7 Tips for Achieving Success in Any Dance Style
Posted: Tuesday, March 22, 2011
by Svetlana Marintcheva
If you're looking to begin lessons in a particular dance style, follow these 7 tips to help you achieve the most from your dance experience, no matter what style of dance you are pursuing.
1. Find a Good School with proven reputation
Finding a dance place where you could be sure you will learn proper dance techniques is important. Since the art of dancing is more than just the technique itself look for a program that will help you to experience first hand how the dance technique develops and 'translates' into choreography. Look for a dance program that will answer the question: what it actually means to feel the dance. A good dance school or studio will have the program that will guide you step-by-step in reaching great technique and performance skills. It will have the educated and experienced faculty to train you well and to ensure your dance success. A good dance school will have the right vibe to encourage your connection with the dance form you have chosen to study.
Being consistent in your dance training is a key factor for your successful advancing. 'Hopping' from place to place or from style to style is confusing and antiproductive. Taking classes in similar dance forms simultaneously is a big plus and could be done at different places but make sure to advance through the same program for a while if you really want to get better in dancing.
3. Carefully Study Other Dancers
Other dancers, especially those who are successful, should be regularly watched and studied. They are successful because they have mastered certain elements and techniques of their particular style and you can learn a great deal by watching them. Also, the more you watch how other dancers move, the more you create that image in your mind and you can then practice duplicating it in your practice sessions.
4. Always Wear Proper and Well Fit Shoes
The feet are the most valuable asset a dancer possesses. Therefore, it is imperative that you take good care of them throughout your dancing career. The best way to do that is to purchase and use the proper kind of shoes for your particular dance style and ensure that they fit correctly in order to reduce calluses, blisters and other foot ailments.
5. Stretch, Stretch, Stretch!
Practically all forms of dance require full extension of various parts of the body and stretching helps to reach those requirements as well as make learning various techniques easier. Also, dancers who stand out are able to do things a bit better than most others in their particular style, so being able to create more extended postures makes you stand out from the crowd.
6. Strive to Improve Technique
Technique is what makes great dancers outperform good dancers. Even professional dancers never stop working on improving their technique, so you should follow their example. Of course, you want to learn new moves, but you should also always strive to perfect the techniques you have already acquired.
7. Relax, Enjoy and Smile
Learning to dance well takes a great deal of hard work. However, if you are not relaxed and enjoying yourself, your dancing will reflect it. Learn to breathe deeply, relax, smile and just let go and enjoy the gift which you've been given. Your current and future audiences should come to celebrate your passion with you as you project your joy onto them.
Svetlana Marintcheva of Adagio Ballet, a dance school by Washington D.C., directs the curriculum for our dance lesson offerings, including our summer camps. To read more information, visit our website online.
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