Dancers: Please read! Yes, Yes, Yes! How to Make the Most of Dance Class 1). Leave everything at the door The minute you walk into the room, it becomes the space where you will be dancing, growing, training. Start mentally preparing when you are still home, putting on your dance clothes, getting your hair ready. Listen to music that inspires you or at the very least don’t get involved in anything difficult, like a complex conversation or a problem that will drain your energy. By the time you get to the studio, and especially as you enter the classroom, everything that’s upset you, or a long and hard day, something pending, no matter what it is - make sure you don’t bring with you. This will help you focus and teach you how to live in the present moment, instead of the past (remembering) or future (worrying). Dance class is your space, your time, so bring your whole mind and body to it. 2). Glory lives in the details Everyone gets used to things that happen in their daily life, or frequently. We all eventually start taking our jobs/careers/relationships for granted, and stop appreciating them fully. When this happens in dance, especially considering the repetitive nature of building and maintaining technique, we end up doing everything the same old way we’ve done before. When you let this happen, you stop growing as much as you would if you were giving full attention to every little detail. So as you begin to move, from the top of the warmup, make sure you are fully engaged with every part of your body. Where are you placing your head, fingers, shoulders, toes, eyes? Not only will this help your technique tremendously, it will also make you a very aware dancer. Remember, the best dancers know exactly where their bodies are at all times, and make choices with every part of their beings to fully express themselves. 3). Listen to your teacher Just like in any area of life and in any industry, there will be people who arent exactly stellar at what they do. However, because dance is such a competitive field chances are the ones that made it through the years developed a lot of skills, dance-related and non, along the way. So it’s very likely that you have a good teacher, and hopefully you have a couple of great ones! Listen to him/her. He/she knows a lot and has worked industriously to find ways to communicate that knowledge to you. Teachers take dance class (yes, still!), go to conventions, read articles online, participate in social media groups, check in with their mentor/coach, etc. just to make sure YOU are getting the best dance education around. They put in countless hours of work outside the classroom preparing class, creating choreography that challenges and teaches you, researching new techniques and music, etc. My point is: your teacher knows a lot. Listen to everything he/she says. Don’t daydream or get lost in your head or in the mirror. That’s all a teacher wants: your full attention, so we can make you a better dancer. 4). Start thinking in phrases, not poses Listen, I love vogueing as much as the next person, but unless you are in a vogue dance class (and even then!), make sure you are not forming only pictures in your head while learning combinations or choreography. Dance happens in the in-betweens, dance IS movement. Unless you develop a continuous sense of transitioning as beautifully as you step into that pique arabesque, you will continue to be a “person who dances, sort of, but mostly poses from this picture to the next”. Going from the pirouette to the jump to the high leg does NOT make you a dancer, dancing does. It’s all in the transitions, in the steps you take, in the core that drops so you can move from A to B. Transitions become easier when you are aware of your weight at all times (it becomes second nature with time, so don’t fret in the beginning if you feel like you’re “thinking” the whole time). Develop the ability to always learn and retain choreography in complete phrases, not just in patterns or “main steps”, if you can call them that. Remember, there’s no dancing without movement - full, bold, complete, fluid movement. Even in sharp choreography the energy never dies before you move on to the next thing. 5). Focus more on what you are giving, less on what you are taking We say “take class”, and then we place ourselves in front of a huge glass and stare at our bodies the whole time. Because we are told we need to focus to learn, listen carefully, and do the best we can, dance class can become a very selfish, isolated space. With a minor mindset adjustment we can change that “taking” attitude to a more grateful attitude of sharing. This will enhance your dancing and bring you a sense of fulfillment you may or may not have experienced before. In the long run, this practice will make you a better artist. Bring yourself to class and have a sense that you will be sharing of you with everyone there. Give your artistry freely, give your movement so others can learn from you, give your special touch so that they may explore new things in their own dancing as well. Everything you do matters, every little movement is as important in dance as the “big stuff”. Give. Give your movement, your soul, help others when they need help, and have a real sense of community as you do it. You will improve your dancing, enrich your experience, and grow as a human being. Anneliese Kapper
Posted on: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 17:51:42 +0000
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