Is it normal for intl. rumba to hurt your knees?
When I took a few international rumba lessons, stepping to the side with your toe first made my knees hurt. Is that normal for a beginner or should I see a doctor?
To answer this question, you must be logged in.
Already have an account? Login.
By Signing up, you indicate that you have read and agree to Sage's Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
Answers ( 1 )
By and large, no - if anything you are doing is hurting your knees, don't do that. THAT said ...
In all the latin dances, you're going to be putting your toe down first - so I don't think what you are describing is exactly what you mean?
It is definitely possible to be put too much pressure on the inside edge of your foot too soon, as you take your sideways step in the Rumba. Part of learning how Int'l leg/hip action works, and getting more of a "snap" into that leg straightening, is about correctly timing and coordinating the lateral movement. Because really excellent dancers have a fairly high amount of foot pressure whenever they are dancing rumba, some teachers focus on that when teaching beginners. I bring that up because I associate that down/in pressure on the knee with having too much foot pressure too soon, OR from snapping into a straight leg too quickly.
My advice in this case is to focus less on trying to "look like" the coach/teacher/video that you're modeling, and focus a bit more on the internal muscle work that goes on as you're going through the patterns. It isn't that you shouldn't ever be sore, or tired, or achy after dance training, but if a specific movement in a dance causes you pain, you should ABSOLUTELY modify it so that it doesn't.
Students sometimes abdicate responsibility for their own bodies' health to their teachers, trusting the teacher to "catch" anything that will not be good in the long term. This is way more than a ballroom problem, of course, lots of broken ballet / modern students out there! But only you know what is going on inside your body, and if you need to stop, and modify, do so. If a coach/teacher pushes back and says "hey you're doing that wrong" and tries to correct you, then smile, nod, and take that conversation off the dance floor. Most teachers want the best for you, and if you let them know you're feeling pain, they should be understanding.
Good luck!