HOW TO BE A GOOD DANCE STUDENT TIP#2 Its more than just paying attention or not talking during class, which are as much a matter of courtesy as they are good learning techniques. Its about optimizing the learning process. It is obvious that some dancers learn more easiliy than others, but it isnt just years of experience that account for this. Sure, with more dance experience youll learn more efficiently, but I believe anyones ability to learn dances quickly, and remember them, can be improved with a few simple techniques. Stop watching. While learning, the dance movements must travel to the eyes and ears (what the teacher does and what the teacher says to do), through the brain, and out to the feet, arms, torso, etc. Think of it as a 3-step process: EYES/EARS to BRAIN to FEET. As long you continue to use the cues provided by the teacher, all three steps in the process must take place. The sooner you can eliminate the EYES/EARS step, the faster the BRAIN will give up control and allow the FEET to shift to Automatic Pilot. Thats when a dance becomes yours. Most students continue to focus on the teacher and his/her footwork far longer than they should. You dont actually have to close your eyes, but as soon as you can, shift your focus away from the teacher. Force your BRAIN to provide its own cues. NOTE: When youre copying a dance by learning behind the line, you are, in essence, by-passing the BRAIN part of that 3-step process. A direct hook-up makes the FEET do what the EYES see. The reason you frequently dont remember the dance the next time you see it is because your BRAIN was not involved. Cue yourself. After the BRAIN stops acting as a conduit for movement information, it can be used to self-cue. A good teacher gives cues (either verbal or with a hand movement) just before a movement needs to be done. Youve probably all seen teachers make a circling motion with one hand to indicate a turn is coming up next, or point in one direction or another. These are cues that a good dancer quickly provides - internally. For example, while your FEET are doing a left Yemenite, your BRAIN should be cueing the next step. As youre finishing Part I, you should be mentally cueing the first steps of Part II. If Part III reminds you of the beginning of Eich Af Hazman, self-cue at the end of Part II. As you repeat the dance, youll need fewer and fewer cues.
Posted on: Sat, 05 Apr 2014 14:05:42 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015