Dance Teacher’s Guide to the 2015 Super Bowl
January 30, 2015

Even if you aren’t a sports fan, there’s a good chance you’ll head to a Super Bowl party this weekend for a celebration of food, friends and maybe even a little football. You might not care who wins or which penalties get called, but you can still enjoy the evening if you know what to focus on. As a dancer, here are a few things you’ll want to know to get excited for The Big Game.

1. The teams’ hometown dance companies get involved.Thanks to social media, ballet companies in the competing teams’ cities can engage in a little friendly head butting of their own. A couple seasons ago, Ballet Theatre of Maryland lost a bet to Boston Ballet over a Ravens/Patriots championship game, and Maryland dancers had to declare their love for the Patriots on video. This year, Seattle’s Pacific Northwest Ballet got the trash-talking started early with a little on-pointe wink at rumors that the Patriots advanced to the Super Bowl because they used deflated footballs. We’ll have to see how Boston responds. And please check out principal Lindsi Dec’s gorgeous foot, below. (Update: PNB just posted a challenge to Boston Ballet.)

From PNB’s Facebook page, with the caption, “We checked, our balls are full. #GOHAWKS!”

 

2. There are some dance-y commercials. During the broadcast, keep an eye out for the Toyota ad featuring Amy Purdy, the double-amputee snowboarder who competed on “Dancing With the Stars.” She dances and boards in the video. And speaking of strong female athletes, there’s also a Victoria’s Secret commercial where the models play football. We’re not entirely sure what to think of it, but we hope their Ballet Beautiful training helped them (or maybe their stunt doubles) during their dives and tackles.

 

3. You don’t want to miss the touchdown dances. We’ve said it before—there’s nothing funnier than watching these huge dudes get down with their bad selves. Sometimes they even choreograph a group celebration. Check out the NFL’s official Top 10 here. It includes salsa and the funky chicken.

4. Football can be beautiful to watch. Just imagine launching into a grand jeté while wearing protective padding all over your body (and, unfortunately, not being too concerned about injury). You’d give it a lot more height and speed, right? That’s basically what these guys do. Plus, the aerial view of players’ complex formations and patterns might offer a little choreographic inspiration for your next group number.

Great lines. Energy from fingertips to toes…

 

5. There are snacks. Who doesn’t love snacks? There’s nothing wrong with indulging now and then. If you’re like us, you try to keep your celery-to-chicken-wing ratio skewing slightly in the veggie direction and call it a day. But there are also simple ways to make even game-time snacking healthier. At DT, one of our new favorites is roasted chickpeas—drain a few cans of garbanzos, toss with olive oil and spices (try garlic salt and cayenne), spread on a baking pan and roast at 425˚ for 30 minutes. Also, check out this yogurt-based bleu cheese dressing for a lighter dipping option.

Did you know people are building “snack stadiums”? Cause they are.

 

6. The halftime show. If you aren’t flipping over to Animal Planet to catch the Kitty Halftime Show, you’re in for the always extravagant, high-energy performance that’s over in a quarter of the time it takes to set up. While you watch those poor people construct an entire stage, complete with pyrotechnics and confetti launchers in under 10 minutes, enjoy the warm fuzzy feeling that comes from knowing you don’t have to do that when you travel with sets to competitions. Or maybe you’ll feel a kind of dreadful camaraderie and quietly repeat the vow to yourself to never again travel with that spiral staircase or fireman’s pole for your production number.

Katy Perry is taking the stage this year, and she’s rumored to be including live lions and sharks in the performance (which PETA will love). This probably goes without saying, but don’t get any ideas.

Go sports!

Photos from top: by Lindsay Thomas, by Matt Stone/Boston Herald, Neatorama, Rex/Rex USA

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