Breaking through dance plateaus

[pygmalion]

This is my year to break through -- you know what I mean? The year I'm taking my dancing to the next level. I can feel it in my blood. I've been on a dance plateau for a while now, and I'm getting impatient with myself. I'm ready to move on up. I have a plan, which I'll share some of later in this thread. (Some is too personal LOL) But in the meanwhile, tell me I'm not crazy. Have you ever felt this way before? Ever been on a dance plateau? What did you do to break through?

[Sagitta]

End of last year something was missing from my salsa. When I came back after a two week absence it just clicked!! Plus I had about 4 salsa dances in 8 days. The combination of a break and lots of dancing in a short period did the trick, I believe!! :)

[tasche]

I think the first step in breaking a plateau is to first analyse what exactly you believe the plateau to be.

[SwinginBoo]

Jenn you're not crazy. Everyone has a dance plateau. But once you figure out you're there and you want to break out of it then you're already a step in the right direction. Some people are happy with learning enough to be able to dance reasonably well. Others thirst to be better and better. I have the feeling you are of the latter breed. :wink: I know you can do it. Plateauing is just a natural part of the learning process. I was on a plateau for a while. Now I'm working on some stuff and feel like I'm breaking out of it and going to the next level. You can do it! :D

[pygmalion]

Thanks, Swinginboo.

My plan is to plan. First, sit down and do a gap analysis -- where am I versus where I want to be? Then immersion -- as much good quality dancing as I can possibly manage that my time and money will allow.

[MapleLeaf Salsero]

Have you ever felt this way before? Ever been on a dance plateau? What did you do to break through?

I went back to the basics.

[looyenyeo]

Jenn,

If I were your teacher, I'd need a bit more info.

First of all, what kind of dancing would you like to improve, social or competition?
What dances do you do?
Which two dances do you consider your weakest?
Which two are your strongest?
And most importantly, which two do you like the most?

Loo

[pygmalion]

Ah ha! I can give you all the information you ask for, and more! :lol:

1. I want to focus on competitive dancing.
2. I do all the American style smooth and rhythm dances, except Viennese waltz. (I plan to add some International style Latin this year)
3. Weakest are waltz and foxtrot, hands down. Here I need to work on footwork first.
4. Strongest -- rumba and cha cha. But here I need to improve body rhythm and expressiveness.
5. I like every dance I've ever done, except hustle. Honestly. But if I HAD TO pick one favorite, it would be rumba.

[Vince A]

Everyone does indeed have those plateaus . . . and I'm convinced that we open our own doors, and after a time, we discover that a plateau is a G-d send.

I've mentioned in other posts about how I felt after my defeat at World's, and quit dancing for a year. Well, that was just a plateau . . . obviously I needed to work harder on my dancing, which led me to take privates with a totally different Pro. That's not saying that the Pro I competed with is not good, in fact she is GREAT!

The new Pro taught me how to "hear" and "feel" the music, and choreograph that into dance . . . to play . . . to react . . . to darn-well have fun. That has escalated my WCS to new heights, which to some, if they only know the WCS as it has been taught forever, and are not willing to "play" or have been taught to "play," they think that I cannot dance the WCS properly. Many followers do get confused when a playful leader wants to play and synchopate, instead of doing patterns all the time. I do get strange looks from some, but then I know they don't "play."

Today, my WCS is very good, and that has lead to learning to "play" in other dances such as Hustle, Cha Cha, and Night Club 2 Step. My dancing is now much more free-looking - natural - responsive - playful. I'm not restricted to doing only patterns.

Off course, that "playing" hasn't carried over to the more stricter dances - Waltz for instance. But I do try!

[looyenyeo]

It's interesting to read that you think your weakest dances are Waltz and Foxtrot. Those are the "control" dances.

I'm not sure if it's better footwork that you need. I suspect it's better control over your weight; and footwork is just one component. I haven't seen you dance, so I don't know if you do these already, but these points helped me a lot when I first started competing:

Keep your knees slightly soft throughout i.e. never lock them, esp. when you rise onto your toes. Crucial pointer in the foxtrot going backwards, otherwise you'll have difficulty getting your heel-drag in place during the "fall".

Reach with the outside edge of your big toe when taking a side step.

As you transfer your weight onto your side-step, think about the front of your foot as an ink-blotter (you know, the ones that are semi-circular in profile that people rock over their signature to soak up excess ink). That will give you a smoother, more controlled completion.

When you dance, draw out all your movements filling in all the time in between the beats. The trend here is to dance late on the beat (really hold on to it for as long as possible).

Really drive through your supporting leg, try to cover the same distance with fewer and fewer steps. Do this without letting the lumbar curve of your back change in shape.

How's your "rise-and-fall"?

Loo

[pygmalion]

well ... I guess it's time to fess up. My rise and fall is weak, but developing, slowly of course.

I'm going to make an appointment with a new coach this week, and, as he specialises/competes in smooth, that's what I'm going to ask him to focus on. Maybe he can also help me figure out where the problems are, as you already have.

Thanks so much for the different perspective. My biggest frustration with the smooth dances is that I've been focusing on the footwork as a prerequisite to good quality smooth dancing. and as you know, good footwork is a habit that takes a long time to cultivate.

You've given me something else to look at in my dancing -- I'm going to go back and look at some of my videos, as well as try some of the things you suggest.

Thank you. Thank you. :D

[danceguy]

Pygmalion,

I have certainly reached a plateau with my Salsa dancing - and I've only begun to notice it in the past few weeks. Last year when I started I couldn't feel the music at all...and my basics were awkward and there was no hips at all!

I've spent many hours listening and studying Salsa music and working on my basics - so now they are coming along well - I can dance to just about any Salsa song - slow or fast. But - I have very few moves that I know - so this year is about building on that foundation - learning some techniques so I can have more of a repertoire to draw upon.

One thing I do is always go to the before dance lessons at the venues in my area - and each time I pick up something to improve in my basics. When I get home, I make notes in my Salsa journal and work on these things and I'm very happy with my improvement.

Of course, my biggest challenge is asking women to dance - but I've been getting over that problem too - well except when I'm too tired to dance that is! :wink:

So, lots of progress made, and many goals yet to achieve. :D

Best,

SG

[Taita]

(warning: long post)

Jenn,

I can totally relate to the plateau you speak of. When I first started dancing, I did the same thing you did. Learn everything! I became very good at American smooth and rythm and I made much progress. I became a very good social dancer and I began to contemplate competing. After a couple of years, I began to surpass my first teachers. Gradually progress slowed. Improvement which could have been measured on a daily basis gradually began to be measurable on a weekly basis, then monthly, then to none at all. By this time, I decided I had learned enough American style and I wanted to have the same quality of movement that I only saw with International competitors. So I focused on just Standard and Latin.

After some initial progress, I hit another plateau. I found that in order for me to get better, I would either need to practice every single day and take more lessons or I would have to focus on either standard or latin. I was in a bit of quandry since I didn't have the available time to do both styles and I couldn't pick which one I liked more! I was stuck in this rut until a decision was made for me.

The studio I trained at was (and still is) a great studio filled with dedicated students and incredibly talented teachers. However, the studio was also woefully mismanaged and talented teachers would burn out, move on, only to be replaced by more equally talented teachers. In this case, I had a teacher for standard and a teacher for latin. Both of them decided they had enough of the place and moved on. My new standard teacher was even better than my previous teacher and I instantly connected with her. My new latin teacher, while a gifted dancer, simply failed to connect with me. So, I decided to drop latin until a better teacher for me could be found. This was one of the best things I ever did to improve my dancing.

I focused on just Standard week after week for close to a year. My new job also made taking lessons less convenient, so I would work with my teacher over the weekends, away from everyone else, often to an empty studio. Gradually, it clicked. Technique that was once awkward now came naturally. My feet started to glide effortlessly across the floor and my body began to move as one while still flexing to create beautiful shapes. And my rise and lowering (tip: it is rising and lowering, not falling) became as natural to me as a walk in the park. I combined this focus with consistent bodywork to improve my balance and posture and soon, I could scarcely remember being in a plateau. Eventually, I was persuaded to do a showcase number at their holiday party and make a rare appearance. LOL! most of the people I saw were either new or they simply thought I quit since I was there only on weekends. I did my showcase and managed to stun not just the audience, but the owner (who was also a world class judge) with my vast improvement. The owner even announced to everyone how surprised he was at how skilled I had become since he last saw me! :o

With all of my training focused on standard, one would think that there was a dropoff in the other styles. Wrong. Everything improved. By focusing on technique, I was improving things that are universal to all styles and working on the core of my movement within the framework of International Standard. When I re-shifted my focus on Latin, I took a Standard lesson with my old coach. She couldn't believe I had taken time off from standard because she thought it had actually improved even though I was training in latin exclusively for about 6 months!

So.... in order for me to rise above my plateau, I needed to do the following:

1. Understand what it is you want. Do you want to be a better social dancer? or competitive. Do you want to know a million patterns or simply move with the grace and balance you know you were born with. More importantly, do your goals motivate you? Are you a bit intimidated by your aspirations? Do you feel that aching hunger inside knowing you are capable of much more? Analysis and planning are great tools, but only if you really know what you want.

2. Focus on a particular style and concentrate on technique. While we all like all of the styles and our egos tell us that we can be great at all of them at the same time, the reality is that we will probably be better off choosing just one. Even the very best professionals reach their greatest heights by just focusing on just one style.

3. Use good teachers. Good teachers are able to break down technique in a way you will easily understand. They will give honest feedback and understand that the path to better dancing always lies with better technique.

4. Get a partner. Look for potential and drive, do not get too focused on experience at this point. More importantly, enjoy each other's company and envision both of you growing as dancers. While it is possible to become a very good dancer in a Pro-Am situation, I always thought of it as a sorta 'dance training wheels'. Dancing with a partner will often give you a dose of reality.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed reading this and I hope it helps.

Back to lurk mode....

[pygmalion]

Taita, you are SO GREAT!

And I know you're right. If I had to say in one phrase what I want out of dance, it's quality and clarity of movement. To me, that's what dance is about, and if you have those things, patterns become irrelevant.

I don't think I'll ever be satisfied with anything less than competition style training,and I like the pressure of preparing for a comp or a performance.

So I think I know what I need to do. First, find a good coach I click with. I'm hoping and praying things go well with this new guy. Then focus on one style, perhaps even limited to a few patterns, work on technique, practice more, and find an amateur partner. Then check back in in six months and see how I feel.

I think I'm going to go for smooth. My new (potential) coach is a fairly highly ranked competitor in American smooth, and has a great credentials in International standard as well. And smooth is my weakest area, so it's where I have the most opportunity for success.

Wish me luck.