joy
Forum Master
Oh my goodness, what a healthy response.
How are your practices going?
- Thread starter latingal
- Start date
Pro says I'm too happy and easy going. I need to learn to channel anger during my dance. (Despite often being argumentative and pedantic, I'm actually almost never angry. ) I told him I'm just not an angry person. He agreed I'm not.
What to do? Clearly, I gotta go in the direction of happy. I can be sad in real life. But who wants to be sad intentionally? That's not a nice feeling.
I'm in the same boat as you. I've done two things to try and add different emotional colors to my dance.
First, I try to find happy-adjacent versions of the target feeling. Nostalgia instead of sadness. Smug egotism or arrogance in place of anger. That sort of thing.
Second, my partners and I have gone to the effort of developing complete fleshed-out stories behind our choreo (inspired by a pro couple who does a more intense version of the same). We aren't actors, so most of it doesn't come through, but that exercise helps us find and live in an emotional space we couldn't spontaneously muster. And observers have confirmed that even when the story doesn't read clearly, the emotional texture is visibly different than when we are just winging it.
Tracy
Well-Known Member
Gratitude works for me. Remind yourself how lucky you are to be in the Ballroom world. Look around at all the colors and the sparkle. Find joy in movement. Really concentrate on how your body feels when it moves. Dive into focusing on the now. Whatever else is going on in the world can take a backseat for a few moments. And although it won’t go away, a little relief from it can certainly help. There are so many people that would love to be on that ballroom floor, but you actually get to do it! And assuming you get along with/like/respect your teacher, look at them and be grateful that you’re the one that gets to dance with them and even if they have multiple students those few moments is all yours.
tharindusuraj
New Member
I initially had this fear of judgement when practicing in front of others even if people encourage me. So now I practice alone in front of a mirror and sometimes record myself so that I can view it later, and find out mistakes.
AnyNameYouWish
Well-Known Member
Help, i need tips on keeping a tall posture.
I am trying so hard to stay as tall as possible so i can have a good frame, balance and weight forward. I have been at this for a year and a half (lead, no prior dance experience) and im still shrinking down in my torso, and drooping my arms quickly. I know how to do it i just need tips to help sustain it.
I have been mindful of my posture through out the day. I am mindful of my posture while driving. When i get to the studio I do good for the first part of my routine but it quickly goes away. I only dance american rhythm.
Any drills that can help with this while a practice?
I am trying so hard to stay as tall as possible so i can have a good frame, balance and weight forward. I have been at this for a year and a half (lead, no prior dance experience) and im still shrinking down in my torso, and drooping my arms quickly. I know how to do it i just need tips to help sustain it.
I have been mindful of my posture through out the day. I am mindful of my posture while driving. When i get to the studio I do good for the first part of my routine but it quickly goes away. I only dance american rhythm.
Any drills that can help with this while a practice?
Update with mixed news:
I got an email from the Y telling me that the Yoga class will be using my practice time slot this coming Monday.
But it listed only this coming Monday. So, I asked whether the Yoga class is permanent going forward. I haven't received a reply yet.
But on the hopeful side, Martial Arts Guy told me that he FINALLY has his own leased space, and will be moving out of the Y space at the end of May!
So, that might give me a fighting chance to do a few more of my practices in the larger exercise room with the somewhat-sprung floor. (Well, until the Y decides to fill the time slots with something else.....)
I got an email from the Y telling me that the Yoga class will be using my practice time slot this coming Monday.
But it listed only this coming Monday. So, I asked whether the Yoga class is permanent going forward. I haven't received a reply yet. But on the hopeful side, Martial Arts Guy told me that he FINALLY has his own leased space, and will be moving out of the Y space at the end of May!
So, that might give me a fighting chance to do a few more of my practices in the larger exercise room with the somewhat-sprung floor. (Well, until the Y decides to fill the time slots with something else.....)I can think of three causes.
1. You said routine: Does the posture droop at a certain point? Teacher
2. Are you getting mentally overloaded? Thinking about footwork, lead, connection, head left (in closed), and on and on and on all at the same time can let the one not being poked slip. Maybe have your teacher keep pointing it out so you can reset. (If she doesn't already.)
3. How about fatigue? Keeping frame is different from keeping good posture. The arms are out in front of you in frame and supported by your upper back. Strengthening the upper back might help. I commented to a physical therapist about occasional upper back pain and she gave me a theraband with a knot in the middle to put in a closed door and exercise my Lats. Hold an end of the band in each hand and keeping elbows up pull the shoulder blades together and hold for a second. It worked wonders for that pain. This was muscle fatigue caused by keeping the frame up too long (and with partners that rested their arms on my arms). If you don't have a theraband, maybe holding a small weight in your hands while keeping the lats engaged and the arms in dance position might help. (If you get pain, you either did too much or you should see a professional.)
joy
Forum Master
Solo practice with music.
Strengthen your arms and lats.
Therabands helped me a lot. Especially after I figured out how to loop them around my neck so that I got a reminder when I let my posture go.
ProgressNotPerfection
Forum Master
Laughing at that mental image. But it’s a great suggestion.
bia
Forum Master
Lots of good tips already. One mental shift that might help: think of recreating it periodically throughout your time dancing rather than trying to hold/maintain/sustain it.
raindance
Forum Master
One coach had me doing this for general posture at the end (or maybe beginning, I forget it's been a long time) of each measure for a while. It helped, thinking of it so often, and putting a bit of energy into the position over and over through the dance. It also made thinking of it a frequent part of the background of my dancing if that makes sense. Almost like breathing energy into proper positioning over and over and over. I did it for general posture, but it could work for frame as well.
MaggiWrites
Active Member
Imagine someone holding your head in their hands and pulling gently up while pushing your shoulders down (although that's probably what you're already doing in your posture practice). Pushing the shoulders down strengthens your upper back and keeps you from collapsing downwards in your spine. That's what I was taught to do in ballet class and translated it to my figure skating. Now it's a habit in ballroom as well.
Do that when someone's measuring your height and weight and you can add 1.5" to your height. (Well, when you're usually 5'2" like me, that's important
!)