Dancers are athletes
Morgan Strathmeyer performing Candy Cane lead role during GYDance’s annual Nutcracker Ballet at the Strand-Capitol Performing Arts Center.
I have four children. I have four athletes. If you follow high school sports, then no doubt over the last eight years you have heard about a “Strathmeyer Swimmer.” My oldest three children, Brian, Paige and Bradley have left their mark in the high school and YMCA swimming world. Brad continues to excel at the NCAA national level.
My youngest daughter, Morgan, however did not follow tradition, not due to my lack of trying. When she was 5, she joined the York Y swim team. She would dive from the starting blocks, race to the other end of the pool, winning her heat while crying the entire 25 yards.
“I want to be a dancer,” was her early demand, and a dancer she has become.
When my kids were 2, I enrolled each of them in either gymnastics or dance to learn body awareness and to develop coordination, balance, agility and flexibility. Morgan’s love of dance was apparent at a young age: the music, the fun, the costumes (ooohhh the sparkle)!
Photo by Seth Nenstiel Photography
As she progressed with her skills, her focus changed. She loved the challenge of trying new techniques, perfecting classic requirements and making dance her own demonstration of the arts. She joined GYDance‘s ballet company when she was 9, and that is when she became an athlete.
Amateur dancers practice 20 to 30 hours each week, conditioning their bodies, honing technique and learning choreography. They blend grace and beauty with muscular and cardiovascular strength, agility, flexibility and explosive power.
Their legs are strong, enabling them to hold poses and complete high powerful leaps. Their core muscles are solid and their upper bodies are strong from lifting partners, diving to the floor during modern and hip-hop performances and from sustaining uplifted arms.
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