How to dance gracefully
How to Loosen up so You Can Be a Graceful Dancer
Dancing is both a talent and a skill. You are either born with it or can learn it later on in life. Those who are born with the talent of dancing mostly become famous worldwide due to their high levels of bodily-kinesthetic intelligence. And they achieve that kind of success due to something that’s more than just knowledge of the craft and regular practice.
But we won’t discuss that. In this article, we’ll explore what those who had stiff bodies or with two left feet did that allowed them to dance gracefully as they aged. Yes. This blog post is for you — the aspiring pro cheerleader who wants to hone your skill in dancing but doesn’t know where to start.
1. Work on your confidence
Belief and confidence are the foundations of learning. They help you handle setbacks easily and enable you to get back on your feet in the event of failure. You must be confident and have faith in yourself that with time and practice, you can be like those pro cheerleaders that inspired you.
From today on, instead of telling yourself that you can’t dance, keep in mind that you can. Alcohol can make you a confident dancer. But your dance will be awkward and you certainly cannot audition for a pro cheer team with your breath smelling peculiar. Promote self-positivity through other means such as stopping the habit of seeking validation from others.
2. Know when to stiffen up and limp your muscles
People who became good dancers from zero experience said that the reason why they were stiff was that they put too much control in their movements. And this is the reason why some of us look like robots when attempting to dance. To explain this better, let’s use birds as examples.
Before birds fly, they extend and stiffen their wing muscles to push the air beneath for an upward lift. Then, they loosen most of their muscles as they retract their wings to flap again. The same principle applies to dancing.
In order to move as elegantly as an avian animal, you should also be familiar with when to stiffen your muscles up and when to let loose.
Now try to mimic the movement you’ve observed from the video. Imagine your arms as your wings and apply that muscle movement principle to some dance moves.
3. Study the various techniques of different dance genres
The third tip to learn about being a graceful dancer from zero is to help your body get used to different types of dance movements. One way to do so is to observe different dance genres, mimic the techniques, and then repeat until they become muscle memory. Start by watching simple hip-hop dance moves or pirouette videos.
4. Dedicate time to attend classes, practice, and workout
If you’re a fast learner, then good for you. But let’s face it. It’s really hard to learn how to dance well without a professional mentor unless you’re talented. So don’t be shy. Remember, confidence is the key and you’ll need that to attend dance classes and learn.
While you’re enrolled, don’t forget to also apply what you’ve learned in the studio. Use your free time to practice the moves taught to you at home.
Stay in good shape so you can practice for extended periods of time and have the strength to execute complicated routines.
Don’t forget to do your stretchings as part of your warmup and post-workout routine. Flexibility is very important as a dancer.
5. Listen to music and feel it
The last and most important part of learning how to be a good dancer is your ability to appreciate music and finding your groove. Dancing without music can be done. But it will feel dull. Music brings emotion to the performance and the performer.
When music is combined with your knowledge, hours of practice, and experience of dancing, elegant movements will start to come as a natural part of you. Now, you do listen to music during your dance practices or lessons in the studio.
Yet, the feel is much more different when you put on your headphones and start to listen actively. This is the advice you’ll need if you want to find rhythm and coordination because you start noticing the beats and mood of the tracks.
In a previous article, we’ve shared a quote about how talent can be replaced with persistence. Yes, talent in dancing isn’t really necessary for pro cheerleading. What really matters is your willingness to learn and the effort you’ll put from being an “I can’t dance” type of woman into a “Yeah, I got some moves of my own” type.
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How to Dance Like a Professional
Have you ever seen a dance performance and wondered how the dancers moved in such a graceful manner that it made your heart melt? Or maybe the sharpness of their moves shocked you in their portrayal of the villain in “Beauty and the Beast”? It is amazing how a dancer expresses an idea or emotion through moving in ways the average person cannot, while also making the effort seem effortless. Dancers take the audience to another world, telling entire stories with their bodies, and when they’re really good, it makes you want to dance too.
Although achievable, such dancing takes practice. If you take an open class, you may not remember all the choreography or you may find that you have trouble with musicality, but both of these challenges can be overcome, as can virtually any other impediments that you can run into when learning to dance.
So, if you want to take that next step and learn how to move like the performers who have moved you, get ahead of the game with these tips.
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Remember the body is moving as a whole. This may seem obvious, especially to well-established dancers, but for those who don’t know much about dance, it may be useful to be remember that one part of the body doesn’t move independently of the other parts. Be aware of how the dance instructor moves his or her body altogether, and then try it yourself. Avoid focusing on the movement of one body part, imitating it, and then the next time the instructor dances, imitating another movement, and so on. The body is moving as a whole. Do, with the body, what the teacher does, altogether.
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Don’t think, just do.
Thinking about how to complete the movements makes completing the movements more complicated than it is. Even the phrase “completing the movements” sounds like a drag. People who enjoy dance enjoy being with their bodies. They know they’re in a class to move, not think. Avoid thinking of how you’re going to do the moves, and just do them. You may find that you don’t know how you’re doing the moves, but you’re doing them. That’s how you get out of your head. Leave all your worries at the door and be present and in the moment. Nothing is more important than how you’re moving.
Move with energy or pretend the class is taking place at the Metropolitan Opera House, and the last row in the audience needs to be able to feel every move—make the movements bigger. This helps avoid thinking about the movement, and encourages bravery and commitment to the motion. Furthermore, remembering what step comes next will be slightly easier. That’s because you’re not focusing on it.
Worrying about getting the choreography is pointless. Dance isn’t only about the steps, and it may take a few classes before you can do everything in a technically correct fashion. Putting emphasis in each step, or exaggerating the movements will make dance more enjoyable, and help you appear confident.Misty Copeland performing in Swan Lake (Image via the Washington Post)
Move to the music. This is not all dance requires, but it may be a helpful technique for those struggling with musicality. Moving to the music may sound easier said than done, and I’ve luckily never had this issue, but simply thinking of moving in accordance with the music may help. If not, some dance schools utilize substitute teachers who better provide guidance and advice.
Use images to remember choreography. Another way to remember what move comes next is to associate them with images. For example, if there’s a turn, try thinking of yourself as a spinning top.
If the following move is to stop and slowly kick your leg behind you, you may think this top has stopped spinning and has tilted over to its side. Remembering choreography can be especially challenging for some. Try this technique until you’re more comfortable.
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Consider the texture of movement. This is a useful way to think of dance, because not all routines are the same. It is probably also one of the ways dancers entrance their audiences on stage. It may feel like a bit much to think about during the first few classes, but as soon as you’re ready, give it some thought. Are the moves soft as though you’re in a body of water? Sharp like a knife cutting through a branch? What image best suits how to move to the music? Experiment with what works and see what doesn’t.
Finally, let go of the choreography. Even if you don’t think you’ve got it all down yet, just let it all go. You might surprise yourself.
Dance is about freedom of expression. Try not to think of doing all the moves correctly, or maybe even thinking of them at all. Simply find joy in doing the moves. In other words, live the choreography. Let it be part of you. This part takes patience and practice as well, depending on where you are in dance, but once you master it, you’ll soon feel like an accomplished dancer.
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The best dance teachers are patient and informative, making sure everyone has all the steps before moving on. Find a class that you think will be most enjoyable for you, whether that’s West African, salsa or ballet. Many dance schools, such as Alvin Ailey or Broadway Dance Center in New York, offer open classes, requiring little-to-no experience, and you can sign up according to your own schedule.
At the gym, the same exercise equipment is available each time, and in a yoga class, calming music can eventually become tiring. So change things up a bit.
Dance routines and songs are hardly ever the same, so you’ll never get bored, and moving to the music always has the ability to unite the mind, body and soul. More importantly, it’s fun. So, find the right class and just move!
Dances
Author: Pavel Gather
Psychologist, Lecturer Salsa and Tango
Dances
Author: Pavel Pavel
Psychologist, Lecturer Salsa
on At the start, you always want to get a quick result. When it doesn't happen, the hypothesis arises that everything takes time. After a conditionally acceptable time, humility comes to mastering pair dances, which, perhaps, is not given, and I will just do what I learned somehow.
This is the most common story of those who believe that the mere act of attending a pair dance class is enough to learn how to dance.
Absolutely not. If you want to really dance well, you have to make an effort outside of the dance class.
A good teacher will definitely be needed, but the initiative should be on your side.
1. Listen to music
The most common and accessible advice that is given already in the first lessons. And it definitely works. Music creates a certain atmosphere of the dance and intuitively you want to move to it. It doesn't matter where you listen to music - in the car, on headphones while walking or doing household chores.
An addition that will help you dance better is your active participation in the music. Sing along, dance or simply beat musical accents with any free parts of the body. In the subway, for example, it is enough to tap out bright moments with your fingers, in the car to sing along with sounds, and at home you can jump for pleasure.
2. Watch videos of good dancers
It's complicated, but also obvious. It’s more difficult, because without recommendations from more experienced dancers, unfortunately, it’s not so easy to find a good quality video on the net (I mean not the resolution quality, but the content itself).
Meaningful video viewing is about building an understanding of HOW dancers make a particular impression on a partner or viewer. Technology is at the heart of everything. Understanding how the pros do it is a big step forward.
It is important to distinguish a show from a disco dance, a staged performance from an improvisation, a stylized dance from an authentic one, etc. Ask for recommendations and dance teachers will always throw off a couple of videos of worthy landmarks.
Tango Z. Showreel.
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Tango nuevo is the most advanced version of tango. We can quickly learn to dance from zero to a steep level.
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3. Dance in salsatecas/milongas/discotheques
A very delicate moment when it is worth coming to the first party. From a technical point of view, most students in 1-3 months have a sufficient set of figures and techniques to come and dance calmly.
Psychologically, the same moment can be stretched out for an indefinite time. After all, it is imperative to “not lose face”, “learn more figures” and be sure what to do in case “there is an unfamiliar movement”.
In fact, the partygoers don't really care (except for a small layer of non-professional teachers who want to help inexperienced dancers by treating them as customers in the future). It is important to come and try dancing after a month of classes. You can only with friends or guys from your group. This will be enough to feel the adrenaline and inspiration from the dance.
4. Dance with partners or partners not of your level
The conventional wisdom that you need to practice in groups of your level does not withstand the test of experience. Perhaps now your eyes widened in surprise, and you want to meaningfully read the phrase again. Yes, you saw everything correctly: when you dance with a partner of your level, you don’t grow anywhere.
It's important to understand that not only does it work one way and you have to dance with cooler dancers, but it works even more effectively the other way. It is no coincidence that teaching pair dances dramatically raises the level of the teacher himself. You have an endless stream of very beginner dancers.
How it works. A more experienced partner needs to be "stretched". It's easy and obvious. With beginners, you need to take more initiative on yourself, see the general pattern of the dance more widely, turn on and insure more, try to be an example and be more careful. The quality of interaction begins to grow significantly. And wonderful partners too.
Dancing with partners of your level doesn't make you grow. Dance with both beginners and more advanced dancers
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5. Learn to dance for a partner and for a partner
Turks and Argentines are one of the best partners in the world. In Russia, partners are highly valued. Why? The answer is simple. In Argentina and Turkey, it is not questionable for men to ask another man to lead in one piece or another and give feedback on the quality of the lead. For them, it will be a great shame to hear moralizing from a partner, or even more so to be known in the community as an insecure partner.
In Russia, due to the constant, often far-fetched, opinion that there are more women in pair dances, partners calmly get up and study their partner's part. Such partners then grow into very cool dancers and teachers. In no case do this at parties, only in class. Here we are talking only about the learning strategy. At parties, be yourself.
6. Do not memorize the links
Always try to look deeper and understand the through principle and idea of movement.
Understanding what and how is done will make it possible to independently generate any sequences and chips.
Human memory is limited and there will always be a moment when something will escape and your repertoire will be limited by the size of RAM.
In Argentine tango, for example, there are seven levels of movement construction that, when mastered, will allow you to make millions of combinations. And how many dance sequences can you really remember? In rueda, more than 150 figures dance in a rare circle. It's hard to keep more in mind.
7. Develop your body
Many years of experience in teaching couple dance shows that as soon as everyone pairs up in a class, any progress in individual style ends. But it is the individual style that distinguishes everyone at the disco: partners change, and style is always with you.
The body as the main instrument of dance must be very plastic, responsive and emotional. Surprisingly, not all pair dance schools have a general physical warm-up.
It is vital to tune the body and understand how it works.
You can always train extra and concentrate more on the basic steps, as their true value is as body work. The sequence of steps is, in fact, the simplest thing that can be in pair dancing. The quality of individual performance determines the craftsmanship.
8. Try on the images of inspiring dancers
A psychological life hack for those who have already mastered the steps, but still feel that there is not enough brightness and drive. Most are terribly afraid of being someone else's "clone". Here the action is the same as under the influence of hypnosis - the more you resist, the more you plunge into an altered state of consciousness.
With a high degree of probability, you are already dancing like someone else's "clone". A meaningful fitting of someone else's image is that you mentally take the image of the one who inspires you (inspiration is critical in this case) and "put on" yourself.
Then you start dancing and trying to feel in general how it is to be able, for example, to be the best partner or the sexiest partner in a disco. This is much more difficult than it seems. But it works extremely efficiently.
9. Dance to offbeat music
Habitual rhythms keep you tight. Tango salon or speedy timba leave little room for experimentation and fantasy. Pattern dancing is always noticeable and is reserved for beginners.
The truly new is born outside of the usual. Look for places to experiment. If there is no place, organize self-training. The main thing is not to get carried away, because music determines the style. We bring something new to pair dances, rather than trying to change them.
Search, improvise, don’t be afraid to go beyond, develop in different directions, be inspired by music atypical for the style
10. Try your hand at basic dance directions
dances exist according to their own non-choreographic laws.
This is the deepest delusion, which has turned into a ceiling for the qualitative development of partner dances. After all, all professional dancers, for example, in salsa or bachata, build their ideas on the basic choreographic principles.
Do not think that choreography is only applicable on stage. Any meaningful movement of the body can be choreographic. In general, try classical or modern choreography. Basically, hip-hop can work too.
11. Look for battle sensations
Pair dances return us to an active position of manifestation of our body. As in the days of our ancient ancestors, we impress the members of the opposite sex by how dexterous, hardy, sexy, etc. we are. Modern laws of the jungle in the entourage of big cities.
If you look around the dance floor, it becomes clear that the majority are clearly herbivores (not in the sense of vegetarians, but in relation to those around them).
I am sure that predators are always more interesting in terms of the attractiveness of the image - try to find a counterbalance among herbivores, for example, a cat woman or a lion man.
The conversation is about an internal position, not about aggressiveness. Lability and lack of control are inherent in adolescents, and not in adult self-sufficient people.
Accordingly, even a training or friendly battle gives, on the one hand, practical skills - to make a bright sequence of movements, bring an idea to a climax, show a spectacular feature, on the other hand, develops the psychological basis of the dance - self-confidence, resistance to extraneous attention, self-control and self-control in complex elements.
12. Communicate with professionals
The environment shapes the internal position. Basically, real passionaries of the dance community are ready to openly talk, discuss and support the development of dance in every possible way.
Universal principles and the ideas they articulate have a much longer and more practical perspective than meets the eye.
Accept that, for example, behind the words "listen to your partner" is not only a beautiful metaphor, but also a practical skill to literally listen to your partner. At the same time, always treat every thought, even the most respected teacher, as a private opinion.
Your skill will lie in finding the scope of the idea even in conflicting opinions. Most often, the contradiction is speculative and the truth lies in the angle of perception or situationality.
Your dancing growth will stop sooner or later. This can happen at the level of three basic steps or years of experience in teaching and show performances. Regardless of your level, the suggested 12 life hacks can get you off the ground and greatly accelerate your dance growth. There is no way here without your motivation and activity. Take your dance development into your own hands. 9Ol000 Dangerous sexuality
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Dispute over musicality
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7 tips for those who want to learn how to dance
September 9, 2020 Reno5 Life
Dancing is a great way to make friends with your body and gain self-confidence.
And yes, they can be mastered at any age.
1. Choose your style
The idea here is the same as for sports: if you secretly hate yoga or iron exercises, you are unlikely to go to workouts week after week. To achieve noticeable progress in dancing, a beginner will have to practice a lot and regularly, so it’s better not to torture yourself and choose a direction that really ignites.
You can focus on the music that you like - you need to catch the drive from movements to it. It is music that forms the style of dance and its energy, so decide what is closer to you: for example, funk lovers should try popping or locking, folk fans may like Irish dancing, and if you respect jazz, swing and everything like that, take a closer look at lindy hop.
Another criterion is the nature of the movements. Some are closer to dynamic, as in hip-hop, others are smooth and sensual - for this in tango. There are also health restrictions to consider. So, twerk is not suitable if there are problems with the lumbar spine, with sore knees it is better not to get involved in shuffle, and it will be difficult for an aged person to master house.
2. Set a goal
Photo: Iakov Filimonov / ShutterstockYou can start dancing at any age, but it's important to keep in mind why you started it in the first place. It is perhaps too bold to expect that in half a year of classes it will be possible to reach the level of international dance championships from scratch. But if you want to try dancing in order to develop plasticity and learn to feel the body better, great, go ahead.
Don't expect to get it right the first time. When you learn from scratch, difficulties are absolutely normal, the main thing is not to score in classes. Over time, both the correct posture and a beautiful gait will be developed, and as a bonus you will also get self-confidence - with freedom of movement, freedom from complexes will come.
3. Don't give up on sports
Some dances in themselves make for a good workout. A vigorous shuffle will replace cardio, and a break can give a load to almost all muscle groups. And yet, without preparation, it will not be easy.
A more or less good stretch is needed in any type of dance, and, for example, strong arms and strong abdominal and back muscles are also useful for pole dancing. You can combine dancing with strength exercises, but you need to give the body time to recover and not plan classes in a row, but allocate at least a day of rest between them.
And don't forget to warm up before dancing. So that the training does not end with an injury, the muscles and joints need to be prepared for the load. You can allocate 10–15 minutes for a warm-up, it should include simple articular gymnastics (at least elementary rotational movements of the shoulders and knees), tilts and dynamic stretching.
4. Take some lessons from a trainer
Especially if you have never danced before. Those with experience can learn new styles at home with video tutorials, but that's because they already know how to control their bodies. Beginners are unlikely to succeed, but disappointment in themselves and demotivation are guaranteed - if you can’t repeat elementary movements, then there’s no point in doing it.
Nothing really strange here. Without preparation, it is difficult to just take it and start moving freely. At least the basic elements are better to master under the guidance of a pro, and when you feel that you are coping, supplement these lessons with home workouts.
5. Learn something new in every class
When you repeat the same set of exercises and movements over and over again, classes turn into a good way to pass your free time, only you can forget about progress. Acquaintance with new elements is the same mandatory part of any workout as a warm-up. It doesn't matter if you work with a mentor or on your own.
Do not immediately try to copy cool dancers. First, study the basic movements, then try to combine them into bundles until you hone them to automatism, and then experiment and improvise, creating something new based on familiar elements.
6. Record yourself on video
You don't need to record the whole workout from the warm-up on, it's enough to record only those moments with which you have problems.
These can be separate movements or bundles that are not given in any way. Review the video and, if possible, objectively assess what is wrong: perhaps there are technical problems that are difficult to notice in the process. When you understand what's wrong, try to repeat the movement and record it on video again - and so on until you achieve a good result.
This approach will help you find errors and track progress. You can not even limit yourself to memorized ligaments, but improvise - then see how it looks from the outside.
7. Find like-minded people
Photo: Iakov Filimonov / ShutterstockIf you need an extra reason not to miss classes, then meeting new people can be a good motivation. It is easier here for those who train in a group. Often the dance school becomes the center of a close-knit community, where people come not only for the sake of classes, but also just to spend time together at dance parties.
Finally, the more partners around, the more experience.
Do not limit yourself to dancers of your level of training and practice with those who are stronger or weaker than you. In the first case, you will be able to improve your skills, and in the second, you will try yourself as a coach - this, by the way, is a good way to learn to take more initiative and understand the very principle of movement in dance, and not just memorize the alternation of chords.
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