Why we scream 🗣“BRING KNEEPADS!”

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At the studio I work in, we have a note inside each class listing:

BRING KNEEPADS!

One of the #1 questions the instructors get asked right before a Twerk, Chair, or Floorwork class starts is, “Do we really need kneepads?”

I ain’t gone hold ya’ll, but it’s one of my top 5 pet peeves. 💀 We wouldn’t ask for that line to be included if they weren’t needed. BFFR, as the kids say.

Here are the reasons I always share on why kneepads should be part of every dancer’s class bag (yes, even if you only pop in occasionally or are showing up to one for the first time!).

1. You need to take care of your knees in the days (hell, years) to come. Idk what it is about life after 21, but it comes at you REAL FAST. The knees you have today are not the same ones from 10, 15, 20+ years ago. PROTECT THEM, PLEASE! Kneepads in dance classes can be a lifesaver for several reasons. They provide additional stability around your knee as you move, cushion when you’re on the floor, or additional slip when you need to spin or slide while on the ground. ✨
   

2. Anything could happen with the choreography. Class could be going really well, everyone’s vibing and picking up the choreo quickly…it’s a time! 💃🏾 When that happens, sometimes I get inspired to add more. I can’t speak for every other choreographer out there, but there’s something about seeing your work come to life that makes you want to keep perfecting it (sometimes right there on the spot). If adding in a floorwork section feels like the next best step, I’m taking it there. You know the saying: Stay ready so you don’t have to get ready…
   

3. It makes floorwork easier. If I throw in any knee spins or slow arches it helps to have that material between your bare skin and the floor. One thing about skin, it’s GONNA grip. Find out the hard way though if you’re into that kind of thing. 😳
   

4. Good choreo has levels. I want to teach good choreo. We’ll be standing up, but sometimes we’ll seek out the floor and other poses to create interest in a routine. Dancing at the same height gets old after a while, even for newcomers. Watch a few videos in my IG feed, for example, and you’ll see that even when I’m doing a bit of freestyling I’m not dancing at the same level the entire time. I might spin down to the ground, find creative ways back up, throw in body rolls to hit the mid-levels. Level changes are one of the easiest ways to add interest to dance, so…imma always have levels in any choreo I put together. 🤌🏾
   

5. Ya’ll ALWAYS end up on the ground anyway. I can’t tell you how many times in the past I’ve changed choreo at the last minute because of folks disregarding the kneepads disclaimer, just to see them on all fours twerking and backing it up 30 minutes into class. I could have left my choreo the way it was! 🫠 That’s one of the biggest reasons why my choreo is my choreo to this day. I’ll of course make adjustments and accommodations when certain movements aren’t accessible to a student’s body for whatever reason, but ya’ll folks who don’t bring kneepads just because you don’t feel like it? Idk what to tell ya. 😅

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