Exercises for developing good technique

[happyshoes]

When I learnt music, I did exercises for almost one year before I learned to play my first 2-line song. As I progressed and played more complex pieces, I still kept at the exercises.

I find it a bit puzzling that my dance studio (a chain) does not focus very much on exercises for developing technique. We jump right into steps of whatever dance is the focus for the day. I have been learning for a year now, and I practise whatever few exercises the teacher may have slipped in now and then, but I don't have a satisfying set of exercises for various aspects of technique. Other students seem satisfied with this approach, but I am thoroughly frustrated. I know my dancing is more precise than the others in my class because of my focus on technique, but I don't have a systematic approach yet to get to the level of perfection I want to be at for each of the steps I know right now.

How do I go about building my repertoire of exercises that I can practise to be a good dancer? I have a session with my instructor on Wednesday to discuss my goals for the coming year and I plan to tell him I would like more exercises in my private lessons.

I would appreciate your opinions and ideas from your experience.

[BlueBambue]

One important thing in ballroom is foot strength. You can improve this by going up and down from tip-toes.

I'm sure there will be other people with better advice along soon. I am a relative beginner myself.

The reason they teach steps quickly is because most people don't have your patience and want to be able to dance right away and might only care about getting around the social dance floor. I am surprised that your music teacher kept you at exercises for so long. My limited musical training jumped right in with some simple songs, and this seems similar to most of my friends' experiences. You have to have a lot of patience to put in that amount of tedious work without any of the benefit.

[waltzguy]

Welcome to DF happyshoes!

I have a similar opinion, my teachers do not spend a lot of exercise time dedicated to fundamentals. However, we typically will be taught a few basic warmups at the beginning of a group class.

[latingal]

Welcome to DF happyshoes!

I believe you are wise to seek exercises in the fundamentals. What styles are you learning?

Normally the exercises consist of movements that make up the basic patterns of the dances. Doing these usually give you the opportunity to practice the fundamental concepts embedded within the movement. Of course targeted exercises to help with specific issues within the fundamental concepts are also helpful.

[dancepro]

When I learnt music, I did exercises for almost one year before I learned to play my first 2-line song. As I progressed and played more complex pieces, I still kept at the exercises.

I find it a bit puzzling that my dance studio (a chain) does not focus very much on exercises for developing technique. We jump right into steps of whatever dance is the focus for the day. I have been learning for a year now, and I practise whatever few exercises the teacher may have slipped in now and then, but I don't have a satisfying set of exercises for various aspects of technique. Other students seem satisfied with this approach, but I am thoroughly frustrated. I know my dancing is more precise than the others in my class because of my focus on technique, but I don't have a systematic approach yet to get to the level of perfection I want to be at for each of the steps I know right now.

How do I go about building my repertoire of exercises that I can practise to be a good dancer? I have a session with my instructor on Wednesday to discuss my goals for the coming year and I plan to tell him I would like more exercises in my private lessons.

I would appreciate your opinions and ideas from your experience.

Welcome happyshoes.

I have not seen many studios that does dance exercises here in the US. I did dance exercises from when I first started dancing. I was trained by teachers that was very much into doing exercises before dancing. You will have to ask your teacher as each teacher focuses on different things. I am sure he will have things for you to do before you even start dancing.

Dancepro

[Angel HI]

Welcome to the DF, happy.

A good start would be to read this thread on fundamentals. http://www.dance-forums.com/showthread.php?t=30421 Next...demand from the studio, more technical training. You deserve to get what you are paying for.

[happyshoes]

Thanks everyone for the welcome. I look forward to learning a lot from this forum. Your replies have been very helpful.

Angel Hi, the thread you pointed me to is great. Do you also know of any threads on Dance-Forums that collate the exercises for each category?

Latin gal, to answer your question, I am learning a slew of dances - Waltz, Foxtrot, Tango, Rumba, Cha-cha, Mambo, Samba, EC Swing, Salsa and Argentine Tango. Sometimes I worry if I am learning too many dances and should focus instead on a few to become a better dancer (but that is a topic for another thread).

[latingal]

happyshoes, do you have a specific goal in your dancing? Is it to become a better social dancer? To become a competitor?

Depending on the answer to those questions you may want to focus on a smaller set of dances for your major concentration. You will be doing an awful lot of exercises if you want to develop your fundamentals for all those dances. *grin*

[Angel HI]

Do you also know of any threads on Dance-Forums that collate the exercises for each category?
Not off hand, but there's a member, Terpshicorean Clod, who is our resident whiz at finding stuff. Maybe he'll drop by or we can PM him to.

Sometimes I worry if I am learning too many dances and should focus instead on a few to become a better dancer ...
Not to worry. At the onset, the important thing to do is to build a proper dancer's body (foot/ankle/leg strength, core/back support, and the often forgotten topline strength). These are fundemental to all dances. Later, you will want to isolate for specific muscle groups relative to specific rhythms, daces, and styles.

[singndance]

Hello Happyshoes, I am very new to this forum as well. I have been taking both American smooth and rhythm lessons for about two years. My instructor spends a lot of time with me on the fundamentals, and I stayed at the Bronze level a long time until he was comfortable that I had mastered my basics. For each dance, he would show me how he wanted me to complete the basic step, and then he had me practice these by myself over and over and over and over.....

For example, for rumba, he would show me how he wanted me to do the basic box step -- toe heel knee hip, when to switch weight, when to finish my hip, when to step back. And then I had to repeat that a lot. For cha-cha, mambo, bolero, swing, same thing. He would show me exactly how he wanted me to complete the basic step, and then insist I practice it at the beginning of each lesson.

For smooth, I spent hours walking across the ballroom floor rolling my feet, using heel leads, etc. I would do basic steps in each dance across the floor at the beginning of my smooth lessons. As a matter of fact, the more I think about it, I spent more time doing these basic exercises than I did learning steps.

I still spend a lot of practice time on these fundamentals. To me, it's paid off! It can be frustrating, though, and a little boring at first!

[Angel HI]

Welcome to the DF, SingnDance.

And, though there is no reason why he should have a clue who I am, or care, please tell him that some guy named Angel said that it sounds as though you have a great teacher.

[singndance]

Welcome to the DF, SingnDance.

And, though there is no reason why he should have a clue who I am, or care, please tell him that some guy named Angel said that it sounds as though you have a great teacher.


Thank you Angel! I will tell him, and I am sure he will appreciate it. It took me a long time to realize how lucky I am...

[Chiron]

Welcome happyshoes (sorry I'm slow). One of my favorite fundamental exercises is rumba walks. Do them till you think you can do them perfectly, have your pro fix them, repeat ad infinitum. Also to echo what others have said ask your pro for fundamental exercises.

[singndance]

Welcome happyshoes (sorry I'm slow). One of my favorite fundamental exercises is rumba walks. Do them till you think you can do them perfectly, have your pro fix them, repeat ad infinitum. Also to echo what others have said ask your pro for fundamental exercises.


Yes, absolutely, rumba walks! You can never do enough, and just when you think you have it right, ask your pro to show you additional technique to do them better!

Have a happy thanksgiving!

[dancepro]

When I learnt music, I did exercises for almost one year before I learned to play my first 2-line song. As I progressed and played more complex pieces, I still kept at the exercises.


I spend the first 3 month of learning to dance doing exercises. There were about 20+ that I did at the time (latin). When I turned professional my teacher showed me well over 200 exercises that I had to go thru every week. Some where meant for every day some were once a week. I didn't get into hold until a week (maybe 2 weeks) before dancing my first competition. After the competition I did another month of exercises and again the week before the competition we would get together and dance.

Each style (standard and latin) have their unique exercises, each "school of thought" have their unique set of exercises and the man and lady has totally different exercises. You will have to check with your teacher so that you learn exercises that fit the style you are dancing and the "school of thought" that your teacher follow and whether you are male or female. It is very difficult to give suggestion as it will have to fit your unique situation. Sorry:(

Dancepro

[happyshoes]

Thanks for all your suggestions. I had a chat with my instructor and he was super-happy that I wanted a more systematic approach to doing exercises. He already knew that I was serious about technique, and now that I have asked him explicitly, he is going make me work on exercises regularly - homework plus review during my lessons.He is going to give me a list next week and I am super-excited.

Chiron and Signndance, I will defnitely practise the rumba walks. I also realized the walks were really helpful as I have started learning different aspects of cuban motion. The other students in the studio find it really amusing that I just keep doing them over and over again before lessons. They already think I am a dance geek, so I have stopped explaining what I am up to.

Dancepro, it is mind-blowing that you have 200 different exercises to work on through the week. I can only imagine how good your dancing must be. If it is not too much of a hassle, could you tell us more about the 20+ initial exercises you did before turning pro? I am learning a lot of latin myself and would love to compare your list with what my instructor will give me.

I am so glad I discovered this forum. Thanks again.

[fascination]

glad to hear it

[dancepro]

Dancepro, it is mind-blowing that you have 200 different exercises to work on through the week. I can only imagine how good your dancing must be. If it is not too much of a hassle, could you tell us more about the 20+ initial exercises you did before turning pro?


All the teachers that I ever worked with was very much into exercises and get conditioned through and with exercises. I did quit well when I competed.

What school of Latin do you do? I was only trained in the Body school (Walter Laird). The approach to how to get the body conditioned is very different depending on what school you follow. Make sure you don't get confused by mixing up the different schools. Ask your teacher what school/system he follows. It is very important that you stay focused on one school as they are so different. I look forward to hearing of your progress.

Dancepro

[fascination]

can you elaborate on "body school"

[dancepro]

can you elaborate on "body school"

Do you want information on the body school of Latin or Standard?

Dancepro

[GJB]

What are the names of all the schools in both Latin and Standard?

[mamboqueen]

Do you want information on the body school of Latin or Standard?

Dancepro

latin ;)

[dancepro]

latin ;)

The Body school was developed by the great Walter Laird. He wanted the dancing to come from within and then have it work it's way out to the extremes. He was also very much into understand the music/rhythms and the gender roles. Every action, every lead, every movement should start from the center....from within. One should move because of energy moving through the body and not through the use of physical force and/or muscle tension. It is a very energetic and yet soft/gentle/subtle way to dance. I do however think one has to have some education in energy and/or dance knowledge to fully appreciate this style fully. I must say I do prefer watching couples that dance using the body school as I don't feel tired looking at them.

Dancepro

[mamboqueen]

Can you give some examples of current dancers who follow his school? Thanks...appreciate this info.

[dancepro]

Can you give some examples of current dancers who follow his school? Thanks...appreciate this info.

I have not really kept up with where and whom the couples of today go to, sorry. I have so many things that I do today and that has more interest that I decided to drop that research. You could ask the couples who their main teacher/s is and see if it leads back to Wally. I think you will maximum have to go back 3 to 4 dance generations to find out where the came from.

Dancepro

[dancepro]

Thanks for all your suggestions. I had a chat with my instructor and he was super-happy that I wanted a more systematic approach to doing exercises. He already knew that I was serious about technique, and now that I have asked him explicitly, he is going make me work on exercises regularly - homework plus review during my lessons.He is going to give me a list next week and I am super-excited.


I am really glad that you are getting exercises from you teacher. It is defiantly the way to go. I, myself don't really give exercises to students unless they ask for it. It is easy to overwhelm students if you give them homework. If a student ask for homework I am more then happy to give it them. I am glad that you had a chat with your teacher and work out a plan for you. It is wonderful when the students are interested in learning. It can sometimes feel like, we as teachers, are more interested in the student learning then the students are in learning. I did homework all through my career, but I have not found many students willing to do homework. It sure sounds like you are going to get very good. I am happy that it worked out for you. All the best.

Dancepro

[samina]

When I am training in piano, I know my most rapid and dramatic progress comes when I work on daily exercises that drill the fundamentals. Although I tinker with this and invent things to practice for my dancing, I feel there must be so much more in the way of technique-specific exercises. I find the whole subject very attractive...

[Josh]

The other students in the studio find it really amusing that I just keep doing them over and over again before lessons. They already think I am a dance geek, so I have stopped explaining what I am up to.

While they're being "amused," you're improving and making good use of your time and energy. A year from now, you'll be much improved, and they'll be a bit less amused! And focused practice is always good, even if you're not doing it perfectly.

[fascination]

Do you want information on the body school of Latin or Standard?

Dancepro
lol...yes

[fascination]

I am really glad that you are getting exercises from you teacher. It is defiantly the way to go. I, myself don't really give exercises to students unless they ask for it. It is easy to overwhelm students if you give them homework. If a student ask for homework I am more then happy to give it them. I am glad that you had a chat with your teacher and work out a plan for you. It is wonderful when the students are interested in learning. It can sometimes feel like, we as teachers, are more interested in the student learning then the students are in learning. I did homework all through my career, but I have not found many students willing to do homework. It sure sounds like you are going to get very good. I am happy that it worked out for you. All the best.

Dancepro
thanks...this helps

[etp777]

While they're being "amused," you're improving and making good use of your time and energy. A year from now, you'll be much improved, and they'll be a bit less amused! And focused practice is always good, even if you're not doing it perfectly.


Josh is absolutely right, so keep up with your practicing. I used to get same people amused at me too. Of course, they're now starting to come in practicing and are going to all the classes, same as they used to give me a hard time about. :)

[fascination]

When I am training in piano, I know my most rapid and dramatic progress comes when I work on daily exercises that drill the fundamentals. Although I tinker with this and invent things to practice for my dancing, I feel there must be so much more in the way of technique-specific exercises. I find the whole subject very attractive...
NP has a drill for everything...and once you look a tiny bit comfortable with it he just adds another layer...I love it b/c it really focuses my practice time

[emeralddancer]

Do you want information on the body school of Latin or Standard?

Dancepro

why not both since most of us are interested?!

I would love some exercises on standard if you'd be so kind! :)

[Chiron]

I would love some exercises on standard if you'd be so kind! :)

Same here

[fascination]

most dances involve forward and backward steps as well as boxes...it is easy enough to construct a drill that loops...it is imbuing the drill with technique that actually makes it valuable

[Josh]

You're always welcome to share too fasc... :raisebro:

[fascination]

the technique or the steps?...I think of alot of things on rumbas fwd and lots of things on rumbas backward and lots of things on cucarachas and lots of things on turns and my drills include all of that and staying forward poised, showing a nice leg line on every step, how to dance it without being flat, peripherally, how to use my head and when, how to use my arms in a manner that might be advantagous....a jillion things...keeping the space between the knees at a maximum at the proper time, brushing....when with the hips and why...on and on and on...

[skipper]

Can you give some examples of current dancers who follow his school? Thanks...appreciate this info.

Dancepro, Will you talk about schools a they petain to smooth and standard?

[dancepro]

Dancepro, Will you talk about schools a they petain to smooth and standard?

Sorry, had to work yesterday so didn't get to look at DF, but I guess better late then never.

The difference between the school are really the same in both standard and smooth. It is really all about how and what do you do get to dance well.

The main question to find out is are you working from the outside in or from the inside out? The second question is, are you learning dominated by physical muscle power or by energy? The answers to these two questions will help you understand what you are doing and how you are trying to achieve good dancing. It is difficult to use energy if you are using the muscles a lot and it is difficult to use the muscles if you are using energy. Find out what the objective of your school is and you will be able to find exercises working on those aspects.

I am of the Body school and in the Body school, majority of training can be done through exercises. The Round, Traditional and Square school have total different exercises and the use of body, legs, feet, arms, hands, the use of centers, balance and weight are also totally different. They do end up looking very similar (world class level, you need a trained eye to see the difference), but the way to achieve it is like day and night to one another. As I said I was trained in the Body school and therefore have very little knowledge about the exercises used in the other schools. There is two dominant schools of though in the US and they are the Traditional and the Round. There are very, very few Body school dancers in the US at this movement. The actions/exercises done in the Body school are often considered wired and crazy by the other schools. My teacher told my not to do many of the exercises in public unless surrounded by other Body dancers. Your best bet is to ask your teachers and/or coaches to show you the exercises they do/did as you will then stay within the same school. I am sure they will be more then happy to help you get exercises and homework to do.

Dancepro

[VTDancer]

My original teacher gave us many exercises for both Standard and Latin. We had what she called "Drill Classes" twice a week. They were great. They ingrained correct technique and strengthened the muscles needed in dancing.

My one caution with this is that, at least initially, it is important to have a teacher observe/correct your actions. It is easy to think you are doing something right only to later find out (when the teacher eventually sees what you are doing) that you have been practicing things incorrectly. I think that is why ballet classes always start with barr exercises with the teacher correcting body positions, etc.

It takes hundreds of repititions of an action to get it ingrained. If you do hundreds of repititions of the wrong thing that will also get ingrained.

[Angel HI]

NP has a drill for everything...and once you look a tiny bit comfortable with it he just adds another layer...
Glad to know (actually, always did :rolleyes:), that I'm not the only one. I was jokingly chastised by a couple of students just this past w/e for having an exercize for everything.
The difference between the school are really the same in both standard and smooth. It is really all about how and what do you do get to dance well.

The main question to find out is are you working from the outside in or from the inside out? The second question is, are you learning dominated by physical muscle power or by energy? The answers to these two questions will help you understand what you are doing and how you are trying to achieve good dancing.
Though, this entire post was excellent, I pulled a few of the most pertinent points out. We all will advocate that which most follows our own mode of thinking, however, IMO, the referenced points here are incredibly relevant to the question.

I am of the Body school and in the Body school, majority of training can be done through exercises. There are very, very few Body school dancers in the US at this [moment].
I am as well. Perhaps, you have explained here something that I have been asking myself for a while now regarding my teaching.

[katandmouse]

Perhaps what you're looking for are specific exercises for the specific dance you do, but I have found nothing more helpful for all dances than Pilates. However, I must say I did not get nearly as much benefit from group classes as I do from my current, private Pilates trainer, Lisa Graham in Santa Cruz at Agile Monkey.There are a few of us dancers here who train with her and we all agree that she is phenomenal. A personal trainer will evaluate exactly where your weaknesses are and go to work on those. And if her/his training is also in neuromuscular reprogramming, which Lisa's is, you'll get the added neuro muscular training to be sure the right muscles are firing at the right time to do the right job. If they're not, you'll get competing muscles trying to get in and do the work and they only make things more difficult.

Pilates in general gives you great core strength which helps your balance and helps to prevent injuries. Plus it develops the whole hip girdle region which is responsible for good let action, transfer of weight, etc. Plus, and this was news to me, Pilates also helps the upper torso. We do a lot of work on my shoulders to get them to "back and down" and open like they should be in every dancer.

I've also studied the Franklin Technique and found beneficial exercises and information there. But Pilates has been the most benefical for me.

[Angel HI]

Nice post, Kat.

[skipper]

Do you have any ideas on how to build the top line strengh without becoming muscular and bulky?
My coach talks about being soft, feminine and flexible. Yet finding that tone for the connections..........help!!!!!

[fascination]

bulk is largely hereditary...light weights with many reps over heavy weights is an option

[mamboqueen]

Do you have any ideas on how to build the top line strengh without becoming muscular and bulky?
My coach talks about being soft, feminine and flexible. Yet finding that tone for the connections..........help!!!!!

Have you tried yoga? I find it tones and strengthens without getting muscles bulky (pilates is great, too, but more focused on the core). Not that I get bulky anyway....

[Chiron]

Do you have any ideas on how to build the top line strengh without becoming muscular and bulky?
My coach talks about being soft, feminine and flexible. Yet finding that tone for the connections..........help!!!!!

Swimming...
You'll build strength, tone, flexibility, and shouldn't put on much bulk.

As fasc said though bulk is largely hereditary and most women will have trouble putting on serious bulk. Light weights low reps is good. Also throw in some cardio work if you are worried about it.

[waltzguy]

anyone up for partner swimming? ;)

[QPO]

Ester Williams :cheers:

anyone up for partner swimming? ;)

[dancepro]

Swimming...
You'll build strength, tone, flexibility, and shouldn't put on much bulk.

As fasc said though bulk is largely hereditary and most women will have trouble putting on serious bulk. Light weights low reps is good. Also throw in some cardio work if you are worried about it.

I would be a little careful with swimming. I actually had to ask two of my lady students to stop swimming as they were getting too bulky. They were very serious competitive swimmers (getting close to representing the US in the Olympics), but they wanted to be US amateur finalists in dancing. I told them that it would be very difficult to be a good dancer with the bulk that they were developing. They both felt that dancing were more important to them then swimming. They both soon stopped swimming and did both of them become US amateur finalists only one year later.

Dancepro

[Laura]

Do you have any ideas on how to build the top line strengh without becoming muscular and bulky?
My coach talks about being soft, feminine and flexible. Yet finding that tone for the connections..........help!!!!!
Gyrotonic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyrotonic). Exercises on the archway and ladder will build muscular strength, things like the upper body opening (done on the tower) and all the arm things (done on the handles) will strengthen the "fine" muscles and increase range of motion and flexibility, and most of all will build the body awareness needed to put your arms/shoulders/back into position.

(But don't go by my avatar picture with my right shoulder all popped forward...I'm working on that....)

[happyshoes]

I really like what I am reading on the net about gyrotonics. There are a couple of studios here in the Seattle area and one of them is quite close to my dance studio. I am going to check it out. Maybe next year this time I will have the dancer's body I would love to have! Laura, are these classes typically pretty expensive?

Another student was raving about a program called Core Rhythms. Not sure what its focus is and if it helps strengthen one's core. She described it as a fast-paced fitness routine. I am reluctant to sign up for it as I am already spending too much time and money at the studio :).

[samina]

i know there's a way to do gyrotonics as a semi-private session, but i've only done privates. around $65/hr in my non-urban area, but much pricier where there's more demand.

i am in love with gyro...

[mamboqueen]

i know there's a way to do gyrotonics as a semi-private session, but i've only done privates. around $65/hr in my non-urban area, but much pricier where there's more demand.

i am in love with gyro...

Geez, $80 in Boston. Wish I could find it in the burbs. But also love it so far!

[samina]

i could hardly believe that it's down the street from me here in the boonies...am very fortunate. when i move, i'm not aware of any gyro studio in any convenient locale.