Does anyone NOT do any kind of dancing on their knees? I can't seem to avoid dancing on my knees, and they are very bruised. Any ideas on what I can do to deter myself from doing "knee dancing?"




Does anyone NOT do any kind of dancing on their knees? I can't seem to avoid dancing on my knees, and they are very bruised. Any ideas on what I can do to deter myself from doing "knee dancing?"
If you must get down on the floor, just don't do any crawling. That's when the knees get hurt the most.
Someone posted here about learning how to shift your weight to your shins instead of knees when you crawl....I suppose it takes practice. I do a lot of pole work, am learning how to lean on the mirror, etc....I only crawl when gathering tips or at a loss for anything else. Instead, scoot on your hiney or do that fun crab-crawl with your legs (scootch forward while pinwheeling your legs up in the air, your hiney and hips will move you forward. Builds leg muscles.
Yeah, I mentioned that in another thread...I think it was a thread in body business. The worst thing about floor work is crawling on your knees. It takes a bit of practice and it feels really awkward at first, but you learn to crawl (slowly) with the majority of your weight of your supporting leg on your shin...when you're at home, just try a few different moves like that and you'll see what I mean...don't put all of your weight onto your kneecaps...but on the shins...hope that helps.
I wear knee pads for every costume / show / character I do, and have saved my knees a lot of damage.
Performers are vulnerable on stage, and the rush from being up there can trick you into doing things with your body that you couldn't do in rehearsals. This is great - we called that an "organic" process at drama school, and I have developed lots of stuff in my acts as a result.
I soon bought my first lot of knee pads after a show where I perfomed back bends, knee slides and crawling, and the good ol' hip thrust into the ground. My knees got skinned, bruised and swollen. I work as a fitness pro also, and knew that this was not a good thing for my long term career options in EITHER field.
Getting on to the floor adds an important dimension to strip shows for guys but especially girls. If wearing knee pads is not an option (and it probably isn't) then the above posts suggesting transferring of bodyweight and resting on other parts other than your knees are your best choices. (And I take it that your club won't rubberize the stage floor for you guys right?)
You may want to investigate a supplement for joints called glucosamine sulfate and chrondotin which could help also (it does me).
Chad Weston
Male Stripper / Dancer / Entertainer
Oh, good advice!!! I completely forgot to mention that!!Originally Posted by ChadW link=board=27;threadid=8590;start=msg101188#msg101 188 date=1082874448
yes, there was a thread about this before. If you don't mind wearing boots for some sets (thi-hi i presume), they will really save your knees and will also help you to effortlessly grip the pole when climbing it.
Personally, I dislike wearing boots, but they are actually very practical for stage work if you really like them!
Oh, and congrats on your first night at work. I hope you get rollin' back into things. x
You are the envy
of all parallel lines that
dream of curves and convergence
- Sara Bailey: Sieve of Words
I use a blanket for all my floor work..we all do up here, actually. Baby blanket sized and thick-ish (actually baby blankets work very well- mine is Hello Kitty) will totally protect your knees and also protect you from icky never-cleaned stages. Plus they're sexy- you can dance around with it, use it to coyly cover yourself then expose bits, and my favorite- slide around the stage and do cool breakdancing spins!
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I do couch-style lap dances and they never hurt my knees like the stage does. Unless the couch is church pew style hardwood bench, the layer of cushioning helps tremendously.
It might be from keeping the knees too tightly locked in the positions for that, basically during my laps I change position a lot, keeps the strain from getting excessive.
"I still have my name
I still have my face
I have not run away from home
Doesn't seem so long
If I now embrace
Every single thing I've never known"
I haven't heard of injuring the knees doing lap dances like that. Mainly the knees are injured when kneeling on hard surfaces (like the stage).Originally Posted by Pan Dah link=board=27;threadid=8590;start=msg101417#msg101 417 date=1082943958



I tried shifting my weight to my shins...instead of my knees. It feels awkward & funny. I'll just have to get use to it.
It is very awkward at first. The main idea is that you do not put all of your weight onto your kneecaps when you are (especially) crawling across the stage. Instead of resting the weight on the kneecap that is stationary, just ever so slight shift the weight to the shin, or slightly pick it up off the floor. You'll still be using your hands/arms, so you won't fall over. It's going to take some practice, but your knees will love you for it. I wish I could post a video of what that looks like, but since I can't, then just practice.![]()




Thanks, everyone. I now remember seeing a post about dancing on your shins. I tried it for a moment and it seemed to work okay. I think I'll try the blankie idea, too (very cute idea--it gives me a feeling of "home"). I want a Nightmare Before Christmas blankie. Absolutely no one here dances with blankets, so I would be a first. I'll probably be a bit nervous 'cause I'll be the only one, but it sounds so incredibly comfy!
Also try Arnica Montana. It helps with muscle aches and bruising. I had to go on three stages five times last week and had HORRIBLE bruises and after a few days of Arnica...was all healed up.(taking off work helped too!) I use the 200 strength...seems to work best for me!
Ok, and I just tried the shin crawling thing....I don't get it! My shins don't touch the floor when I'm trying to crawl....does that make sense?




Thanks, Miss Taylor. I have some Arnica ointment, but I'd like to get the gel form. I suppose if I used it diligently that it would help, but I'm too lazy to apply it 3-4 times a day.Regarding the shins, it does seem like I hold myself up with my arm strength, and the front part of my ankles seem to get a lot of the pressure. I still gotta work at it.
Try the arnica pills. they are tiny little beads. You place four or five under your tongue and let them disolve. IMO, they work SO much better thanthe gels or creams....if you use them at the same time, i'm sure it's even better!!
I'll try the shin thing again today when I get home ( don't know how this coffee shop owner would like me crawling around on his floor, ha ha)....I'm working tonight and it's sure to be painful unless I can get this technique down!!
I am not a Dr. therefore please don't hurt yourself, but...
Push through the pain. I had bad knee pain for the first 6 months of dancing. I would have to use pain rubs, and take ibuprofin while at work, but eventually my knees toughened up and I haven't had a problem for 5 years now.
The skin on my knees is a thick as the skin on my feet, so I don't get bruises or scrapes (much) anymore. Also, once the pain get real bad, you start using other muscles to compensate and strengthen the surrounding parts of the legs, and you learn the habit of moving in this manner.
My shins also don't touch the floor when I'm kneeling. I think that is because my ankles aren't flexible enough to allow my legs to go flat to the floor.
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I bruise very easily. When I first started stripping, my knees and shins looked pretty beat up all the time. When I finally started feeling comfortable with my stage show, I realized that my moves where, over all, slower and more controlled. Hence, no more brusing!![]()
Tipping is SEXY!!
Ok...I'll try to explain this better (I'm doing this movement as I am writing this...so bear with me). Ok...let's say that you are on the floor on all fours and you're going to crawl a bit. First, the most damage to the knee comes from direct pressure on the actual knee cap. So, when you go to crawl, press the supporting shin/top of foot into the floor and ever so slightly left the knee off the floor...then move the other leg forward. Repeat with the other leg. It works really well for me. I guess I call it "shin dancing" because my ankles legs are very flexible and I can have my entire leg on the floor. But, if you are crawling, then you can do this. Like I said before though...it takes some practice. And, no one will ever notice that you are slightly picking the knee up off the floor.
I hope that helps a little bit more...if you have any more questions, feel free to PM me!!
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