"Unlearning" a dance?

[learningtodancewell]

i feel very fortunate

My instructor is a pro and is teaching me with the aim of pro-am competition. I realize how fortunate I am that she is cutting me no slack and not letting mistakes get by.
This is easy to take because she is a fabulous dancer who really, really knows what she is doing
We even started on the Paso Doble on my request yesterday. I love it!

I have finally gotten the message that PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE is the key to dance the way you feel. I so enjoy dancing with the ladies I had found it hard to get started with practicing by myself.

Now that I started practicing by myself, though, I can't wait to try what I THINK I am now doing well... with my instructor. And find out if I am getting it correct.

 

[jen88]

Re: i feel very fortunate

My instructor is a pro and is teaching me with the aim of pro-am competition. I realize how fortunate I am that she is cutting me no slack and not letting mistakes get by.
This is easy to take because she is a fabulous dancer who really, really knows what she is doing
We even started on the Paso Doble on my request yesterday. I love it!

I have finally gotten the message that PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE is the key to dance the way you feel. I so enjoy dancing with the ladies I had found it hard to get started with practicing by myself.

Now that I started practicing by myself, though, I can't wait to try what I THINK I am now doing well... with my instructor. And find out if I am getting it correct.

What all do you practice by yourself? Besides cuban motion, pivots etc?? I too am going for the pro-am competition thing and am VERY grateful that my instructor is not cutting me any slack as well.

 

[learningtodancewell]

Well, this is the first time I have practiced alone seriously since we started about a month and a half ago. I have practiced a couple of hours, overall since our lesson Saturday afternoon. Next lesson Monday evening.

She asked me to practice the cha-cha lock step backwards and forwards and a new step in the waltz for me... I pretty much stand there, going left and right while she underarm turns 4, 5 times. Can't think of the name.
Just to get myself going I have focused on the cha cha lock step exclusively.

BTW I am REALLY looking forward to the 5-10 minutes a lesson she promised to dedicate to Paso Doble. I love that stuff.
I'm not sure how I'll practice that in my 2nd floor apartment... I am looking for a new place to live. Dancing is A LOT more interesting to me than house hunting.

Is your instructor teaching you all these different steps? I have all these steps in my head now for waltz, tango, foxtrot, cha-cha, mambo, samba, rumba, hustle, meringue... and probably a couple more that I can't remember. (Smooth and Latin steps) I love it all, though. My problem is pulling up the right step in my brain.
Like someone above said about a habit and 21 days, some of those early steps are now locked in and I actually feel like I'm dancing a fair amount of the time in the lesson.
I hope you are enjoying yourself as much as I am! 8)

 

[dancingdragon]

I am glad I am not alone. I know a lot of it is being a perfectionist .....it takes time to relearn and I keep expecting myself to fix it in one lesson.

I have to agree with you there jen88. I get frustrated with my teacher because she chooses to teach the steps first, and lets you carry on with them for ages until they become a habit, and then she decides she's going to blitz the technique and it's only then that you find out you've been doing things wrong all this time. :x It's really hard to break the old habits and I think it's a bit of a self-defeating approach, but I just keep telling myself that I wasn't supposed to know this already and I'm not expected to get it right first time - we're not superheroes, right?!

I'm interested about this "5 weeks to build muscle memory" theory. I might monitor that next time I have to relearn something. Wow, I'm learning so much from you guys, it's great!

 

[jen88]

I am having a BLAST dancing! I am completely obsessed with it. If I am not doing it, I am thinking about it, or on DF! So much so that my students are expecting their tests back tomorrow graded... :shock: NOT GONNA HAPPEN.
I have been introduced to most of the dances, but east/west coast, rhumba, cha cha, tango, and waltz have risen to the top. I think I am going to take a east coast and hustle class to give me a jump start so I don't have to waste time in the lesson figuring out where my feet go. Then I can focus on technique.

I wish I had a better place to practice.....I think I am wearing a rut in the floor. I have done a little Paso Doble too! Personally I like the stomp! he he I only decided about 3 weeks ago to compete. I attended the St. Louis Star Ball and came home with a Latin costume....I knew I was hooked!!!! My first comp will be in August. I am really excited...and nervous. I am a musician, so I have performed before. This time I will be glad to have someone out there with me! I just wish I could take lessons every day. I wish could quit my jobs and just dance.....wouldn't that be great? Alas, the rent has to be paid.

Good luck house hunting!

 

[learningtodancewell]

Alas, my job NOW SEEMS A LOT LESS INTERESTING than dancing... I, too, had work I had intended to do before 8:00 am Monday morning. It's not 8:00am Monday morning yet. :?

I just go forward on faith that such joy in my life is not an accident.

What could be more joyous than dancing soul to beautiful soul? :together:

That's how I feel about most of my partners, too. Not just my instructor, who is absolutely thrilling to dance with. The co-owner of the studio, whom I also love to dance with, said I will not get to sit down much at the group lessons! This because I am a male who is starting to dance well and the ladies seem to be noticing that, as predicted by the owner. :friend:
I am taking a ton of private lessons also. That's why my brain is full of all these steps.

I, too, am captivated by dancing. I have not had this much fun since I was 17 and spent the summer learning trampoline at a friend's home. What a blast that was! 8) I'm 49 and I'm trying to figure out how I can get bouncin' on a trampoline again.
I roller-bladed to work 2 weeks ago. (I'm not middle aged crazy, either. I just have ended up in a situation where all of this is feasible as far as career, family, etc. I'm footloose and fancy free.) My Nextel shaped bruise has healed very nicely. I will be skating to work again soon.

We are planning (I think) to compete May 29 in Naples, FL. The studio owner says all his amateurs sign up for 5 events in their first competition and then compete and say "I wish I signed up for 10!" Maybe we'll sign up for 10. :car:
BTW My instructor and I work in the same building and we gave an impromptu dance demonstration with no music. What fun that was! 8)
We did just a few steps from waltz, tango, mambo... maybe a few other steps. After the demonstration I gave a tango lesson to another employee until (about 2 minutes) her boyfriend came in to pick her up for lunch. That was no problem however.
I can't wait to give another demonstration for the folks who weren't there the last time.

It sure is fun sharing this with people who have the same excitement about dancing. I enjoyed the dance demonstration because we could show people we worked with how much fun we were having dancing.