Ballroom Dancing is a complex activity that requires two bodies to move in perfect harmony with each other and the music. We have all heard our teachers repeat the phrase “practice makes perfect” many times. Personally, I strive to rewrite it to “Practice makes permanent. Only perfect practice makes perfect”. This article aims to shed light on the 3 Ws of good practice -Why, What, and How. We will also dive into constructing a blueprint for a good practice session since it is the most important element of success in whatever endeavor we want to be good at.
Why: Malcolm Gladwell, one of my favorite authors, is famous for his 10,000-hour rule. In his book “Outliers,” he repeatedly mentions it, claiming that the key to achieving world-class expertise in any skill is, to a large extent, a matter of practicing the correct way, for a total of around 10,000 hours. Whether the number is valid or not is a matter for an empirical study. The point is that to become really good at something, you have to invest a lot of time put to use in the most efficient way.
What: A quick google search gives us the definition of practice as "perform (an activity) or exercise (a skill) repeatedly or regularly to improve or maintain one's proficiency." Whether it is learning how to hold the violin, improving your acting, or perfecting that promenade position, practice is at the bottom and the top of the excellence ladder. By default, we think that repeating our lockstep a hundred times would perfect it, but in reality, this is far from the truth. To achieve that perfection, you not only need to repeat something hundreds of times, but it is also important how you repeat it and how you structure those repetitions.
In Ballroom Dancing, we can review the term practice in two different connotations. Practice as the process of actual repetition of a movement pattern or as a chunk of time dedicated to improving your dance skills. Further research into structuring practice can help us establish a blueprint that can guide us in this sometimes arduous process of putting knowledge into practical execution.
HOW: In this section, our main goal is to realize what should be involved in our practice and how to carry it out in the most efficient way. The best way I found to think about practice is that it is a chunk of time from our lives that we cannot ever take back. For me, experiences are those precious moments that are remembered and cherished for a lifetime. Turning our practices into positive, memorable experiences is a great way to influence the assimilation of information fed to our bodies.
As in any other process, especially involving us humans, there are outside and inside influences and behaviors that can impact the efficiency and experience of the practice process. In other sports like tennis, the main focus is on YOUR performance; in Ballroom Dancing, however, there is no such thing as only YOU. Ballroom dancing is danced in couples, so you and your partner are equally responsible for making the practice process a positive and efficient experience so you can bring your best dance performance to the next competition.
Let’s look at some of the factors that influence our practice sessions the most.
Goals
Moving performances and unforgettable moments on the dance floors are a string of events, much like the pearls on a beautiful necklace. Born from a vision in our mind, those performances are only possible because we have put the work in figuring out how to achieve them. Imagine you have the vision to deliver a speedy and impressive Quickstep show dance, and you currently lack speed; a good practice objective might be to improve your speed. Short and long-term goal setting can be a helpful beacon of light that can guide you in structuring your practices.
The Practice Plan
Remember the last time you were on an airplane? If you are reading this, then perhaps it went smoothly. There are several reasons why your flight safely took off, cruised, and then landed at your destination. To name a few- the pilot's experience, the aircraft's reliability, the ground control, and the weather conditions that day but important of all the flight plan and the set of instructions for all critical moments of the flight like take-off and landing.
We all know that having a practice plan is the most critical part of your practice, and yet, it is missing from many dancer's daily practice routines rendering their practice time almost completely useless. Many things can be included in the practice plan, literally anything you want to focus on and specify. Some of the most effective plans would include practice duration, goals, and instructions on how to achieve them, warm-up exercises, and cool down/ stretch.
To-do Lists
I find to-do lists to be quite helpful in giving us a clear direction and guidance on how to reach the practice goals. Let's say you just received a new piece of choreography, and the practice goal is to learn the piece and dance it to music by the end of practice. The to-do list can be as simple as:
- Solo practice without music to memorize the sequence
- Solo practice with music
- Couple practice to sync the movements together without music
- Couple practice to speed up the movements to music
Priorities
While creating the to-do lists, always guide yourself by the priorities for the practice. In my opinion, If you have a competition next week and you just got a new piece of routine, an emphasis should be placed on dancing the piece to music rather than styling the arms, for example.
Practice Duration
Too long, too short, just right? The practice duration is an essential element that closely relates to the practice plan, that practice's goals, and the time available. Sometimes you can have a memorable and productive practice session even in just 45 minutes. I don't have the right answer for how long it is too long or the perfect duration for a good practice. It is very personal, for me, a practice session longer than 2-3 hours is not practical. Knowing what works for you is very important, but that can take some trial and error to figure out. For example, I get bored quickly and have to move to think that's why long sessions don't work well for me.
Attitude
Arguably the best virtue a man can possess is his attitude. The attitude to life in general but most importantly in dance practice- the attitude towards the self and the partner, and the creative process that both are involved in. A great attitude would cultivate positive collaborative features in both partners like teamwork and respect.
Knowledge, Communication, Discussion
Knowledge is power and freedom. In dancing, the correct information or approach can speed up the process of creation. It is foolish for one to think that they hold all the keys to the castle. More often than not, collaboration and sharing of knowledge can bring to fruition some of the best dancing.
Communication guides the process of knowledge exchange. We are all different people, with our own journeys, ways of learning, and quirks, and sometimes we forget that. Miscommunication is the main reason for traction between partners and eventually leading to an unproductive practice. Reminding ourselves that there is another way and another viewpoint is really important in untangling complicated situations.
At any point during the practice, especially at the beginning and end, a discussion can help analyze what, how, and why can be done to improve the practice session's efficiency. Share with your partner what you thought went well and what can be improved, then listen to their perspective and share ideas. Collaboration is key.
Body and Mind Readiness
Like in any other sport, in dance, the body and the mind play a major role in achieving anything. We need to look into the body and mind from two perspectives- health and readiness. Keeping the body well-nourished and hydrated can yield enormous benefits not only for day to day practice but overall for prolonging your dance career. On the other hand, through a warm-up, stretching, and conditioning, you can get the body ready to perform at its best, whether at practice or competition. For a dancer, the body is the only tool available for producing art; we must care for it well.
Focus
Giving 100% in everything you do is always the ultimate goal. But this never as easy as it sounds. Life constantly pulls us apart in different directions when we, most of all, need to focus on the task at hand. A focused mind can achieve any goal. But how do we focus on the mind? To be honest, it is not easy but having all of the above mentioned factors in check (like goals, practice plan, priorities) during and before your practice can ensure that you are on the right track and not practicing random elements that will not bring you closer to your vision. Meditation is another incredible tool for learning to harness the mind and achieve longer, deeper focused sessions.
Simple Practice Planner
EXAMPLE PRACTICE PLAN
Duration: 3 hours
Specify the duration of the practice session.
Practice Objective: Learn and dance to music the new choreography pieces in Cha cha and Samba
Specify the objective/goal of the practice session.
Dance One: Cha- Cha
Chose one of the five dances
Dance Two: Samba
Chose a second dance if time permits
To-do List:
Write down a list of mini tasks that will help you reach the objective of the practice for each dance.
Dance 1- Cha-Cha
- Solo practice without music to memorize the sequence
- Solo practice with music
- Couple practice to sync the movements together without music
- Couple practice to speed up the movements to music
Dance 2- Samba
- Solo practice without music to memorize the sequence
- Solo practice with music
- Couple practice to sync the movements together without music
- Couple practice to speed up the movements to music
Schedule:
Warm up Section 35 min
Full body scan warm up 10 min
Solo Basics (chose 1 dance) 10min
Together Basics (the same dance) 10min
Break 5 min
1st Dance Section 1h10min
1st part of To-do list (for that dance) 25 min
Break 10 min
2nd part of To-do list (for that dance) 25 min
Break 10 min
2nd Dance Section 1h
1st part of To-do list (for that dance) 25 min
Break 10 min
2nd part of To-do list (for that dance) 25 min
Cool Down Section 15 min
Cool down, discuss and evaluate the practice session 15 min
I hope this article was helpful for you and will make you look at practice from a different angle and hopefully cultivate some good habits to improve your productivity and enjoyment.
Happy Dancing!
