How to practice at home (w/o partner) between lessons???

K

Kanela

New Member
Officially I am hooked, though a beginner I ache to dance everyday now that I started lessons a few weeks ago. I have group lessons 2xweek and a private lesson on one of those days as well. But the 2-3 days between seem like FOREVER without dancing.

My dear hubby is busy with other stuff (and is not taking lessons yet) so I thought I could put on some music and practice the steps myself at home before I head to work. Is that what people do? I'm a beginner so it's all about getting the fundamentals right at this point, right... Any other ways to do it at home? I do have hardwood floors throughout the house..
 
That sounds about right. It's exactly what I do now. Sometimes, some studios have open practice where you can just come in (for free, obviously, or it's included in your package price) and practice on the hardwood there. The one I used to go to, the practice time was included in the package price so there was almost always an instructor there that, while not really teaching, would let you know if you were doing anything wrong and correct you - this was a while ago though so, things may have changed. Currently, the school I go to has practice time every day except wed. and sun. after official classes are over, so I go and I practice there on occasion (when I'm not too tired) as well.
 
Kanela said:
Officially I am hooked, though a beginner I ache to dance everyday now that I started lessons a few weeks ago. I have group lessons 2xweek and a private lesson on one of those days as well. But the 2-3 days between seem like FOREVER without dancing.

My dear hubby is busy with other stuff (and is not taking lessons yet) so I thought I could put on some music and practice the steps myself at home before I head to work. Is that what people do? I'm a beginner so it's all about getting the fundamentals right at this point, right... Any other ways to do it at home? I do have hardwood floors throughout the house..
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belated welcome to DF...it's always about getting the fundamentals right...you don't even need the music...what you can't do correctly slowly you can't do at tempo...stand up straight, don't let your gaze fall...and practice the basics with as much good technique at you know...ex...ten minutes focus on good foot pressure, 10 minutes focus on excellent what your back or hips or knees should be doing, etc.......it's not only okay...it is the way to own your own dancing...good luck
 
I face the same problem when I am away from my college team (where I take my lessons) and partner, and I'm home for the summer. I tend to slack to be honest, especially since we don't have much room and the wood floors are far too sticky for my latin shoes. I try to just work on my basic honestly...maintain excellent posture, clean footwork, timing, and if I've learned new steps, I keep dancing those until I am satisfied with them. Practice makes perfect, and I try to keep practicing my fundamentals until they are second nature. If you can practice in your dance shoes, that's even better because it feels different in heels of course. I'll normally have my iPod on, and practice for an hour a day at least; that way everything is fresh in my memory.
 
fascination said:
it's not only okay...it is the way to own your own dancing...good luck
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This is right on IMO--good partnership dancing is more about "dancing yourself, and connecting that with another person", rather than "dancing with another person."

When by yourself, for now, I would recommend working on dancing your basics with (1) good posture, and then focus on (2) using and strengthening your feet. That will take care of about 90% of what you need to do as a dancer. It may sound overly simplistic, but it really is that simple.
 
Spend the time to internalize the technique, work on the things that aren't natural. Every part of your technique should become second nature, and breaks give you a good opportunity to do this.
 
Question: If your husband is busy, would it be okay if you got together with some other people from the studio? It could even be another lady where you can help each other remember the steps.

Apart from that, maybe some ballet instructional videos might help you increase your body awareness and balance.
 
Kanela said:
Officially I am hooked, though a beginner I ache to dance everyday now that I started lessons a few weeks ago. I have group lessons 2xweek and a private lesson on one of those days as well. But the 2-3 days between seem like FOREVER without dancing.

My dear hubby is busy with other stuff (and is not taking lessons yet) so I thought I could put on some music and practice the steps myself at home before I head to work. Is that what people do? I'm a beginner so it's all about getting the fundamentals right at this point, right... Any other ways to do it at home? I do have hardwood floors throughout the house..
Click to expand...

All through my competitive dancing, I was trained to do my own thing. As a professional I was given enough jobs that my partner and I did around 60% of our practice alone. In the "body" school there are well over a hundred exercises that covers the jobs of the Lady. Even if you tried, you couldn't finishes them all in one week of practicing every day. Ask your teacher to teach you some Lady exercises and do them everyday. I actually teach lady practice group classes in several of the studios that I teach in. There is classes out there that will teach you to practice on your own.

Dancepro
 
Right now, I'm kind of on a hiatus until I get back to civilization... so I'm working on my own - going to the gym, working on flexibility, posture, leg strength, speed, and balance on my own. I've done a little yoga and I'm thinking about taking a modern class as well so that my time on my own is spent really developing my knowledge of my own body and myself while I don't have a partner (and am far from any ballroom studio...)
 
dancepro,

I have more time than my partner does, so the classes you are describing should be helpful for me. In which state do you teach?
 
dancepro said:
In the "body" school there are well over a hundred exercises that covers the jobs of the Lady.
Dancepro
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not to get off track with this wonderful thread, but can you mention one or two exercises/jobs for the lady - maybe some not_so_obvious ones ? pm might also work, thanks.
 
How do YOU practice outside of class?

Hi all. I know there are different dances and dancers in this forum.

But I was just wondering how everyone else practices either at home or outside of class. Right now-until I get the chance to go out-- I just watch youtube videos and practice with an "invisible partner", making sure to get my steps down right.

What about you?
 
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