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| | | 1.6) The Learning Process
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| | | | a) How long will it take me to become a good dancer?
| (top) | | | | | The time it takes to become a good dancers depends on your level of commitment. It depends on how quickly you learn, how much you practice, how many lessons you take, the skill of your instructor, your dedication level and finally what you consider to be "good."
What is your goal?
 | To be able to dance socially at clubs, parties and events? |
| To leave an impression wherever you dance? |
| To be able to perform and or compete? |
| To eventually become an instructor yourself? |
Obviously it will take less time to become an okay social dancer than it will to become a performer or an instructor. But the length of time varies from person to person as everyone learns at a different pace. Don’t be discouraged if people are learning faster than you. Some people have a background in other types of dance, which may help them learn faster. Becoming good at any one dance could take weeks or years, depending on what level you aspire to get to, and the effort you invest.
The more you practice, the faster you will improve and achieve your goals. You may ask some other dancers how long they have been dancing. You'll be surprised that some of the best dancers have been dancing for a relatively short amount of time, and there are others who have been learning and improving for years. Some of the best dancers you see in clubs may have been dancing for only a few months. However, during this time span they may have taken a heavy combination of classes and private lessons, danced 6 nights a week, and practiced their moves at the bus stop, etc. The likelihood of this is not high; you’ll find that very few dancers invest that kind of time and money and it is not necessary. You can become a very good dancer by taking only one lesson a week as long as you practice enough. The key to improving is "practice".
The more effort you put into it, the more you get out of it. Most importantly, set reasonable goals and enjoy the learning process. Remember, the reason you started dancing was most likely because it is fun, so get out there and dance. |
| | | | b) Enjoy Your Growing Pains (4 Zones) - By Nicole DaSilva
| (top) | | | | | A Summary of Progress as it Relates to Learning:
Unconscious Incompetence (Zone 1 – Beginner dancers)
This zone is not so bad, as you are usually completely unaware that you may be doing it wrong anyways. This zone represents the very beginning of learning something new. If you discover that you really like to dance, the next zone will confirm just how great your desire is.
Conscious Incompetence (Zone 2 – Intermediate dancers)
Perhaps the absolute worst zone to be in. By this point you've seen enough capable dancers and may be wondering if you will ever be able to dance like the rest of them. This is when you know what you're doing wrong, but just can't do anything about it---YET! Your mind understands the desired result but your body may often refuse to cooperate causing a not so desirable outcome. This is the stage we all pass through before we can begin to master something. Dancers who are at this stage are about to embark on a lesson in perseverance. Hang in there! Your confidence will be restored in zone 3.
Conscious Competence (Zone 3 – Intermediate dancers)
This is where it finally starts to come together. You're doing it right and you know it! Still a little shaken from the previous zone, but nothing a little practicing can't fix. This is the intermediate phase of development and perhaps the longest. This is when a new dancer begins to discover that their feet have a mind of their own. Your physical response time is quicker and your mind often feels left behind. This is called "muscle memory". This is the time to liberate your body & feet with a less conscious approach. Trust them, they just might surprise you.
Unconscious Competence (Zone 4 – Advanced dancers)
Your efforts and commitment are well worth the results you are realizing about now! You are confident in your ability to learn anything new that comes your way. This is the point that your dancing begins to soar. You have a source to tap into for movement to rhythm. It feels almost unconscious and effortless. By now you know that the entire body dances. The music has become the basis for your choreography. You've developed a stronger repertoire and you hear music differently. You're testing all the rules to see which ones you can break. The advanced dancer can look forward to feeling good, looking good and getting only better! You will find different areas of development that will take you back to zone 1 but this time you're ready and willing to experience the wonderful frustrations that can be a part of learning. From here on the only thing to stop you is your desire. |
| | | | c) I already have a background in dance. Will I learn faster?
| (top) | | | | | Having a dance background will not necessarily enable you to learn faster although it usually helps. A dance background usually means that you will have already developed good coordination, footwork, balance, weight transfer, spins, etc. A musical background is also beneficial, as you are more likely to have a strong sense of timing. However, some dances are so fundamentally different from others that dancers need to break the habits learned from one dance to be able to dance another.
A good illustration of this point is a ballet dancer learning to dance salsa. A ballet dancer can bring a lot of great skills to salsa like balance, posture, fluidity, rhythm, and timing. Salsa is more of a street dance though, so ballet dancers can encounter problems too. They are usually not used to being led, their bodies may be "stiff" as opposed to loose, their weight is often lifted as opposed to grounded, etc. A dancer may look like they are still dancing ballet while they are trying to dance salsa. This makes learning salsa challenging, and possibly frustrating (but well worth it!).
Many dances like hip hop, salsa, swing, jazz, modern, etc combine influences from many other dances. Dancers with a background in another dance can usually apply their skill set to these dances to make it unique to them. In fact, many professional dancers take lessons in other styles to improve their own dance! So, whether you’ve danced other styles of dance or not, each dance has its own "feel". Give that “feel” a chance and you’ll be able to reap all the benefits that a new dance has to offer. |
| | | | d) Do guys and girls learn differently? (Applies to partner dances only)
| (top) | | | | | Leaders, typically guys, usually have more to worry about than followers do in the beginning. In addition to the timing, frame, footwork and remembering the pattern, the leaders must concentrate on their lead. This is one of the trickiest areas in the art of dancing a partner dance. The lead requires a good connection, great timing and usually only improves with a lot of practice with different partners. Also, followers can often be reminded of the step from a good lead while leaders do not have this luxury.
Following is also an art which takes time to develop properly. A good follower must develop sensitivity to the lead, learn not to anticipate, develop a great frame and resistance, and have the right tension in the wrists and elbows. In addition, followers do a lot more "spinning", which can be a difficult area to master. However, in general leaders take a longer time to learn than followers do.
Another reason why beginner-followers may learn faster is that they may dance more in the clubs with better dancers who lead them, getting great practice. Beginner leaders have a "slightly" tougher time getting great followers to dance with them, and even if they do, they are limited to their own level since they are leading. |
| | | | e) Do girls (followers) need to take lessons? (Applies to partner dances only)
| (top) | | | | | Many girls can learn at parties by dancing with a variety of good leaders. Some can actually reach a very high level this way. This type of dancer usually has great sensitivity and reaction to be able to follow advanced patterns. However, in some cases you will be able to notice if a follower has never had any lessons. Often they will cheat by shuffling their feet since the steps were never learned properly. They may be able to get through complicated patterns, but often leaders would feel that the following is somewhat "off", or would have to work harder to lead the girl. Their dancing would only be improved by learning some basic fundamentals. Taking lessons would allow them to maximize their potential. If you are a beginner, we cannot over emphasize the importance of lessons, regardless of gender. |
| | | | f) Am I ready to progress?
| (top) | | | | | Most instructors leave it up to students to determine whether or not they are ready to progress to the next level of instruction. Although most instructors do not pass or fail students, they may "recommend" that the student repeats a level. Very often students are under the impression that completing a level automatically suggests they should progress. Usually those who practice are certainly ready for more but those who don't practice should seriously consider repeating a level.
Students who repeat levels often say that it is amazing how much clearer it is the second time around and how much more they learned about things they either forgot about or how it has improved their technique. Dancers seem to get really caught up with the title of a program - the word "advanced" in particular seems to be the class that everyone believes they should be in. Being a solid dancer with a small amount of moves is far better than being a dreadful one with lots of moves. |
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