When practicing on your own, try taking an altogether different approach from your dance lesson. Instead of just repeating the same thing in normal time, try practicing your dance routine (“combo”) slowly.
This may seem unproductive. How can you get better at performing complex moves by slowing them down?
There’s no doubt that repetition at normal speed can benefit students and improve performance, especially in a classroom setting. However, there’s much to gain by taking the time during your personal practice to perform the routine carefully and mindfully.
Here are some great dancing tips to help you get the most for your practice:
Trying to learn a dance routine is a complicated process that involves coordinating your steps with your upper body in time to a steady beat. And to properly learn it, you need time for your brain to absorb this new information.
The common way to accomplish this is through constant repetition. By doing things over and over, your body will eventually learn the routine through “muscle memory.”. This way, you can give yourself the time to properly connect your thinking mind to the body that follows it.
If you’re a dance student that wants to get better at dancing, you owe it to yourself to learn how to find problems with your dancing. The best way to do that is to slow your practice down and really pay attention to what you are doing. Instead of going through the motions, isolate and fix the parts of the routine that are causing you the most trouble.
Don’t keep repeating bad habits, and start learning properly from the start. Take the time to learn carefully and properly with a professional the first time! We hear “Practice makes perfect” but even better is “Perfect practice makes perfect.”.
Practicing carefully and mindfully will force students to be more accurate with every move. With no momentum advantage provided by a quick tempo, practicing at a slower pace will force students to place an emphasis on precision.
Instead of following a set of actions, be aware of your body placement as you perform the movements. Instead of being unsure of your step placement during a difficult turn, take the time to properly understand where your feet are going instead of just trying to complete the action.
It’s clear to see that careful and mindful practice is a great way for students to improve their dance skills. So stop going through the motions, start practicing at slower speeds, and start seeing the difference in your dancing!
Want to learn more? Read our blog on how to master choreography with some easy tips, or teaching your child to gain confidence with other dancers. If you’re interested in dance lessons, take a look at our full recreational dance schedule or consider enrolling in our online classes!
