Ribbon dancing is a style of dance performed while holding a long, thick satin ribbon on a stick. It contains many elements of gymnastics, and can be fun for participants of all ages. For ribbon dancing, all you need is some music and a ribbon that you can move to the beat of the song. Although it is based on ancient Chinese choreography, ribbon dance is now performed by people from all over the world in many styles.
In competition, ribbon dancing is a rhythmic gymnastics event. There are standards for stick material, bar length and width. As with any sporting event, there is a list of required movements that must be performed at some point during your routine. They include circles, spirals, snakes, flicks, and throws.
One part of ribbon dancing that is particularly difficult for newcomers to the sport is preventing the ribbon from twisting around their body or knotting by itself when performing circles or spirals.
When making your own, be aware of your height in relation to the bar. If you are 5 feet tall, using a 15 foot tape will be very difficult. Try starting with a band that’s about an arm’s length away. Now you can start the strip dance!
The easiest move to start with is the wave. To make a wave in the bar, all you have to do is make a wave in your arm! (Think of the bar as an extension of yourself.) Start with your hand straight out in front of you or to your side. Flick your wrist and move your entire arm up and down in a wave, watching the bar begin to follow the same path. Moving your arm up and down or faster will affect the speed and size of your ribbons waves. When you feel comfortable with this, try moving on to other ribbon dances by raising or waving your arm side to side or walking, dancing, or running while waving the ribbon.