When in dance class, watch the dance teacher. It may sound like simple advice but when applied properly it's great advice.
There's usually a lot you can learn from a really good dance teacher. You can learn by copying their technique, you can learn a lot about how to make a dance style look good, you can learn about a certain style of movement.
In fact if your dance teacher is any good at all, you'll learn a lot of things from them, much more than just choreography. However in some instances the dance teacher may not explicitly teach you how to do the dance moves, they'll just teach the choreography. And it will be up to you to watch them and copy them so you can do it like them.
Different dance teachers have different dance styles and if you can learn to dance like your different dance teachers you will learn a lot of different dance styles which of course makes you a better and more versatile dancer.
It can be very tempting to just learn dance routines, after all it does take concentration and routines are a lot of fun. But if you're not spending enough time watching the teacher close enough and working out what they're doing to make their moves look so good, you're only getting half the benefit of the dance lesson.
When you're not sure how the dance teacher is doing a certain dance move, ask! Nearly all dance teachers will be more than happy to answer and help you out. Sometimes they don't explain certain moves as they may assume that the dance class already knows how to do them. This is especially true for dance classes above beginners level.
Look out for all the details of the dance choreography. Things such as levels (how high or low they are), shapes of the moves, if the move is an extension or meant to be small, speed of the different moves, technique being used, lines, where the accents are, if the moves are fluid or staccato, etc. There are so many different aspects to look out for and the more you are able to copy, the more you'll look like the teacher.
It can also be beneficial to speak to the dance teacher at the end of the dance class and ask them directly what they think you should work on and what needs to be improved. Their answer will be the most important things that need to be worked on and the most important things that you'll need to focus on to improve and get better.
Not all dance teachers correct the mistakes their students make so sometimes the only thing you can do is ask the teacher directly. If you have a dance teacher that likes to call out mistakes then it will probably be obvious to you what you need to work on.
Also if you're able to record yourself and watch yourself back you'll be able to come up with lots of things you can do to improve your dancing. Video gives you a much better and accurate representation of your dancing than even the mirrors in the dance studio. Sometimes it can be a major shock as you may think you're doing something right, and only when you watch yourself back on video do you realise that it can be much better!
Gel Man writes for Dance Gel, a dance portal and directory that answers many of dancers most pressing questions and features the latest news in the world of dance.
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