10 Tips to Improve Outside of Class - A Dancer's Guide

While working hard in the dance studio is always important, practicing outside of class may even be more important! Dance classes are only one hour long, where you learn new moves, get taught choreography, and are given corrections. These things you learn should be taken from the teacher and then applied. How do you apply them? Practice! 

Practicing in the studio will of course improve your skills, but at a much slower pace than if you dedicate time outside of the class to applying these corrections and going over new movements. Think of how much faster you could improve if you have your dance or new exercises mastered by the next class every week! Your teacher can then spend less time with repetition and more time teaching you new and more difficult things!
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1. Nothing is more important that practice.
   Take the time to repeat your exercises/dances while applying corrections your teacher has given in class. This is important to keep your growth as a dancer moving in the right direction!
   
   
2. Set a schedule for when you practice.
   This will hold you accountable. Without a schedule it is easier to put it off and eventually forget. This will make practicing a conscious priority to yourself.
   
   
3. Practice when you feel fresh and energetic.
   Nothing will discourage your more from practicing than when its a late night, right after a long day of school, sluggish from dinner etc.. Pick a time when you feel you will be able to focus. This will insure you actually accomplish something when you practice.
   
   
4. Make sure your practicing is fun and motivational.
   Try envisioning yourself mastering the moves you have always wanted to, performing at your best and shining on stage. This will give you a vision of your goals and you can dance toward that vision!
   
   
5. Set dance goals.
   Whether this is a series of steps, a jump or part of routine you find challenging, make a plan of when you would like to accomplish this by. If you have always wanted to do centre splits, then set a goal of getting half way down within a month. This will push you do work hard and follow your schedule!
   
   
6. Record steps or routines in class.
   If you cannot remember your dance, it makes it harder to practice. Ask your teacher to take a video of your class doing their dance so that you can watch it at home. You can then dance along with it or refer to it for parts you cannot remember.
   
   
7. Use music YOU like.
   If you only use the one song from your dance over and over and over, you are more likely to get bored and quit! Try putting your dance to your favourite song, this will add more flavour to your practicing and challenge you to think outside the box.
   
   
8. Don’t just dance!
   ALL forms of exercise help your mind and body. Try different sports to build muscle and stamina. Remember that any progress you make in a different sport will transfer into your dancing in one way or another! Staying fit and active between dance classes is always important.
   
   
9. Wear proper clothing and shoes.
   When working out, playing sports or practicing dance, make sure to be wearing the right equipment and clothes. Injuries are easy to avoid if you take the right processions. If you feel a muscle pulling or a pain in your body, let yourself take a rest. Nothing is worth an injury!
   
   
10. Stop when it stops being fun.
    Our RDC motto is ‘Dance To Express Not Impress’. It is important to make sure you are having a fun time. If you stop having fun when you are practicing, take a break for 10 minutes or even the rest of the day. Dancing should always be fun, forcing yourself past enjoyment can create a negative dance experience. Don’t push yourself just for the purpose of impressing other people, instead, dance to impress yourself. Feel the movements and the music, live in the moment and always, always make sure you love what you are doing.
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Nicole Gornik
Artistic Director/CEO
Royal Dance Conservatory