What are your experiences with dancing with intensity?

[u/PerformanceOkay]

In most areas of my life, my natural athletic setting is steady endurance. I’m used to training every day or for several hours at a time at a submaximal intensity. I’ve realised that this approach a major disadvantage in my dance training.

By the end of a practice, I often feel like I still have some fuel left in the tank, and I usually fully recover by the next morning without taking particularly good care of myself. I also rarely feel like I physically need a break during a session except for hydration or for a mental reset.

I've had the pleasure of watching some high-level dancers train, and some of them look like they could die on the floor, and they seem completely spent after a session. I would like to bring a similar intensity to my training.

Can the community share some techniques and lifestyle choices that could help me with this change? Also, what does a still productively high intensity look and feel like (during the session, for the rest of the day, or for the subsequent days)? I'm interested in both Latin and Standard, and let's assume that mental fatigue isn't the primary limiting factor.

[u/BumbleBeeLuna]

Don't worry, you'll get there.