Every dancer knows that warming up is an essential part of the performance process. Doing so effectively, however, is something else.
The amount of time spent warming up before a performance depends a lot on the demands of that particular performance, such as for a lot of jumping, highly athletic movements, or extreme ranges of motion, for example. How you are feeling that day also affects how you should warm up, such as if you are feeling sore or injured, your age and wellbeing. Another thing to consider is the amount of time between warming up and performing (you may need to repeat your warm up): all these factors influence how much you need to do to be properly prepared.
A warm up can be divided into three basic categories: passive, general and specific.
Passive Warm up
Dancers have a reputation for wearing lots of clothing during their warm ups: everything adorning your body is serving an important purpose - to provide a passive warm-up. Heat aids such as heating pads or salves are also considered a method of passive warm up. These methods assist in bringing heat and blood flow to the muscles, but a good warm up should not rely on them alone.
General Warm up
Of the three types, the general warm up is perhaps the most frequently neglected among dancers. Consisting of 5-10 minutes of light cardiovascular exercise, a general warm up raises the heart rate, increases overall blood flow and and prepares the body for full range of motion activities.
Specific Warm up
A specific warm up targets the muscles in demand for the activity you are about to undertake. Doing so brings blood flow to those targeted muscles and “rehearses” the movement, such as a ballet barre and centre work. You could also run through particular parts of your choreography or devise a few exercises that target specific parts of the body for that particular piece and performance. Being vigilant about pre-performance warm up prepares the dancer physically and mentally for the task: it is more than just a ritual, as it serves a critical physiological role in helping you perform better and avoid injury.