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Learning how to sing and dance at the same time could take your performance to the next level. However, it is very challenging, technically and physically.
You should aim to get physically fit before you sing while you dance. Learning your moves and lyrics is essential but you need to have excellent breath control to put them together. You also need a lot of stamina to be able to perform night after night.
A good dancer’s diet along with some great exercises will help you sing and dance at the same time. Find out how Beyoncé and Kpop superstars like BTS can sing and dance for hours and make it look effortless.
Is it possible to sing and dance at the same time?
- Learn the song and dance separately
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Start with lip-syncing
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Focus on your breathing
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Improve your stamina
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Sing while you exercise
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Bring it all together
1. Learn the song and dance separately
Your first step should be to sing the song as well as you can without dancing. The same goes for dancing without singing. This will ingrain the fundamentals of both parts into your head. It’s also good to brush up on your skills as a singer and dancer before you commit to bringing the two disciplines together.
2. Try lip-syncing
A great way to move forward is to dance and lip-sync instead of singing. This will help you get your dance moves down alongside learning the lyrics. You won’t have to focus on your pitching and projection, which will allow your breathing to stay synced with your dancing.
Many artists actually lip-sync in their live shows. This can be when they have a lot of dancing to do or when there is a big production with no time for a sound check. For example, artists sometimes lip-sync for the Superbowl because the stage is set up at the interval.
Do they lip sync in Kpop?
Many fans wonder how Kpop idols sing and dance at the same time so flawlessly. Kpop is a very dance-heavy genre of music and acts like BTS often perform complicated dance routines whilst singing. So are they lip syncing or not?
How do Kpop idols sing and dance at the same time?
There is typically a backing vocal track with most Kpop performances. This can include lead vocals but is mostly harmonies. Kpop singers will sing alongside this but won’t usually sing when their dance moves are intense.
The singers spend a lot of time singing independently. This allows one or two of them to move less while the others take the spotlight with their dancing. You’ll notice that when they are singing and dancing that their feet are planted or they are walking. This way they don’t have to think about their footwork whilst singing.
3. Focus on your breathing
Singing and dancing both r equire excellent breath control . You might find it very difficult to sing and dance at the same time purely because you’re unable to manage your breathing. This is why you need to plan your breaths.
Breathing should be considered as much as a note of dance move. Breathing is more essential for singing so you will want to plan your breathing with your lyrics. Dance and lip sync slowly but add your breaths. Gradually build it up until you can start singing.
You might want to add more breaths once you start dancing. You’ll realise how much energy you’re putting into your performance and find that your planned breaths aren’t enough. Try dropping lyrics at points where you need to focus on dancing if you’re using a backing track.
Why is breathing important in dance?
Your heart rate and breathing increases as you dance. You will start to get out of breath and light headed if your breathing can’t keep up. This will prevent you from performing as well as you should and you’ll definitely struggle to sing.
What is the use of breath in dance?
Breathing can be incorporated into part of your dance routine. Some move may require you to make your body seem bigger. You should inhale along with the beat to push out your lungs. The same can be done for moves where you want your body to be smaller. Instead of inhaling, exhale and let all of your breath out.
How do you breathe while dancing?
The best way to breathe is with your diaphragm . This applies to both dancing and singing. It is a muscle located above your stomach that moves as you breathe. Breathing with your diaphragm is the most efficient way to fill your lungs with air because it moves down as you inhale, which helps suck in air.
If you breathe with your chest then you can make your body tense. It can also result in you feeling more anxious. You should practice breathing with your diaphragm when you sing and dance. You should also do breathing exercises when you aren’t singing or dancing. This will help you stop breathing with your chest subconsciously.
4. Improve your stamina
Your stamina needs to be high if your planning on dancing and singing, especially if you want to tour. You will need to build up your stamina as a dancer and as a singer. This won’t happen overnight but it’s never too soon to start doing the right thing.
How to dance without getting tired
Make sure your diet is balanced because this will be the fuel for your energy. Understand that you’re putting a lot of muscles under stress. A poor diet can lead to your muscles recovering more slowly, which can damage them if you dance before they’ve healed.
You should dance regularly to improve your fitness. If you aren’t dancing a lot then you should still exercise. Going into an intense training routine before a performance will be very difficult if you aren’t physically fit enough to handle it. If you aren’t able to exercise, the least you could do is stretch to maintain your flexibility.
Your technique is also important, especially for more technical forms such as ballet. Regularly work on your fundamentals, including holding your body and distributing your weight correctly.
Finally, always warm up and warm down your muscles. This will help them cope with long dance sessions and really reduce your risk of injury. Don’t forget to have rest days to let your body recover and prepare it for the next day of dancing.
Singing stamina
Your vocal cords and larynx need to be warmed up and exercised just like any other muscle in your body. Like dancing, this will prevent damage to your vocal muscles in the long term and will make it easier to perform for a long period of time.
Your technique will also go a long way in improving your vocal stamina. You ideally want to start with strengthening your diaphragm for breathing. From there, keep your larynx positioned low and balance your vocal resonance so that you are able to hit high notes with less effort.
Putting too much strain on your voice will make it more difficult for you to sing long sets. If you are dancing at the same time then it is really going to become challenging to maintain your energy levels. The key is to be as efficient as possible without sacrificing quality in your voice or your dance moves.
5. Sing while you exercise
If you haven’t already noticed, you need to be really physically fit to be able to sing and dance at the same time. Once you’ve worked on your breathing and stamina, you should start looking at singing while you exercise.
Is singing a form of exercise?
Singing is actually a form of exercise but it doesn’t focus on the same muscles as other forms of exercise. Practising vocal exercises will help you work out the muscles needed to sing. However, it won’t work out other muscles needed for dancing and improve your cardio.
Working out and singing
Working out while you sing is a great way to get used to singing and exercising before you start singing and dancing. Dancing requires a lot more cognitive effort than lifting weights or running does. If you start running and singing, you can put your planned breathing into practice and improve your stamina.
Does running make you a better singer?
Running and any form of exercise will make you fitter and it can also have a lot of mental benefits. This will make you a better singer and performer. When singers end up at huge stadium shows then they have to cover a lot of ground to work the stage. Running and improving your fitness will be a great way to prepare your body for these massive stages.
Is singing while running good?
Singing whilst running is good if you are preparing yourself to sing and dance professionally. Beyoncé’s celebrity trainer Mark Jenkins stands by this by making her and other performers sing and run. If you can sing and run then it builds your stamina and makes it significantly easier to sing and dance.
Jenkins also goes a step further by adding altitude masks and hot conditions. We definitely wouldn’t recommend this unless you are absolutely certain that you can handle it. In fact, you shouldn’t jump into singing and running. You could find yourself really out of breath and doing damage to your voice if you aren’t careful .
Singing while you exercise should only be practised if you’re already physically fit and singing with a good technique. Build yourself up to it if you are going to try it. If you can get to this stage then you will be ready to sing and dance.
6. Bring it all together
Hopefully, you have learnt your dance moves and lyrics with your lip syncing. Your breathing should be planned out and your increased stamina will help you maintain a good standard of performance. The only thing that is left is to sing while you perform.
Practice in a dance studio and film yourself. You’ll be able to see how well your moves are going and whether you’re hitting the right notes. Remember that if you are in a group then you all need to be physically fit enough to perform the same routine. Keep practising and it should all come together in an amazing performance.
Who are your favourite artists that know how to sing and dance at the same time? Let us know in the comments below!