Thread: How hot is your studio?

I teach out of a ballet company studio, and it has pretty much always been my experience that dance studios are kept pretty warm. While I realize that belly dancers don't need the warmth for the more extreme flexibility required for ballet, I feel much more comfortable teaching in a warmer environment, especially since I often teach barefoot and in a midriff or tank top.

Some students have mildly complained about the warmth, and I have turned on the overhead fans, but now I have potential students asking about the temperature of the studio saying they don't want to dance and sweat.



Those of you who are or have been professional dancers, are you more comfortable in a warmer environment? Do you turn the air up for your students? What's the appropriate temperature for a belly dance studio? I'm used to 70s for ballet.

The secret is out. Dancers sweat. Shhh
A few portable fans might make it a bit cooler. But really, dance studios are hot and sweaty. That's regular.

Well the a/c temp is set at 75 for the center where I teach. However when the outside temp is 100 to 110+ degrees it really doesn't matter what the temp in the building is, you are going to SWEAT in buckets during class. The only time anyone complains is when the industrial floor fan has to go off for veil work....LOL! Last week there were cheers when we got done with the veil section of their choreography and they could have the fan back.

Personally...it helps me feel like I'm "accomplishing" something if it's hot and sticky in the studio!

Outside of the studio, I'm all about the air conditioning and really hate the heat, but the studio should be warm. Not stiflingly hot, but warm enough to keep the muscles warmed up when not drilling or working "as hard." I think it's counter-productive and, frankly, unhealthy to have cold air conditioning blowing on you when you're sweating. And imho, if potential students say they "don't want to sweat while they dance"...they likely have got the wrong idea about belly dancing class anyway!

It all depends - if the air quality is good, temperature (either way) is much less of an issue. But, stale, humid, sweaty air that one walks into like a BO-scented brick wall - that is just not so good ;-) And, for spins and turns, I seem to get less nauseous when it is colder.

Originally Posted by ErikaOH

And imho, if potential students say they "don't want to sweat while they dance"...they likely have got the wrong idea about belly dancing class anyway!

This may depend on the objective of your class. If you're teaching belly dance as an alternative to Zumba or aerobics, then by all means, sweat. It's often hard to do drum solos and some of the more energetic substyles of ME folk dancing without perspiring, but the rest of the MED spectrum doesn't always have to be sweaty. In my experience, this is one of the big differences between the native mind set and the Western one. Westerners often demand a high-energy workout with a lot of drilling to create impressive physical effects when performing. Natives (or Western dancers who've trained in the ME extensively) sometimes emphasize the languidness of the movements and want to downplay anything that looks like heavy exertion.

Originally Posted by sabrinabellydancer

The secret is out. Dancers sweat.

Other dancers sweat; we glisten.


Khalida

Originally Posted by Tourbeau

Natives (or Western dancers who've trained in the ME extensively) sometimes emphasize the languidness of the movements and want to downplay anything that looks like heavy exertion.

True -- but to me those languid movements require a great deal of muscle strength, and the generation of the movements generates body heat. It's my personal experience that I can be much more fluid and languid in a warmer environment. While I have never, for instance, pulled my ab muscles due to cold, my range of motion in a cooler environment is much less than in a warmer one.

I try to regulate my studio temperature according to the wishes of the majority of my students, because I find they heat up quicker than I do, as they're less used to the exercise and find it more strenuous. I can be sweating, but still feel cool and relaxed. So I don't think I'm a very good guage of the average 'comfort' of the room.

Personally, I don't like a hot studio and if there is an option to air condition, I'd take it. I've danced in a lot of hot studios (at workshops etc) and the only reason I've ever thought they were hot is simply because they're in cheap venues without air conditioning. I've never known anyone to keep the studio temperature overly warm because of a preference. Note that these places are often stone cold in winter, because heating is also inadequate!

I would like a nice, ambient temperature whilst warming up, but personally I don't like heaters to be kept on, and may use an air con if available, once the dancing started. I'm not averse to sweating, it's natural when dancing. But I don't think there's any need to overheat if it's not necessary!

There's sweating, and then there's *passing out*. I like a cool studio - I'm gonna sweat anyway, but I don't want to be hot and miserable (unnecessarily) doing it.

However, guys get overheated quicker than gals, who get cold easier - generally speaking.

I take classes in a refrigerator and don't like it. I function and dance better when it is warmer. But everybody else loves it cold. So I am dressed warmer even in the summer to keep my muscles warm. I especially need to keep my midriff warm, strange when it is 100 degree outside, but oh well. :-)

I like to feel like it is comfortable (just a tad cool) when I walk in off the street.
This temp turns into ambient/warm as soon as we add a few bodies and start moving. That way we are warm but not icky. I like to sweat during class but not to feel like I can't breathe.
I think the above comments are right that to your students, it might feel much warmer than it does to you.

I checked last night and the temp is set to 74. I thought it was fairly comfortable. I'm going to assume that's what it is most of the time and let people know that's what it will stay.

After a ballet class I know the bodies create more heat, and maybe I'm just used to that. I don't want to walk into cool -- I want soft warmth, if that makes sense :) But I guess I'll see what the rest of the class finds comfortable.

Thanks :)

At my studio, we like it cool (between 68 & 72 F) and then someone usually turns on the fan in the first 15 minutes of class. I have taught in environments that were cooler and it was distracting... especially with a cold floor. Warmer than 74/76 feels nasty hot. We sweat at the 68/72 F, anyway. I'm not into the idea of a heated space.. I live in the southeast. Hot enough. Shimmy on!

Originally Posted by jewelbellydance

Personally, I don't like a hot studio and if there is an option to air condition, I'd take it. I've danced in a lot of hot studios (at workshops etc) and the only reason I've ever thought they were hot is simply because they're in cheap venues without air conditioning. I've never known anyone to keep the studio temperature overly warm because of a preference. Note that these places are often stone cold in winter, because heating is also inadequate!

I would like a nice, ambient temperature whilst warming up, but personally I don't like heaters to be kept on, and may use an air con if available, once the dancing started. I'm not averse to sweating, it's natural when dancing. But I don't think there's any need to overheat if it's not necessary!

This.

I don't mind sweating - I'm going to anyway. But I see no reason whatsoever to overheat a studio. I don't like being hot. Hot=miserable. I'd rather be cold than hot! I also become VERY grouchy, grumpy, and snappy when overheated. There's just no reason for it.

Originally Posted by aziyade

I checked last night and the temp is set to 74.

In my opinion this is borderline too hot as a starting point. 66-68 would be my personal preference.

74 is slightly higher than what is typically considered "normal room temperature," I believe. And, as a woman of a certain age, it is definitely too hot for my liking.

Our studio is in a building that houses a swimming pool. Therefore, the air is kept pretty warm, and there is definitely humidity in the air from the pool, even in different areas of the building. However, when I walk into our studio and the class ahead of us has been dancing in there, the heat and the humidity can be like being hit by a brick bat.

Of course I'm going to sweat while dancing. But I don't really want the sweating to start before I'm dancing or even warming up.

I would prefer a temperature no higher than 70 in a room where I'm dancing. Of course, conditions are rarely ideal, but if I had my druthers....

Late spring and mine is 22C (about 70F). Personally I find that a little on the warm side but not open all the windows warm. Anything under 16C (61F) I'll definitely turn on some heaters. But I'd rather have it cooler and heat or add layers than too hot (in summer the western sun can take it over 28F (82F) - which is way too hot). Bra and knickers time - and all the windows open.

Originally Posted by aziyade

.... asking about the temperature of the studio saying they don't want to dance and sweat.

WTF? In a dance class? How is this even a question? Of course you're gonna sweat. Dancers sweat. Period. All of them, to varying degrees. If the internal muscles are warm enough to be, well, "warmed up," then you're gonna sweat no matter what temperature the room is. Sweating is a GOOD thing. If you're a dancer, it's a desirable, necessary thing!

This should be a non-issue. And besides, someone will complain no matter what temperature it is because we don't all process or perceive the environment the same way.

(sorry folks, don't mean to sound uppity, I've just never heard of such a thing!)

Please remember that everyone's body is different and regulates heat differently. I have low blood pressure, low body fat and am just naturally cold all the time. I wear wool socks when it's 80 out. Overheating is a serious health issue, and what makes one person comfortable could literally be dangerous, say nothing of extremely uncomfortable for another. We have small air conditioning units, and I let students turn them on as needed. They are directional (and small) so they're really not hitting me so much. It's not unreaonably cold, warm enough for muscles to be safe, certainly, but I prefer to have the studio cooler. This is part of why we have "warm up" routines after all. I layer. It is easier for me to put on leg warmers and a sweater (and take them off as we get warmd up) than to expect someone who is naturally warmer to get cool without assistance. When we have a break, I put on leg warmers and a sweater to keep muscles warm. Isn't that the whole point of leg warmers? I honestly don't remember being in a class which was too cold, because I come with layers seems a more likely explanation than anything, but I have definitely been in situations where it was so hot, I felt exhausted after the first ten minutes and couldn't think straight. My students were doing even worse, and we canceled class, and no longer dance at that studio.

Anything around 70 or under and my warm-up clothing is not likely to come off at any point during the class - and I have a horrible time with my hips in the cold. That said, I occasionally get a group of students that gets hot quick and we try to accommodate them to the best of our abilities. I just usually wear shoes, leg warmers and hip warmers under my dance pants, long sleeves, and a wrap throughout much if not all of the class.

Originally Posted by portiaangel

Anything around 70 or under and my warm-up clothing is not likely to come off at any point during the class - and I have a horrible time with my hips in the cold.

Do you live somewhere that's very warm all year round or are all your venues heated? It is rare to find even heated rooms that hot around here! However, surely that is the point of a warm-up - raise internal temperture by a few degrees. That way you get a nice local heating effect.

I live in Florida - around here, you would have to ac like crazy most of the year (outside of winter) to get down to low 70s (some people do it, but it's unusual) - in my house in the winter if it gets below 70, the heat comes on (and the only reason it's set that low is because we couldn't afford the power bill otherwise so we bundle up) in the summer the ac doesn't come on unless it gets over 80 and it's comfortable to us - of course, I admittedly run fairly cold, but where you live and temperatures you're used to for just baseline room temp probably does make a difference in what you're going to like for working out / dancing.

Originally Posted by portiaangel

I live in Florida - around here, you would have to ac like crazy most of the year (outside of winter) to get down to low 70s (some people do it, but it's unusual) - in my house in the winter if it gets below 70, the heat comes on (and the only reason it's set that low is because we couldn't afford the power bill otherwise so we bundle up) in the summer the ac doesn't come on unless it gets over 80 and it's comfortable to us - of course, I admittedly run fairly cold, but where you live and temperatures you're used to for just baseline room temp probably does make a difference in what you're going to like for working out / dancing.

Humidity makes a big difference too. It is super dry here, and I can tolerate colder temperatures here than I can when visiting relatives in Washington. I feel colder there, even if it is actually 10 degrees warmer.