The Dance Routine Corner
Learning to dance? This site will help you with advice on learning dance routines and new choreographies.
With you on your journey to becoming a great dancer.
Help!
Common problems and topics covered when it comes to learning a dance routine, new steps and performing.
To succeed at professional level dance routines and in the dance industry you'll need super memory skills. Your dance training and experience will become vital at this stage.
The more dance classes and training you have undertaken, the more you would have harnessed your ability to remember dance routines.
When it comes to professional dance routines you will be expected to know your stuff - not every choreographer will explain things which they expect you to know. Many times they will just teach the choreography.
Another thing which you should expect is for dance routines to be taught at a fast pace, this is why it is essential to have super memory skills.
Whereas in a dance class you may have an hour or so to learn a routine and get it right, at professional level you may only have half an hour...sometimes even less.
If you are working as a professional dancer there may even be times where you'll need to adjust a few things. For example a dancer may have to pull out becuase of an injury or the choreographer may change their mind about something.
So you may have to make a few changes to a routine you have already rehearsed at the last minute and learn these changes in 10 or 15 minutes.
When it comes to auditions it is very important to be able to pick up choreography very quickly. Every audition is different but nearly always you will learn a routine in a much quicker timeframe than a standard dance class would teach.
It is important to come up with a system that helps you remember the moves and the routines. In many choreographies there will be a section that you'll find trickier than others.
When you find these sections, it can be effective to spend more time on these sections so you can get the routines right. You will often be given some time on your own after a routine is taught...use this time effectively!
Keep an eye on how long it takes you to learn new routines when taking dance classes. It may feel good if in an hour's time you've got the routine, but in the professional world you may need to get it in half the time to succeed.
If you know who the choreographer is, you may find it helpful to watch some of their choreography or videos (if you can find them) beforehand so you can become familiar with their style and have some visual idea of how they like their work to look.