Ribbon dancing is a style of dance performed while holding a long, thick satin ribbon on a pole. It has many gymnastic elements and can be fun for participants of all ages. To dance with ribbons, all you need is some music and a ribbon, which you move to the beat of the song. Although it is based on ancient Chinese choreography, people all over the world dance ribbons in many styles.

In competition, the ribbon dance is a rhythmic gymnastics event. There are standards for the bar material and the length and width of the tape. As with any gymnastics event, there is a list of mandatory moves that must be performed at some point in your routine. They include circles, spirals and snakes, movements and throws.

One part of ribbon dancing that is especially difficult for newcomers to the sport is preventing the ribbon from twisting around their bodies or knotting itself when performing circles or spirals.

When making your own, consider your own height relative to the tape. If you are 5 feet tall, using a 15 foot tape would be incredibly difficult. Try starting with an arm length ribbon. Now you can start dancing the ribbon!

The easiest movement to start is the wave. To make a wave on your treadmill, all you have to do is make a wave on your arm! (Think of the tape as an extension of yourself.) Start with your hand to the front or to the side. Moving your wrist and moving your entire arm up and down in a wave, watch as the tape begins to follow the same path. Moving the arm further up and down or faster will affect the speed and size of the ribbons’ waves. When you are comfortable with this, try moving on to other ribbon dances by raising your arm above your head, waving it from side to side, or walking, dancing, or running while waving the ribbon.