A wide range of motion is a key component in certain styles of dance, such as ballet, jazz and contemporary dance. While flexibility is not required for executing all dance techniques, a limber body allows a dancer to achieve more challenging movements and display classic aesthetics. Maintaining flexibility in the muscles also reduces cramps, strain and muscular injuries. Choreography with movements that display extreme flexibility is considered highly challenging and is aesthetically appreciated.
Executing dance movements requires strength in many different sections of the body. Muscles in the ankles and legs that help maintain balance should be strong and flexible. A dancer needs both upper-body and lower-body strength to maintain fluidity and ease during even the most challenging choreography. Movements such as lifts and leaps are examples of choreography that require dynamic strength. Endurance is also an attribute of good dancers. Dancing for an extended period of time can be a rigorous workout and demands resilience to fatigue.
Good dancers need to be able to identify different rhythmic patterns in music. Rhythmic units, or dance measures, are repetitive patterns that dancers use to stay on beat with the music. Knowledge of variations in rhythm, such as syncopation and accents, is useful for adding a unique flare to the dancing pattern. Swing, salsa and ballroom dancing are examples of dances that are based on unique, rhythmic steps. The step pattern can be broken to transition into other moves. Once confident in the moves and steps of a dance, a dancer can begin to experiment with improvisation inside the form.
Studying ballet can provide training in basic form and posture, which is essential for maintaining a good presence while performing or dancing for pleasure. Contemporary dance draws many terms and movements from classical ballet. These terms are often used in choreography for jazz, lyrical and team dancing. Learning ballet technique equips a dancer with knowledge that is applicable to many other styles of dance. Every style has its own techniques, which form the definitive characteristics of a dance.
A great dancer should be able to move past choreographed movements and experiment with improvisation. Being creative and trying different things can bring a sense of spontaneity into dancing. A dancer should be able to synchronize with the rhythm of the music and follow impulses to create dance in the moment. While some dances use improvisation within a certain form, other types of improvisation are intended to be a free expression of movement in any interpretation of the term.