Do you ever wonder why some people are such good dancers?
Do you ever admire the ease at which another student in your class pulls out a quadruple pirouette?
Well, why many dancers are just born with talent and make dancing look easy, others work hard.
Plus, they have a secret that you may not know about:they listen and apply what they learn.
Sure, this sounds very simple, but are you practicing this activity while dancing?
When an instructor gives you directions, do you listen to what he or she has to say and then use that information immediately? If not, you are missing out on a golden opportunity to become a better dancer!
With this in mind, here are three helpful tips to increase your listening and learning ability:
1. Repeat the Correction.
When an instructor corrects your arm, leg or body placement while dancing, or screams at you while you go across the floor, make a note of this in your mind.
Make the correction, and repeat it to yourself. Try to remember this correction throughout class. And if you’re not sure about the movement, ask your instructor so you know what you are supposed to do with your body.
2. Write it Down.
As soon as you can, write down the correction you received in class. Practice the correct move at home so you remember it. And right before you go to sleep, picture yourself dancing the movement correctly without a problem. You’ll be surprised at how much your remember in the morning.
3. Do It!
When you go back to the studio, try to get there early and review your corrections in front of the mirror. Then, when class starts, it will be fresh in your mind. Over time, your body will go into “muscle memory”and automatically go to the right place for a particular dance move.
Become a Better Dancer Fast!
Repeat this process for every class you take, and you’ll be amazed at how much your dancing improves. After all, if you are making the same mistakes over and over without corrections, you will not get any better. Plus, your instructor may stop giving you corrections if she or he doesn’t think you are listening or using the information!
By applying this simple secret to your dancing, you won’t need to wonder why others are improving rapidly and you’re not.
Now, you have the ammunition you need to “kill it”in class and become the dancer you want to be:so practice. take instruction to heart, and go for it!
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
I love this post!..
I love to dance especially ballroom dancing, I collected lots of dancing shoes which I brought at Aceki. I dance gracefully and comfortable because of those great shoes. If you want to get more info just visit their site.
Thanks for your nice comments!
All the best with your dancing,
Melanie
Thanks for the tips! I will apply it to my class, actually I’m a student at Actfa, ACTFA School of Dance and Performing Arts at Singapore. Try to visit their site if you want to get more info:)
I have heard the phrase “dancing full outâ€. What does a person mean when they say that a dancer is dancing full out?
Thanks,
Liza
Cool, This post will help us beginners for ballroom. I’m always looking for tips,advices and tutorials about ballroom because my mom is a salsa dancer and I want to become like her that’s why I love surfing about
Hi Liza,
Thanks for your question. When dancers rehearse, sometimes they “mark” the choreography with simple arm and leg movements to save energy. However, when a choreographer or instructor tells a dancer to dance “full out,” that means that the dancers need to give it 100%.
When dancing “full out,” dancers put all they can into the choreography including: using correct technique, extending arms and legs to create the right lines with their bodies, jumping and kicking at the appropriate heights, and adding personality and emotion to their performance.
Hopefully, this helps answer your question.
Melanie
i am a good dancer but i want to get better at dancing lol
i love to dance but it is kinda hard and it takes a lot of time
Riley,
If you love to dance, keep going to class. You’ll have fun, and it will get easier. After all, things that are worth having are usually not easy to obtain.
All the best,
Melanie
i love dancing but i live in a really remote part of scotland my dance teacher wants me to go down south to a proper dance school but i dont know what to do. I am 11 and am grade 6.
rosa
Hi Rosa,
Thanks for your note. It’s important to get the best training possible in your area if you want to be a good dancer. You can always look into trading cleaning, babysitting and other services for dance classes. Be creative and try to think of ways you can get the training you need.
However, if you are unable to get to another dance school, there are other ways to learn. If you have access to the Internet, look for professional dance videos online. Watch good dancers online and learn from the videos.
If you want to be a professional dancer, you will be. It’s a matter of working hard, overcoming challenges and constantly honing your dance technique.
I hope this information helps Rosa. All the best!
Melanie, DanceFullOut(R)
Hi Melanie. I hope you are well.
I am a self-taught dancer, and inspired by Michael Jackson. I am pretty confident in my dancing. However, I lack full balance, and am trying to focus on my center. What are the best ways to achieve your center of gravity? I strive to become more fluent and graceful with my movement.
You can view my home recorded dance videos by searching ‘Michael Jackson Inspired Dancer’ in the YouTube search engine. My channel is MJJ5.
Thank you so much in advance!!
Hi Rachel,
Thanks for your note, and I’m glad to hear you are pretty confident in your dancing. One of the best ways to improve your center is to think about it while dancing. As Michael Rooney told me many years ago, think about having pressure all around your center so that your back wants to go front and your front wants to go back, your top wants to come down, and your bottom wants to come up. Your center should guide you across the floor.
Are you taking any dance classes right now? Even though it’s very different than what you are doing now, ballet can help you with your center of gravity right away. It’s a matter of knowing body placement and finding your center. A good instructor can help you with your technnique and grace.
I hope this helps and wish you all the best Rachel!
Melanie
If there is any way you can get to a dance studio for classes in your area, or work with a professional dancer, you will become a much better dancer, faster.
At my old dance studio I was good and they gave us challenging choreography. It shut down but there was another dance studio near it. I signed up over there. They put me in begginers classes and the choreography is too easy. Im not trying to be conceited but they put in a class too low for me. How should I tell them?
Hi Diana,
Thanks for your note. I would suggest you ask for a time to meet with the studio owner or instructor. Tell her or him that you feel you are not being challenged in the beginner’s class and you would like to try a more advanced class. If the owner can give you solid reasons for staying in the beginning class (ex. you may not be as good as you think you are and need to work on your technique), take it to heart and follw the advice. However, if the studio owner just tells you that all new students start at the beginning level, or gives you an excuse that you have a bad, gut feeling about, it’s time to look for another studio. While it’s always good to take a basic class to work on technique (no matter how good you are), it’s important to be challenged too. Let me know what happens…I hope this helps!
Melanie