affects fitness mechanisms.
So rest wipes that slate clean.
Your body is like sweet.
I needed that.
This actually reminds me of, and it's crazy how memory works because this happened in like
(06:53):
1995.
And I remember it so clearly, I could see where I was.
I could see where the teacher was.
So Margaret Derrick, who you may know is one of the most iconic, acclaimed prolific
choreographers of our time.
And she was my mentor.
I took her class a whole bunch when I was a teenager up until the age of 19 maybe.
(07:16):
I was actually in her class when she announced the big jobs she was booking.
And those are stories I can't wait to share one day.
But I do very much remember her saying this and this is when I first, I think, heard it
and it clearly had an impact on me.
I can see where I was standing like we were about to go across the floor on this one side of
the room and she stomped us and she was talking about a dancer who had intense in a long
(07:41):
time and they came back to dance.
Isn't that funny that I remember that as being someone myself who returned to dance and
I couldn't have known that that would be my story.
And she was talking about how after a couple classes back, this dancer was so strong
again and it was an older dancer in my memory at least if I'm remembering correctly.
(08:01):
But I remember for sure her saying and I can see her saying it.
I can see where she was standing and she was talking about how our muscles have memory.
And if the technique is solid, you know, and the foundation is there, it's always living
inside you and it will come back and pretty quickly.
I just remember that moment for me was so powerful just listening to her and I believe
(08:23):
that is true.
And I think that these studies here are confirming that actually another personal anecdote in
my return to dance docuseries.
I'll play you this clip in a moment.
If you're watching on YouTube, it'll be a little more powerful.
So the link is below if you're not watching in case you want to watch it.
But I remember in episode two when I took my first dance class back after 25 years and
(08:46):
we're doing the warm up.
I said this.
I remember the music playing and the warm up starting to happen and I always get the chills
right now thinking about it.
I was afraid that I was going to feel so out of place and my body wouldn't know what to
do.
Honestly, it just felt like home.
(09:08):
It really did.
I think when the technique is there, even if it's been decades, your body remembers.
And there you are.
The body knows the body, the mind it remembers.
Speaking of the mind, let's get a little more into the brain here.
You know, what about the brain and choreo?
You know, that particular sharpness.
(09:29):
So this 2022 study from Frontiers in Psychology called the neuroscience of dance says motor
learning in dance strengthens neural pathways that endure beyond active training, meaning
your brain's dance wiring doesn't just vanish after a week.
I mean, you know, you might feel a little bit rusty, some choreos, some steps.
(09:54):
They might trip you up at first, but it's still in there.
Muscle memory is your friend and it doesn't ditch you after a couple of days.
A month off, you know, six months, whatever, sure, you're a little bit fuzzier, but it's
not erased at all.
Here is where it gets really interesting.
I mean, I think it's all been interesting.
If I may say so myself, but this maybe is more interesting.
(10:18):
Rest is crucial for dancers and really actually helps take this 2000 study, the effects of
detraining and retraining on physical performance in athletes because as we know, dancers are
athletes.
And they note in this study after less than four weeks of detraining, muscle strength remains
(10:40):
largely intact.
Cell flexibility may increase due to reduced tension.
What?
A weaker to off and your strength is fine, plus you might stretch better and be more flexible
because your muscles aren't fried, but they add beyond four weeks aerobic capacity declines
(11:00):
by five to 10% with endurance dropping noticeably.
So that's when rust, I guess you might say hits and stamina fades, you know, when you're
winded faster.
Still, they say retraining reverses these losses rapidly.
It's not a permanent hole.
K Sandel or Sandel, I'm not sure how you say her name from Oklahoma City University backs
(11:25):
this up in Dan's spirit magazine online.
She says after three weeks off, your muscles have relaxed, they're rested and ready to work
for you again.
That first class back, yeah, it actually feels really good.
Even if you're not at your peak, she figured out that she's not going to be in the
she figures three weeks to rebuild matches three weeks off.
(11:45):
Yeah, so not a dance crisis, am I right?
Dance magazine's Julie Green agrees.
She thinks that strength goes fast, but a few classes bring it right back.
A weaker to off, maybe you're a little stiff, but yeah, you're not sunk.
My any stretch of the imagination, plus, and I'll get to this more in my next podcast,
(12:06):
just because a dancer has a break from dance training doesn't mean they're not cross training,
lifting weights, meaning the loss of aerobic capacity or endurance wouldn't even fit in those
scenarios, right?
So you as the dancer, you have the option, okay, maybe I'm not dance training, but I can do
other things.
I can do yoga.
I can lift weights.
(12:27):
I can do things to keep up stamina to keep up strength and endurance.
So some of the studies I've mentioned here don't even really apply if you're still doing
stuff, you know, some physical things.
Now here is the big twist, maybe the realist thing I've found in all of this, feeling rusty.
It's mostly in our heads.
(12:47):
I know we don't want to hear it, but as somebody myself who has been on a healing journey for
so long and understanding the mind, body connection in ways I could never even have imagined,
I know this with all of my heart, soul, gut is really, really true.
So think about, you know, Misty Copeland, for example, believing what she I mentioned said
(13:09):
earlier, right, that missing one class takes three days to fix.
If she buys that, her brain is going to make it true.
There's this 2018 study from psychological review, the role of expectation in perception,
okay?
It says, prior beliefs amplify sensory experiences, making small errors feel like failures.
(13:35):
So yeah, you expect to be off after a day or two away from class.
You say it, you think it so you expect it.
Therefore, every wobble, you know, or tight muscle turns into a neon sign, a week off and
your brain is yelling, "Ah ha, I told you, I told you so."
But science says something different.
(13:56):
It's like no, two weeks, even a month, you're not starting over, you're perfectly fine.
Past six weeks, yeah, okay, fine sure, it's going to be a bit tougher.
Your stamina might be shaky, your moves are off, picking up Corio is more of a challenge,
but you're still very much in the game.
So why dancers, do we keep saying this though?
(14:16):
Is it just because Nuriyev said it all those years ago and were like parrots and we got
to repeat it over and over and over again?
I mean, it kind of feels like it's probably some kind of self-fulfilling prophecy.
You know, you say you're rusty enough and yeah, you're going to feel rusty enough.
Dr. Brian Gunin, a psychologist, told Dance Magazine, "If you're always practicing without
(14:38):
a break, your brain can't synthesize what it's learned."
Meaning no rest and you burn out.
Mentally, not just physically.
That's why we feel off.
It's not just our legs, it's our heads.
So here's something else to chew on, dancers.
Where you're at in your dance life changes how this feeling rusty thing is going to feel
(15:01):
for you.
Think about it, a teenager just starting out, a college dancer in the thick of it, a pro
who's been around forever.
They're not all going to feel a missed class the same way.
I was reading this Dance Magazine piece about a college grad who just finished four years
of daily classes.
She's in her tiny New York City apartment during the pandemic, seeing her friend's post
(15:24):
Zoom class video is on Instagram.
And she's full stressing about it.
Should I be dancing every day too?
You know?
For her, skipping one day felt like a betrayal because she was used to that non-stop grind.
Compare that to a pro who's been at it for years, say someone like Brian Friedman or Jennifer
Hamilton Goldsmith.
(15:45):
Time off will not phase them as much.
Their muscle memory is stacked deep or picture a young dancer, you know, maybe 12 years old
training Monday through Friday.
And then one week they miss a Tuesday and a Thursday.
Those two days off might feel very big to them like they're out of sync because they're
so used to that daily specific grind, that schedule, that groove.
(16:09):
But as I've already proven, studies show it's not as bad as it feels no matter where you're
at.
In 2024, Needam Beck study I mentioned, they say strength sticks around during short breaks
and they say seasoned dancers hold on to it even longer because of experience.
Point is, a couple of days off doesn't tank you whether you're just starting or years
(16:32):
in.
Your stage in the game shifts how rust feels, not how it actually hits.
So here is the truth dancers.
I'm about to get real, so buckle up.
Miss a class miss to miss a week, miss a month, you're fine.
Can we just stop joking around and being kind of cute and funny about it?
(16:52):
You know, oh my God, I missed class last week.
I'm so rusty.
And then we all laugh and we commiserate because yeah, in some ways, it's like a bonding thing.
You know, it kind of brings us closer because we've all been there.
But my point is is that your brain is listening.
It doesn't know anything you're saying is a joke.
It's like your body has a reaction, your mind has a reaction to it and it's a neurological
(17:16):
thing.
So let's flip it.
Instead of saying, I'm so rusty because I missed a class or five last week.
Say, oh my gosh, I missed class last week and you know what, I'm going to be stronger for
it.
Say it.
Even if you don't buy it, you'll start to and it beats the whole, I'm so rusty monologue.
You feel me?
(17:37):
And if you took, you know, longer a month, six months or something crazy off, of course,
you're going to feel it.
Of course, your body is going to be different, but maybe still talk about it in a positive
way.
My body needed that rest.
I'm going to figure out ways to come back and make this return even stronger because I'm
a wiser person now and it's going to be reflected in my dancing.
(17:59):
How we talk about ourselves in whatever area of life is what eventually comes true for
us.
What is positive or maybe you're like me and you return to dance decades later or you're
like me and you have an injury or chronic pain and you're out again, all of a sudden for
more than a couple of years.
And I get it.
I've been there multiple times now, but you're still a dancer.
(18:24):
You're always a dancer.
How you speak, how you frame things in your mind out loud plays a massive role in your
success.
That's just the bottom line.
So that Nuri of famous quote, I mean, I think this podcast hopefully illustrates maybe even
proves that in many ways it's much more myth than fact, at least in my opinion and according
(18:47):
to a lot of studies, I've shared.
And of course, I'm not a fool.
I understand that there are so many variables and there's no, perhaps, you know, generalization,
100%.
There's always going to be exceptions.
You know, there's your particular trading.
There's your stage of life.
Whenever it is, they all play a role in this, but on that note, we'll kind of on that note,
(19:10):
I just want to say that I'm not advocating for always taking time off.
Hopefully that's pretty obvious and clear.
This podcast is really just about dissecting the idea about being rusty after missing a
class or two.
Because I mean, I hear it all the time and I know you do too.
I'm a huge believer in consistent training and being in class and that repetition, you
(19:32):
know, the more you show up, the better you're going to be with regard to all the things,
ability to pick up choreo, technique and just all of it.
I'm just stating here today on this one very day that it day off here and there and sometimes
even maybe a month or two when life gets in the way is not as bad as we often say or believe
(19:53):
it is.
Okay?
So next time I've got tips for easing back after a break, ways to shake off if you do feel
kind of rusty when maybe there is actual rust because maybe it has been a long, long while
and if it hasn't, maybe it's been short, whatever, I'm going to give you tips for just easing
yourself back into class.
(20:15):
Okay?
So if you enjoyed the podcast, please share it with your dance fam and I appreciate you
being here.
Don't forget to follow and rate, review, like, subscribe, share, comment, all the things.
Let's spread the dance love and I'll see you next time.
(20:36):
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