How do you all visualize your competition routines w/out knowing the music?

[SPratt74]

The reason I ask is because, it's so much easier memorizing and visualizing a showcase rather than it is a competition routine because you don't know the music ahead of time. So, how do you all overcome this? I mean do you not even bother picturing yourself with music ahead of time? Of course we practice with music, and I know I'll know my routines. It's not that. It's just that whenever I did a showcase, I was allowed a copy of the song if I didn't have it and then I could picture it in my mind and know the song ahead of time. Wheras you can't really with this. So do you all have any trick as to how you picture your routines ahead of time? Thanks!

 

[mamboqueen]

The reason I ask is because, it's so much easier memorizing and visualizing a showcase rather than it is a competition routine because you don't know the music ahead of time. So, how do you all overcome this? I mean do you not even bother picturing yourself with music ahead of time? Of course we practice with music, and I know I'll know my routines. It's not that. It's just that whenever I did a showcase, I was allowed a copy of the song if I didn't have it and then I could picture it in my mind and know the song ahead of time. Wheras you can't really with this. So do you all have any trick as to how you picture your routines ahead of time? Thanks!

I don't really have trouble visualizing without music, but sometimes I'll listen to music on my mp-3 player and visualize. I should probably do it more often as I have timing issues.

 

[samina]

just focus on the figures, their connecting moves, and create an inner rhythm or song in your head from their counts... you should have that anyway, so it's a good place to start. then you'll have the music, see how it all fits together, and take it from there!

 

[tangotime]

Strict tempo B/Room, is invariably 64 bars.--- 8 sequences of 8 bars ( plus intro ) .Once knowing the dance to be performed, then the time allocation, is supposed to be pre set ( e.g 30 bars per min. w-- 32 bars per min. t. etc. ). The time length of a song,is just that-- how long it plays .

Simple exercise for you. Pick out any song, count the # of bars in the piece- ( as in --1,2,3,4 -2,2,3,4,-- 3,2,3,4 etc-) you will begin to see a repetition, of the musical sequence .

Then , time it at one minute, counting the # of bars they play, and you will have the " speed " at which it is being played .

 

[fascination]

well, um, I continue to learn that all I have to do it to move my body mostly forward and back...the rest is really his job...i just stay in postion and follow....spending most of my time now thinking more about the foot I am dancing from than the thing I am dancing to...good lord I wish I had committed to that sooner.....memorization ain't all it's cracked up to be

 

[SlowDancer]

well, um, I continue to learn that all I have to do it to move my body mostly forward and back...the rest is really his job...i just stay in postion and follow....spending most of my time now thinking more about the foot I am dancing from than the thing I am dancing to...good lord I wish I had committed to that sooner.....memorization ain't all it's cracked up to be

I totally agree with this. I have set routines for my upcoming competitions, and I have the sequences more or less memorized but not completely...all but a couple of the steps/patterns are lead-follow and we practice each routine to several different songs at every lesson, so I don't get locked into thinking a particular thing will be happening at a particular part of any one song. I like it this way because it gives a more spontaneous look to the dancing. And besides, this way I won't freak out if pro should happen to lead me out of sequence during the competition.

 

[fascination]

and so many steps are best executed by not anticipating them (like all of them)

 

[samina]

just focus on the figures, their connecting moves, and create an inner rhythm or song in your head from their counts... you should have that anyway, so it's a good place to start. then you'll have the music, see how it all fits together, and take it from there!

sorry, spratt... i was thinking showcase routine here for some reason.

i practice my comp routines by myself, but then basically forget all about them when i'm with with my pro... i focus similarly as fasc mentioned... just doing my part & following, because he does change things in the moment, as needed for floorcraft.

 

[fascination]

beyond that...it is his job to pick the degree to which a step is angled...and he is better off if I am merely assuming that I am going in the direction in which my center is moving which is near to always forward or back...if I chose sideways, he has to guess...not a good plan

 

[meow]

The music and the speed at which it is played, in the end is irrelevant. You should know your routine and be able to dance it, with correct timing without any music. Then whatever is played (as long as it is the correct music for type of dance) you shouldn't have a problem.
In Aust, some comps play great music and others horrid stuff; the music speed is usually really good but there are occasions where it is too fast or slow. But dancers need to be able to adapt easily to whatever they play. Not saying it is easy though.

 

[reb]

Lots of good comments here already.

Sing/hum when you're practicing and carry this over to when you're without external music - and you've still got your internal music. This can help with emphases such as stretching a beat (such as the rise 2-3 in Waltz). As a leader, I play/replay the starts of as much music as I can to imagine/practice the possible scenarios.

And because the music can sometimes be quite odd in a comp - you don't want to be caugh listening to the song trying to figure it out on the floor - you just need to count and go and embellish as appropriate - no matter how awful the music.

 

[SPratt74]

I can't believe I have two pages worth of replies! I would have responded sooner, but I had to work today. I will take everyone's advice in. I just wasn't sure how to practice or study my competition routines. And I was like, do you just count the steps or whatever and forget about the music lol? I tried listening to some random Waltz music last night, and I was getting confused, which is why I asked today. I wasn't sure where to begin on or anything like that. I guess with experience I'll probably know better in the future. But thanks guys. I am going to try the different things you all mentioned and see what works for me. That's all stuff I wouldn't have thought about.

 

[and123]

Different learning styles respond to different methods of remembering things. You could write it down, mentally dance it in your head, physically dance it without a partner, or a combination of any of these. Music-wise, yes, you need to know how to count each dance, but it is your partner's job to prep and begin moving when he and you are ready, and floorcraft may dictate that a planned sequence of steps changes. You must be able to adjust accordingly and not panic (both are acquired skills that require practice!). You need to be able to dance the routines to any music, even the random crappy songs you may encounter at comps. It's a bonus when you get a recognizable or favorite song, because often this allows you to "play" with it and give the dance more feeling, as does the ability to go "off routine" and lead-follow when the mood strikes.

 

[SPratt74]

Different learning styles respond to different methods of remembering things. You could write it down, mentally dance it in your head, physically dance it without a partner, or a combination of any of these. Music-wise, yes, you need to know how to count each dance, but it is your partner's job to prep and begin moving when he and you are ready, and floorcraft may dictate that a planned sequence of steps changes. You must be able to adjust accordingly and not panic (both are acquired skills that require practice!). You need to be able to dance the routines to any music, even the random crappy songs you may encounter at comps. It's a bonus when you get a recognizable or favorite song, because often this allows you to "play" with it and give the dance more feeling, as does the ability to go "off routine" and lead-follow when the mood strikes.

Yes. I agree. It's hard not to panic though when you are the kind of person that usually has to know every detail in advance lol! But this will be good for me though. It will help me be more spontaneous probably in other words lol. However, thankfully I have watched a video of his that allows me to see kind of what the competitions are like with him as a leader. So, I'm not worried in that sense. But I know that you all and that he has said that we don't get to pick our own music does worry me.

But I guess in a way, I should think of it kind of like social dancing. You never know what song will pop up, and you just kind of go along with the flow. But it's not social dancing nor is it anything like a showcase which does make it kind of confusing and in a category all in it's own. Oh well. All I know is that I'm having fun with it all!

And the one video that I watched, the girl was a complete beginner at the time (not now of course), and I know more than what she did. He's working with me on styling and technique. She didn't do that with her competition. For instance, he's working with me on my frame and head positioning and she didn't do any of that during her routine. But from my checklist, he's got almost all of the Bronze steps in my routine. (I'm sure we will have the rest of the Bronze steps after I learn the last few that I need to know.) So, I know what to practice, and I feel really good about that. The routine isn't done yet though. But we got a good part of it is finished.

 

[waltzgirl]

Don't let him plan routines that are more than about 1 minute 20 seconds. That's about the most you will get done before the music stops (usually even shorter). There's not much point in struggling to remember and perfect steps that you won't get to do. Actually, for the smooth dances, all you need is one long side and one short side, then repeat. Because there are multiple couples on the floor, the judges won't be watching your whole routine and won't notice that it repeats.

One of my very few complaints about my pro is that he gave me routines that were too long and too complex when I first started competing. I'd have been much better off to keep the patterns simpler and focus more on basic technique.