Improving your dancing skills
Stacey MacNaught |
As an aspiring professional dancer aiming to continue bettering themselves and their ability, advanced dancers should continue to revisit their dance training fundamentals. It is important to remain on top of your technique and not to let your technical ability slide in the face of auditions and performances. It was can be easy to become sloppy and unaware of the descent of your dance technique, however remaining conscientious and aware as a dancer is important to continue striving.
Beginners in the dance field often rely on the more competent dancers, be it at the back of classes, rehearsals or even with partner work. The advanced dancers have the skills, ability and more forward-thinking mind to correct mistakes such as timing and even whether or not their partner is on the right foot! Whilst this could become tiresome, it does however mean that the more advanced dancer gets to work on skills which are more tricky, such as maintaining balance during those moments, filling pauses in the movement and empty space in the routine with more stylised movement.
An advanced dancer should know how to handle those awkward shifts in balance or being on the wrong foot or off time. Whilst the advanced dancer may compensate a little for the beginner they are dancing with, they can mostly be 'saved' from the problem and momentarily become a better dancer with their more advanced partner – it is good practice and skill development to learn how to handle those situations. What makes the advanced dancer even more skilled is the fact they can dance just as well with a professional as they can with a beginner: a dancer's ability should not be dependent on having a good partner.
As a beginner, it is important to keep working on your drawbacks, as well as learning how to stay on time, manage your own momentum, hold your own balance or weight, and maintain connection with your partner.