Practicing Alone

[j_alexandra]

Am having a practice crisis. Would appreciate any and all help. I have had so many new ways of thinking about movement thrown at me in the past 48 hours, and since I don't have a practice partner, it's just me alone in the gym/kitchen/wherever. I also feel like I am starting over.

How do I reproduce that feeling?

How do I create motor memory for the steps?

How will I remember, absorb, and come to own the technique -- repetition is useless if I'm ingraining bad habits -- so I can forget technique and just dance?

HOW HOW HOW?

Perhaps this should have been on the whining thread. But I could really use some advice on practicing alone.

[latingal]

moved this from the "how are your practices going thread", great topic j_alex....since I do pro-am I do a lot of practicing alone. Will have to give it some thought and get back to you here!

[tanya_the_dancer]

I'm in the same situation, too. What I do is I try to practice just the elements (walks, turns etc.) and the exercises my teacher gives me, and not the patterns themselves. This way hopefully I will avoid programming myself to do things in a certain order instead of following.

[samina]

JA... having been practicing alone all year... a trick that has been both enlightening and very helpful for me is to use the wall or some kind of furniture to press into, to engage with, while doing... whatever. pressing against the wall (or bannister, or counter, or sofa, or, or, or...) engages your center and the energy moving through your body in a way that can mimic what you would bring to a partner. press against while consolidating your energy inward, while stretching up and down on the inside of your body...that's where the opposing forces get discovered. it's very cool to practice these things by oneself. there's a lot of power or strength one can find and enlarge by doing this.

and break larger figures down into pieces, into short elements that help you connect with components, lines, alignments, etc. that you would be bringing into your dance experience once you are with a partner.

that's been my approach, anyhow...

[Br0nze]

Practicing alone can be very beneficial, in fact many will recommend to begin one's [couple's] practice session by going over individual steps prior to doing it together. Now, I understand that this is not what you mean, however, the principle is similar, if not the same.

Yes -- dance, no matter the style, is two people coming together for the purpose of moving together. Without a partner, it's very difficult to get the feeling of another person providing you the same pressure you need, the feeling of connectivity, etc.

I've practiced alone for the better part of my dance career, I am sorry to say, and as a result I believe that I've stunted my ability to lead, since most of my time was spent sans parter. However, at the same time, practicing alone is the perfect chance to perfect all the technique and skills that are taught to dancers.

Practice finding your own center and getting down the stance, without falling forward or back, pressing against nothing but the air. This may sound counter productive, but if one cannot stand on one's own two feet as a dancer, then what good is there to continue with any step? (Not meant to sound insulting, mind you, just practical) That way when a partner comes your way, it'll be no problem for you to join his/her energy and his/her momentum because both of you will stand on your own two feet.

Having found one's center (a mirror is useful for this, too, so if you have the space in a studio or your Gym's Yoga room, use it, visually it's easier to spot the "mistakes" and remember how the position is to look, along with how it aught to feel) you can work on a variety of things that have nothing to do with you needing a partner -- footwork, hip work, rib work, maintaining the stance, tension, lines, etc.

Practicing alone is more beneficial than with another person sometimes. When people practice together, they become dependent on one another, or used to one another, and then if the time comes to dance with someone different, they cannot -- they are used to "that" person, "their" whatever. I'll keep saying it: a dancer must be able to dance alone, as well as in a couple. (Not talking about lifts, dips -- just "the basics")

And if worst comes to worst, and this is something I've often done and it has gotten me quite the stange looks, but the hell I care -- grab a chair and hold it in frame, pretend it's your partner. If nothing else, you may develop quite the strong set of delts and lats. ;)

[latingal]

How will I remember, absorb, and come to own the technique -- repetition is useless if I'm ingraining bad habits -- so I can forget technique and just dance?

In a lesson I normally save about 5 minutes at the end to sum up what I've learned. I will basically tell my pro what I think I've learned and what it is he expects me to work on.

My pro then gives me feedback on my summation. Many times this process will find any errors you might have in understanding the content of the lesson or what to emphasize in your practices.

Like tanya, I start with working on corrections or concepts with the basics, I will choose three or so topics to work on in a month. I practice in a very focused manner, one thing at a time usually at 1/2 speed or slower first. I do repetitions at this slower speed ensuring that the corrections are being made.

At the next lesson, I will sometimes have my pro check what I'm doing to make sure I'm ingraining the right habits. I will also bring up any questions I might have regarding the subjects that might have arisen during my exploration of the subject.

After I feel I've made progress on the basics, I will take the corrections and consciously apply them to my routines. I go through my routines and figure out where the correction applies and work those movements slow.

After I think things are holding at slower speed (normally three or so weeks), I work them at speed or close to speed for awhile to music to make sure the new habit will hold during dancing. It will normally hold to some degree and I count that as a step forward in my improvement! You normally end up going back and r.e.freshing the learnings to make them stronger, but this method has served me well.

How do I create motor memory for the steps?

Correct repetition.

[fascination]

JA...I would hate to generalize so perhaps if you want to elaborate on which sorts of concepts you want to retain, then I could maybe contribute how I go about it...when I am on a lesson and am hearing corrections and then make adjustments internally to achieve those corrections, I always make a note of what it was that I did to achieve that...so that when I go home I at least have a starting point...as to ingraining bad habits...I tend to think that that is just the excuse alot of folks have for not practicing, or not knowing how to...sure...some bad stuff will happen...BUT...if you have some focus and some plan, I strongly doubt that the net effect will be bad...particularly if you have a weekly opportunity to find out

[dlgodud]

One thing I do when I practice is that I try to mimic moves of good dancers. For example, I love how Anna Kuzminskaya points her feet on the floor and I try to remember how she does in video. When I practice I will try to mimic her moves and watch very carefully doing myself on the mirror. Well, believe or not, my DT loves my feet and how I point and gives me a lot of encouragement. The funny thing is that I have never actually taught by anyone how to this properlly. So I guess that you can do something extra by yourself. :D

[danceronice]

I like practicing alone for Rhythm because it sheds a glaring light on where I don't know the routine and am just following, and on where I'm in fact relying on Chris to hold me up instead of balancing. Smooth and Standard are harder because I do mostly follow and plus I feel like practicing alone it may go fine, and then there's this whole other person there and a new center of gravity and it's totally different.

[Natalka]

Ha! I am the queen of having to practice alone!!!! Since I never get to see my teacher Jose... (He's in NYC & I am in Detroit).
My best advice is to videotape EVERY lesson and watch them religiously in between. I pick up so many things each time I re-watch the video.
When I get to see my teacher, it is almost as if we JUST saw each other...even though it may have been 6 weeks!
So...videotaping & watching it helps:)

[Me]

I grew tired of practicing by myself, so I found another woman!

You might be thinking that learning to lead is something that is completely unrelated to mastering your following, but I was so surprised at how quickly my dancing improved once I began to understand the other side of the coin. Your pro can tell you all day, "Stop doing that - It pulls me over" and you'll say "yeah yeah, I know, I know..." but keep doing it... and then when it is your turn to lead, experience the same thing from your follow and then, ding ding ding! Now you finally understand.

[CANI]

Lots of good information. If you want to, as fascination suggested, it would be helpful to understand more precisely what you are struggling with and in what style...if I have something to offer, I will post...

[fascination]

my life is practicing alone...I have lessons on two days of the week...the rest of the time I am by myself...I have learned how to make it work...and it has helped to have a pro who can help me to know how to make it work and I am happy to talk about it but it is a huge subject

[j_alexandra]

it is a huge subject

It is indeed a huge subject, and I'm grateful to those who have responded already. I'm in no state to take careful assessment of the advice and suggestions (celebration dinner w/wine, which shoots my concentration completely) but will do so as soon as I'm stone cold sober.

Thank you, everyone, for the suggestions and offers of help.

[Quesita]

How do I reproduce that feeling?



Feelings cannot be reproduced--actions on the other hand can.

When you are in the lesson, pay less attention to the feeling, and more on what exactly you are doing--I pay attention to what muscles I use, while my partner pays attention to how his skeleton aligns, so I think there are several ways of doing this. "Feelings" can be completely misleading. I don't mean to sound harsh, but it's the best way I develop--alone or with a partner.

[latingal]

Feelings cannot be reproduced--actions on the other hand can.

Agreed. However feeling can be a useful tool too. Sometimes it may allow information to be digested quicker than the explanation/understanding needed for a mechanical reproduction of a correction or concept.

Don't get me wrong, I use understanding/reproduction of action as my main learning method. But I have been told by coaches that sometimes using the feeling of the movement allows you to learn quicker.

So I use a combination of both. If I happen to get the feeling of something easily, I will then use it to figure out what is being performed differently physically in my body so I can reproduce it consistently.

And yes, using feeling as a sole method of correction can be misleading. For some of us, the more we do it, the more use to the "feel" we get, so we end up going to the extreme searching for that extreme feeling it was in the beginning.

[samina]

it is a huge subject
so true... it's the very process of learning itself, plus how to work with natural forces thru the body without a partner. massive scope...

[fascination]

I will say this j alex...sometimes having you pro assign drills with specific technique to be focused upon for that drill is a very good start....

[liz]

Ha! I am the queen of having to practice alone!!!! Since I never get to see my teacher Jose... (He's in NYC & I am in Detroit).
My best advice is to videotape EVERY lesson and watch them religiously in between. I pick up so many things each time I re-watch the video.
When I get to see my teacher, it is almost as if we JUST saw each other...even though it may have been 6 weeks!
So...videotaping & watching it helps:)
Exactly what I was going to say....Vidoe lessons, get them to put homework on vidoe, write down notes before you leave to make don't forget. Lastly, you have to practice... But, don't waste your time practicing when you are not in the mood.Won't get anything done...One important point is practice with your following hand were it should be.. Otherwise when you get back with your guy, it will feel odd.

[j_alexandra]

I'm in the same situation, too. What I do is I try to practice just the elements (walks, turns etc.) and the exercises my teacher gives me, and not the patterns themselves. This way hopefully I will avoid programming myself to do things in a certain order instead of following.

I do try to work on elements, but I'm concerned that I'll be making motor memory of bad movement, rather than improving movement. We don't have routines, so I don't worry about doing things in a certain order; never know what's coming next.

[CANI]

I do try to work on elements, but I'm concerned that I'll be making motor memory of bad movement, rather than improving movement. We don't have routines, so I don't worry about doing things in a certain order; never know what's coming next.

What style are your practicing?

I agree with fasc, I wouldn't worry about making a motor memory of bad movement because you will get feedback in your lesson on a regular basis if you are off-track and can fix. Even if you practice something completely incorrectly for a week or a few weeks -- some focused practice of the right way after being corrected by your teacher, and you'll be back on track...

I practice standard and haven't (in lessons or socials) had my teacher dance a routine with me in a very long time -- it is just lead/follow as you say. However, I have routines from group classes or privates in the long past -- and if not can make one up from steps -- to use as I practice and then you get the movement and supporting yourself under control as you practice...

I practice, more often than not, with routines, but that never poses a problem when my teacher dances whatever -- then I'm just following. If I practice a Double Reverse Spin a lot -- it doesn't matter where it appears as my teacher leads, my practice helps when that Double Reverse Spin comes.

If you have absolutely no idea where to begin or have no independent knowledge of the steps to reproduce them on your own, I think fasc's suggestion of drills is a good one.

If you have a specific thing in mind that you want to practice from something your teacher has said (particularly what dance), if I can add more, I will.

Good Luck!

[j_alexandra]

JA... having been practicing alone all year... a trick that has been both enlightening and very helpful for me is to use the wall or some kind of furniture to press into, to engage with, while doing... whatever. pressing against the wall (or bannister, or counter, or sofa, or, or, or...) engages your center and the energy moving through your body in a way that can mimic what you would bring to a partner. press against while consolidating your energy inward, while stretching up and down on the inside of your body...that's where the opposing forces get discovered. it's very cool to practice these things by oneself. there's a lot of power or strength one can find and enlarge by doing this.

I've got to try this. It sounds like it'll help me with one of my many issues: when there's nobody else there, how do I create the resistance (for lack of a better word) that makes for better communication? Sounds like this will help a lot.

[j_alexandra]

I grew tired of practicing by myself, so I found another woman!

You might be thinking that learning to lead is something that is completely unrelated to mastering your following, but I was so surprised at how quickly my dancing improved once I began to understand the other side of the coin. Your pro can tell you all day, "Stop doing that - It pulls me over" and you'll say "yeah yeah, I know, I know..." but keep doing it... and then when it is your turn to lead, experience the same thing from your follow and then, ding ding ding! Now you finally understand.

Great idea; I'll have to see if DB#1 is willing to be my guinea pig.

[j_alexandra]

<snip>

And if worst comes to worst, and this is something I've often done and it has gotten me quite the stange looks, but the hell I care -- grab a chair and hold it in frame, pretend it's your partner. If nothing else, you may develop quite the strong set of delts and lats. ;)

Chair; haven't tried this, but will do; I remember when I was learning to sing, that was one of the exercises I did in order to learn proper breathing: breathe/sing while holding a chair. It's hard not to engage the proper muscles when holding a chair. I do use a balance ball, often. Also therabands. Anything that will give me the feeling of resistance and something that reacts if I relax my frame.

[j_alexandra]

In a lesson I normally save about 5 minutes at the end to sum up what I've learned. I will basically tell my pro what I think I've learned and what it is he expects me to work on.

My pro then gives me feedback on my summation. Many times this process will find any errors you might have in understanding the content of the lesson or what to emphasize in your practices.

I intend to start doing this next lesson.

Like tanya, I start with working on corrections or concepts with the basics, I will choose three or so topics to work on in a month. I practice in a very focused manner, one thing at a time usually at 1/2 speed or slower first. I do repetitions at this slower speed ensuring that the corrections are being made.

At the next lesson, I will sometimes have my pro check what I'm doing to make sure I'm ingraining the right habits. I will also bring up any questions I might have regarding the subjects that might have arisen during my exploration of the subject.

Another goal. thanks!

After I feel I've made progress on the basics, I will take the corrections and consciously apply them to my routines. I go through my routines and figure out where the correction applies and work those movements slow.

We do not have routines; I'll have to apply the progress (if any) to basics and amalgamations. But I don't see any problem with that.

After I think things are holding at slower speed (normally three or so weeks),

Eesh, 3 wks? Impatient JA doesn't want this -- but my better self thinks it's necessary

I work them at speed or close to speed for awhile to music to make sure the new habit will hold during dancing. It will normally hold to some degree and I count that as a step forward in my improvement! You normally end up going back and r.e.freshing the learnings to make them stronger, but this method has served me well.

[j_alexandra]

JA...I would hate to generalize so perhaps if you want to elaborate on which sorts of concepts you want to retain, then I could maybe contribute how I go about it...when I am on a lesson and am hearing corrections and then make adjustments internally to achieve those corrections, I always make a note of what it was that I did to achieve that...so that when I go home I at least have a starting point...

What concepts do I want to retain? It's difficult to explain. Teach is an intuitive teacher, and evokes from me different things from what he evokes from DB#1, f'rex. With me, he talks about how to create the movement, from feet, legs, body, arms, head; what the steps are and where they fit in. He demonstrates. He dances me, and when I get the feel of what he wants, we refine, and then I go home and try to practice. He knows how to evoke response from me, physically and intellectually.

That's what I can't replace when practicing alone; I can reproduce the mind-work, but not the body work. I am not intuitive about anything to do with the body, and need to work at It, whether It is sweeping the floor, rolling out pie pastry, raking leaves, working out, or dancing. Repetition is key, for me. So, I want to retain the understanding of how to create the movement. That's different for each dance, in some ways, and the same, in others. Technique for Smooth Foxtrot is not the same as Smooth VW, nor is it similar to Rhythm cha, rumba. Bolero's another animal, Swing's in a group by itself etc, etc.

And that's what I want to internalize: the different feel, and the technique that goes with it, for each dance.

I'm confusing myself, now. Have I confused you, yet?:confused:

[j_alexandra]

One thing I do when I practice is that I try to mimic moves of good dancers. For example, I love how Anna Kuzminskaya points her feet on the floor and I try to remember how she does in video. When I practice I will try to mimic her moves and watch very carefully doing myself on the mirror. W

Will try this. Thanks.

[j_alexandra]

Ha! I am the queen of having to practice alone!!!! Since I never get to see my teacher Jose... (He's in NYC & I am in Detroit).
My best advice is to videotape EVERY lesson and watch them religiously in between. I pick up so many things each time I re-watch the video.
When I get to see my teacher, it is almost as if we JUST saw each other...even though it may have been 6 weeks!
So...videotaping & watching it helps:)

Have to get back to taping; slacked off for a while. It got demoralizing, watching myself being so bad... But now I know: watch Teach, not me.

[j_alexandra]

Feelings cannot be reproduced--actions on the other hand can.

When you are in the lesson, pay less attention to the feeling, and more on what exactly you are doing--I pay attention to what muscles I use, while my partner pays attention to how his skeleton aligns, so I think there are several ways of doing this. "Feelings" can be completely misleading. I don't mean to sound harsh, but it's the best way I develop--alone or with a partner.

Oh, I agree; your response was not harsh ata ll. I didn't mean that I wanted to reproduce euphoria or despair, for instance. I'm not talking emotion-feeling, I'm talking body-feeling; the stretch, the muscles in use, the balance, alignment, the anti-gravity sensation of hesitation, etc. That's all feeling, too, not just emotion.

[j_alexandra]

What style are your practicing?

Smooth/Rhythm.

I agree with fasc, I wouldn't worry about making a motor memory of bad movement because you will get feedback in your lesson on a regular basis if you are off-track and can fix. Even if you practice something completely incorrectly for a week or a few weeks -- some focused practice of the right way after being corrected by your teacher, and you'll be back on track...

Oh, CANI, this is a lovely theory, but for me, it takes thousands of repetitions -- thousands -- to undo a bad habit. I'd just as soon skip engraining the bad habit in the first place. I simply don't have the time to do it wrong -- I sure don't have as much time left to me as I'd like, to do it right! In another thread, someone wrote: amateurs practice until they get it right. Pros practice until they can't get it wrong. That's my goal: to be able to stop thinking about the technique and just dance -- knowing in the back of my mind that b/c I've internalized the technique, I'll be able to Dance, really dance. Perhaps I just need time...

<snip>

If you have absolutely no idea where to begin or have no independent knowledge of the steps to reproduce them on your own, I think fasc's suggestion of drills is a good one.

The thing about drills is... while I"m comfortable doing (frex) arm movment, or the basic step for rhumba, 10.000 times until I get the timing, spacing, snap, extension, hip flexion/rotation'/settling etc. right, I don't know if I am in fact doing it right. I need to have my hand held. Wimpy, but there it is. So, if I'm drilling rumba walks, to open breaks, to hip swivels, for example, what's to say I'm not canalizing bad habits? I know, absolutely, that I can't yet move my feet in the proper timing in a rumba walk. Know it. Beyond doubt. But if I keep practicing it, and hitting my head against the wall, isn't that counterproductive?

If you have a specific thing in mind that you want to practice from something your teacher has said (particularly what dance), if I can add more, I will.

Good Luck!

Thank you -- I need it!

[fascination]

here's the thing though JA..it won't become a habit in a week...if you are on a lesson once a week or two...anything that you are practicing, which you can show your pro, won't be ingrained yet...

as to drills..they are great b/c then you don't have to worry about a routine, you practice nearly all of the essentials on a regular basis and good ones loop...so you can focus on the basic techinical elements...if you don't know what those should be, that would be a very good conversation for your pro...ie; while I am doing forward and backward runmba walks, or forward and backward FT steps, wht would you like me to be focusing on this week?

[etp777]

Lots of great advice on this thread ja. Just a matter of sorting through it all, and working out with your pro what he wants you to work on. :)

[fascination]

What concepts do I want to retain? It's difficult to explain. Teach is an intuitive teacher, and evokes from me different things from what he evokes from DB#1, f'rex. With me, he talks about how to create the movement, from feet, legs, body, arms, head; what the steps are and where they fit in. He demonstrates. He dances me, and when I get the feel of what he wants, we refine, and then I go home and try to practice. He knows how to evoke response from me, physically and intellectually.

That's what I can't replace when practicing alone; I can reproduce the mind-work, but not the body work. I am not intuitive about anything to do with the body, and need to work at It, whether It is sweeping the floor, rolling out pie pastry, raking leaves, working out, or dancing. Repetition is key, for me. So, I want to retain the understanding of how to create the movement. That's different for each dance, in some ways, and the same, in others. Technique for Smooth Foxtrot is not the same as Smooth VW, nor is it similar to Rhythm cha, rumba. Bolero's another animal, Swing's in a group by itself etc, etc.

And that's what I want to internalize: the different feel, and the technique that goes with it, for each dance.

I'm confusing myself, now. Have I confused you, yet?:confused:well...I think if you have difficulty with intuitive learning that is one issue...and most of that can be handled on your lesson through analogies and feel and be incorporated in to your practices...
but, to practice well, and to even begin to use whatever intuition and feel you may have/gain....you also have to know what the heck you are doing(or trying to do), in great detail, and repeat it over and over...it will be messy, you will get it wrong...you will have to unlearn some things...it will be filled with failure...smart people take this part of the trip very poorly ;)...you have to get over yourself on that count if you hope to survive and not give up in despair or make everyone around you wish to strangle you...your body is not your brain...your brain is only part of your body...prepare to not be a bright student anymore...get one small concept, lather rinse repeat, get a new concept, lather rinse repeat....once you have alot of the little pieces it is far easier to relax and let the feel come into things....certainly good to keep feeling concepts like FT being oily and continuous in mind, but also neccessary to practice the footwork, the extension of sides, which hip is down, where your elbows are in relation to your tailbone...etc...

[j_alexandra]

well...I think if you have difficulty with intuitive learning that is one issue...and most of that can be handled on your lesson through analogies and feel and be incorporated in to your practices...
but, to practice well, and to even begin to use whatever intuition and feel you may have/gain....you also have to know what the heck you are doing(or trying to do), in great detail, and repeat it over and over...it will be messy, you will get it wrong...you will have to unlearn some things...it will be filled with failure...smart people take this part of the trip very poorly ;)

Hah! You said a mouthful

...you have to get over yourself on that count if you hope to survive and not give up in despair or make everyone around you wish to strangle you...your body is not your brain...your brain is only part of your body...prepare to not be a bright student anymore...

:idea: Ah-HAH! I think you've just completely put my practicing problem into a nutshell.

get one small concept, lather rinse repeat, get a new concept, lather rinse repeat....once you have alot of the little pieces it is far easier to relax and let the feel come into things....certainly good to keep feeling concepts like FT being oily and continuous in mind, but also neccessary to practice the footwork, the extension of sides, which hip is down, where your elbows are in relation to your tailbone...etc...

:notworth:

I think this is exactly what I needed to hear. Thank you! I'm not the brightest bulb in the chandelier when it comes to learning physical things. I have to learn a new way of learning -- and slow, incremental, assembly of building blocks, rather than being awash in the concept and swallowing it whole, is new for me. It is not failure.

And they say people don't change. Hah!

[fascination]

learning how to dance is the hardest thing I have ever tackled other than deaths and loves...although it is a love and a death in its own way...I regret that I did not know these things as I bludgeoned my way through the dark...I was neither accustomed to not being able to execute a concept the minute I understood it intellectually, nor was I accustomed to making so many errors...had I understood more fully that that is simply the way it goes for most folks when it comes to dance, much less pain would have been involved...if I have spared you any at all...it is a very good day

[singndance]

learning how to dance is the hardest thing I have ever tackled other than deaths and loves...although it is a love and a death in its own way


JA, this is so true, and the more you know, the more you realize you don't know. So, you have to be willing to spend lots and lots and lots of time on very, very basic movements, being patient with yourself if you don't see improvement for a good long while. You don't want to keep repeating movements that are incorrect, that's true. It's like a golf swing. If you keep practicing the wrong way, it's bad. But as Fasc says, it takes a lot more than a week of work to get it ingrained, and you will be working with your teacher right along.

My pro spends time with me at the end of every lesson going over what basic movement he wants me to work on by myself (this is both for rhthym and smooth). We do the moves very slowly together, and he makes me do it by myself very very very slowly until he is satisfied. Then we start with that movement at the beginning of the next lesson, and inevitably he will add a layer of new technique on just when I think I've got it. It's a journey, and can be so frustrating, but is rewarding once the basic things start to click. Good luck and enjoy the journey.

[latingal]

j_alex, it sounds like fascination's excellent post hit it on the head for you! Good!!

[latingal]

I have to learn a new way of learning -- and slow, incremental, assembly of building blocks, rather than being awash in the concept and swallowing it whole, is new for me. It is not failure.

well said.

though you may find that the building blocks are concepts unto themselves which when fused together correctly gives you good fundamentals.... *grin*

[dlgodud]

Basics..... I usually spend at least 30 minutes before my lesson starts. It has been tremendously helped me. Because during my lesson, we usually focus on routines. Sometimes my DT gives me an idea how I can practice myself and comments on my practice when he sees me at the studio.

[biggestbox]

For solo practice:

15-25 mins of warm up followed by walks and turns. i like double turn b/c they require little energy and require disipline

30-40 mins on one dance, usually go through a routine or conbination and focus on different things.

20 mins of drills

20 min of tricks: jumps, turns, special movements

short break, try to eat something.

20-40 mins of dance #2

20-40mins of drills and tricks

Solo practice time 2-3.5 hrs

[dlgodud]

For solo practice:

15-25 mins of warm up followed by walks and turns. i like double turn b/c they require little energy and require disipline

30-40 mins on one dance, usually go through a routine or conbination and focus on different things.

20 mins of drills

20 min of tricks: jumps, turns, special movements

short break, try to eat something.

20-40 mins of dance #2

20-40mins of drills and tricks

Solo practice time 2-3.5 hrs

Wow! A good schedule! :applause:

[tanya_the_dancer]

For solo practice:

15-25 mins of warm up followed by walks and turns. i like double turn b/c they require little energy and require disipline

30-40 mins on one dance, usually go through a routine or conbination and focus on different things.

20 mins of drills

20 min of tricks: jumps, turns, special movements

short break, try to eat something.

20-40 mins of dance #2

20-40mins of drills and tricks

Solo practice time 2-3.5 hrs

That's a good schedule assuming you have the luxury to set aside that much uninterrupted time.

[madmaximus]

Am having a practice crisis. Would appreciate any and all help. I have had so many new ways of thinking about movement thrown at me in the past 48 hours, and since I don't have a practice partner, it's just me alone in the gym/kitchen/wherever. I also feel like I am starting over.

How do I reproduce that feeling?

How do I create motor memory for the steps?

How will I remember, absorb, and come to own the technique -- repetition is useless if I'm ingraining bad habits -- so I can forget technique and just dance?

HOW HOW HOW?

Perhaps this should have been on the whining thread. But I could really use some advice on practicing alone.


IME, the secret to successfully practicing alone (and becoming better) can be summed-up in one word: PRECISION.

Practice to be precise (work hard on precision) and the rest will come without effort (including the "feeling").

(for ex. during a movement practice with precision:
foot/knee/hand/hip/shoulder/elbow/head placement
absolute minimum muscles required to move a limb
exact distance of a step
angle of the chin)

Try to do the exact same thing everytime--the goal is the ability to produce the same movement everytime.

Sounds simple, but...






m

[dlgodud]

IME, the secret to successfully practicing alone (and becoming better) can be summed-up in one word: PRECISION.

Practice to be precise (work hard on precision) and the rest will come without effort (including the "feeling").

(for ex. during a movement practice with precision:
foot/knee/hand/hip/shoulder/elbow/head placement
absolute minimum muscles required to move a limb
exact distance of a step
angle of the chin)

Try to do the exact same thing everytime--the goal is the ability to produce the same movement everytime.

Sounds simple, but...






m

It does not sound simple. I guess it's everybody's goal to have the ability to produce the same movement everytime, not produce a great movement one time. :D Thank you for good advice!

[AndaBien]

I believe strongly in individual practice. If you can't bring your own dance to the dance floor, within the bounds of said dance, than I think it will be difficult to do so when you have a partner. True, dancing by yourself is entirely different from having a partner. As a leader, I can tell when my partner is expecting me to give her a dance, almost like a marionette, and a partner who contributes to the dance with her own energy and style. I prefer the latter. I suggest that you investigate "deliberate practice".

[AndaBien]

The secret to deliberate practice is awareness. Mechanical repetition can solidify back technique, but being aware of each step will allow you to realize what went well or poorly. The goal of practice, IMO, is not to get it right (as a state), but to make improvement (as a process). If you pay sufficient attention you can make small improvements in only a few minutes of practice. Those small improvements add up to good skill. I can't emphasis enough the need for full attention and awareness.

[samina]

IME, the secret to successfully practicing alone (and becoming better) can be summed-up in one word: PRECISION.

i agree. this is always what worked for me when practicing piano... just drilling all kinds of tempos and touch-sensations with absolute, consistent precision. a lot of what's worked for me with making dance progress has come from remembering what was successful in drilling my body on the piano keys and expanding it to the full body.

[biggestbox]

at the very basic level practice what you know, if all you know is the placement of the feet (the steps) practice those, then next lesson you won't have to remeber where your feet go, they will just go there.