A note from Caroline Calouche, Dance Captain and Ringmaster, of the Charlotte Cirque & Dance Center

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Surely, every coach at CC&DC has been asked that almighty question in any Level 1 class, “How do I move up to Level 2?”.  Besides learning a very comprehensive list of skills in our syllabus, we also are looking for maturity and strength. 

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Maturity: Can you take corrections?  Are you eager to learn or wait for a teacher to ask you to do a skill or exercise?

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Strength: Are you aware that your leg is bent when it should be straight?  Can you hold yourself up in the air long enough to do the skill? 

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Vocabulary: Do you understand the words coming out of our mouths?  (yes, that's a nod to Rush Hour 😀)  Seriously, we need to be able to communicate.  

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What can you do?  Practice.  Practice.  Oh and practice!! 

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You have the opportunity at CC&DC to participate in Open Practice and you can do exercises at home that you do for warm-up to build strength and body awareness. 

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Build a habit.

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It will be boring at times.  Hang in there and find a way to enjoy the reps.

Because every drop in the bucket counts and eventually it will overflow with accomplishments.  

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A matter of safety

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However, it’s not just a matter of strength; it’s also a matter of safety.  

You need strength and body awareness to get up from a double ankle hang in an apparatus. 

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You need strength and body awareness to pirouette (turn) in dance. 

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You need strength and any guesses?…body awareness to hold someone standing on your shoulders in a two high. 

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To conclude, you are in charge of moving to the next level.  Our coaches are here to help you reach your dreams.  But we can’t do it for you.

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It’s all you and you CAN do it!