“What It Means To Be A ‘Smart Dancer’ In Class”
You might have heard your teacher say “let's be smart dancers” or “great job being smart dancers today!” But what does that really mean?
Being a “smart dancer” means using all of the tools in your toolbox to adjust your dancing, fix your mistakes, and be in sync with the other dancers in your class before asking your teacher or choreographer for help or more information. Here are 3 tips for how to be a “smart dancer.”
Talk to your classmates to make corrections. One of my favourite things to do to develop smart dancers is to let the class do a run of their choreography and then give them 2 minutes to talk amongst themselves. What went wrong? What formations need fixoing? What choreo questions do you have? Taking this time to talk to each other is great because it helps you to problem solve as a team and to rely on each other. What's even better than doing this in class? Come to rehearsal knowing which questions you have and talk to each other in the lobby before class starts!
Write down your formations and corrections so that you can practice accurately at home. Part of being a smart dancer is practicing and knowing last week’s choreography when you arrive to class. The less your teacher needs to review, the more time you have for group cleaning, technique focus, and new choreography! A lot happens in a rehearsal, so keep a notebook and a pen beside your water and write down anything that is going to help you practice to your fullest potential at home between practices.
Start to use the mirror and your peripherals to match other dancers. Once you have clarified questions and know your choreography inside and out, start to try to match the levels, lines, and energy of the other dancers in your group. For example, if you are in a formation where there are levels and you are bending or low, try to match the height of the person beside you to create the same line across the whole formation. These are the types of moments in a number that look crisp, sharp, and elevated!
Try one of these tips at your next rehearsal and be sure to let us know how it goes!
