As dancers, investing in ourselves should a priority. After all, our body is our instrument. Often the short term effects of what we do to ourselves go easily unnoticed, so we keep pushing the boundaries. But in reality, the bad habits catch on and catch up with us in the end. So here are a few thoughts on investing into your dance instrument: yourself.
Ditch procrastination. How many times have you said to yourself, “I’ll do it tomorrow,” or “I’ll start Monday.” This allusive Monday (or tomorrow) becomes the next one, and the next one… If you think about how long you’ve wanted to do or start something, you’ll probably be astonished at the length of time that has already passed. Don’t put things off!
If you’ve been putting off a stretching program, leaving class till next week, or finding excuses to get out of training – you’re wasting precious time. Every day you put off the stretch, your body becomes lazier. Every class you miss is an opportunity to learn. Every week you put off a healthy diet is a bit more damage done to your body. We rarely notice the short term effects (which is why it’s so easy to get stuck in this cycle!), but the ‘older you’ will reap the benefits – or suffer the blow of realization.
Actually it wouldn’t be a bad experiment to write a letter to ‘future you’. Remember Ted from ‘How I Met Your Mother’? If I open a letter to future me in 12 months, I sure as hell don’t want regrets when reading it!
Attend classes. There comes a point in any Salsa dancer’s life when we ask ourselves, “Do I know enough?” That’s normal. Unfortunately it breeds a community of social dancers who no longer improve. Of course, we all have reasons for doing or not doing classes at any given time. But the more dancers actually attend classes, the better is the overall improvement in the scene. (And hey – that means your instructors can keep providing the classes too!)
I have found that, generally, the bigger the city, the higher the level of dancers is. Recently I had the opportunity to do some social dancing in Melbourne. I danced all night long (non-stop!), and not one guy was disappointing! Even the most inexperienced dancers demonstrated better floor craft than what I’m used to: when you see your leader looking out for your safety, it inspires confidence in his ‘driving’ abilities.
On the other hand, in a smaller environment there tends to be more of a laid back attitude, and many social dancers stop taking classes when they reach what I call ‘the point of comfort’. That is a point at which the leaders feel they know enough to entertain their partners socially, and the followers feel that they can follow most moves they’re being led into without major dramas. The trouble is it’s a bit of a vicious circle. Why? Because the moves on the social dance floor become incredibly overused, sometimes with sequences repeated over and over through the song. (Yes, pretty boring for a follower who enjoys musicality!) If you’re used to this environment and then step into a venue of a larger city, you can feel paralyzed! Yes, everyone will look amazing.
The point is, if they look amazing, it is because they work for it. Because in big cities more people take classes, thus more people improve and more people are dancing well. So it is encouraging for the average dancers. Instructors have bigger classes, and everyone benefits. So even if you are a social dancer, even doing just one class per week will keep you in touch with is currently being taught, give you exposure to feedback (SO important at every level!), and will spark new ideas for your repertoire!
Sleep, eat and drink. Seems like an obvious point, but it is surprising how often these simple things are overlooked. Eat fresher meals, avoid processed foods, and drink lots of H2O! Your body is a temple 😉 What you put in is what you’ll get out in the end. Want to feel fresh? Eat fresh and get enough regular REM!
A massage is not out of order, and some dancers enjoy re-alignment sessions with a human movement or a physio specialist. I find a lengthy stretch session a couple of times a week feels invigorating and helps me get in touch with my body again. (And you can do it while watching a nice movie!)
Paying attention. When dancing socially, pay attention to your leads as a guy and your following responses as a girl. Always ask, “Can I do something better?” If you make a change, observe it and re-evaluate. Same goes for classes – it’s just easier to focus on this in the classes. But a really observant dancer will keep learning both in and out of the classroom.
Pay attention to your own learning style and invest into the right ‘environment’. Do you need coffee or food before class? Do you need to write a few notes afterwards? Does your recall improve with revision within 24 hours? Get to know yourself and make the most of it.
When dancing, pay attention to the music and changes in it, to differences between tracks, to how a tempo may affect your leading/following – and is it better or worse? And why? A million questions that will get you exploring and discovering! Your genuine interest in yourself and in your learning will be your greatest investment, no matter what level you are.
Happy dancing! 😉