Although I have officially,
at least for the foreseeable future, stopped teaching, I hope that my students
will continue to learn and dance, taking the chance to perform and be part of
many a future show or hafla.
With that in mind, I thought it might be useful to share some tips that have
proved to help me better learn and retain choreographies and may hopefully help
my students and others in their pursuit of dance harmony :) Trying to
memorise a long and sometimes complex string of moves and sequences whilst
attempting to perform them, as if they flow naturally and effortlessly, can often
prove the most challenging (and frustrating!) part of any dance form: learning
a choreography can seem daunting, but here are some (hopefully) helpful
pointers:
Give yourself a chance!
Be realistic from the outset - learning something new takes time and
although you may have the technique perfected, putting moves together in a brand
new sequence to music you may not be familiar with will take time and practise,
even for the most seasoned performers so allow yourself to make mistakes and be
challenged - that's half the fun!
Know the music
If you're lucky, you may already be familiar with the track or song you are
dancing to and this will make learning any choreography so much easier. Either
way, have the music to hand and just listen to it noting the tempo, rhythm,
instruments, solos, orchestra, accents and mood of the piece. This will greatly
improve not only the learning of the choreography by allowing you link moves to
sections of music, (see the next tip) but will increase your enjoyment and
appreciation of a piece - familiar and well loved songs are always more
enjoyable and seem easier to dance to.
Footwork first
Start simply by getting footwork established, layering and adding
movements and flourishes in time. As with the foundations of a strong
structure, footwork will allow you to set timing (without counting!) and build
moves around it. Building confident footwork will also help tackle tricky turns
and, even if you forget the accompanying movement, you will be able to step in
time and be in the correct position for the next sequence or movement.
Make links
Counting is an important tool for initially learning moves and sequences
within a choreography, but in the long term should not be relied upon to help
retain the choreography overall; relying on counting can not only lead to
a cold and literally calculating dance, but a performer can become so overly
focused on counting that they may, ironically, lose their place in the dance
because the music is forced to take a secondary role to the count. Instead,
link short sequences, moves, accents and flourishes to a particular section or
sound within the song. For example, learn the chorus as a whole and separate
section to verses and bridges of a track. In addition, solos can be isolated
and learnt apart from an orchestral section. Equally, individual instruments
and/or drum solos/voices can also be practiced apart. This helps to break down
a choreography into more manageable parts as well as training the muscles and
mind to respond to certain sounds and rhythms within the music. Furthermore,
within each section try to isolate specific sounds and accents and link to
particular movements. For example, a long sound may relate to a long, sweeping
movement or a fast section to a spin. Perhaps a short, sharp note will relate
to a hit of the hip or no sound to a stop/ freeze frame and so on.
Use notes, videos and other resources
Feel free to make your own notes when learning a routine; for some people,
just the act of writing helps to reinforce an action or sequence. In addition,
as long as the teacher is agreeable, take a video of the choreography as an aid
to practise at home. It might be most useful to film from the back so that the
routine can be followed as you would in class, but filming also from the front
will capture many of the performance aspects of the choreography that are
equally important to learn and practise. Even if you simply watch the
choreographer dance the routine, this will help to reinforce movement memory
and strengthen links between brain and muscle. It doesn't have to be the entire
routine but perhaps sections that you are finding particularly difficult.
Equally, don't be afraid to ask the teacher to repeat / breakdown tricky
sequences and moves.
Practise, practise and practise some more!
Nothing can replace good old repetition and practise in order to retain a
choreography and dance it with confidence! It takes time for muscle memory and
the mind to imprint a routine until it becomes second nature. This includes
practise in your own time and not just during class - you will find it
extremely difficult to pick up any choreography from class practise alone. Make
sure you focus on elements of the dance that you find particularly difficult to
retain but once mastered, ensure you practise as a whole routine to ensure
transitions and links between all the sections run smoothly. Again, be
realistic - it can sometimes take a while for a routine to sink in so,
when you think you've done enough practise, do it again!
Tricky bits!!
There always seems to be a part in any choreography that a dancer may find
particularly tricky or that refuses to stick in our brains! It could be that an
important transition was missed or misunderstood, that a movement is beyond our
expertise, that the music or rhythm is tricky and unfamiliar or that you simply
missed the lesson when that bit got taught! But avoid carrying on regardless -
if you can identify (and be honest!) the reason behind why you find a
particular part tricky, this will in no small way help to resolve the issue
more quickly. Therefore, most definitely ask questions, clarify steps and
transitions, strip back movements to footwork or basics, drill tricky and
unfamiliar moves and as above practise, practise, practise until they stick! I
understand this is a bit of a repeat and summary of the last 2 tips but it's
worth reinforcing that these are the areas that will need particular effort and
attention.
Finally
...unless this is your profession (and even then!) this is supposed to be
fun so, returning to my first point, try not be hard on yourself. If you don't
get everything in the performance spot on (and very few if any do!) it's not a
disaster. Your enjoyment is what brings any performance to life and what makes
it worth watching :)
