Why do we stretch?

Do you know why we stretch at dance?

When you dance, your body needs energy. To create this energy, it uses oxygen to break

down glucose, which then results in a build up of lactic acid to supplement the missing

oxygen. So, to help your body get rid of this acid and recover, we need to stretch and loosen upwhich encourages a higher blood supply and helps to bring nutrients to your muscles and joints.

But there are also other benefits to stretching. It helps your body to feel relaxed instead of tired, improves your focus and posture and relieves pressure on your joints and muscles, which prevents injury. When you are dancing, your breathing deepens to help give your body the oxygen it needs so by stretching after dance class your heart and lungs get a chance to slow down and to return your breathing to normal.

And to be able to dance and be ‘better when we are dancing’ without the risk of injury,

being flexible is important and stretching helps your body with this.