Brigham Young University has arguably the best dance program in the U.S., for a school that does not specialize in only fine arts. Their hip hop and jazz numbers tend to place in the top standings on the national level. You’ll find sleek synchronicity among team members but also raw athleticism and balance in every dancer. The “tricks” often despised by my childhood teacher— fouettés, flips, handsprings, aerials, kip-ups— most of which I cannot do… I have finally come to appreciate in adulthood. It’s easy to look down on these movements as a lack of artistry. But without turns and leaps, or freezes and power, many styles lose their appeal.
So I’ve made a decision to improve not just in one genre, but towards overall greater excellence of self. This includes flexibility, strength, and mental specificity.
1 I want to be able to do a 1 ft. over split and full straddle, and touch my feet from a bridge position. I will allocate 10 minutes of stretching after showering to do so. Time frame: 1 yr.
2 Calisthenics are pretty self explanatory. I think for breaking (bboying or breakdancing), core strength is the most useful. The fundamentals here are handstand, head stand, stab > baby > turtle freeze. Once achieved, I can figure out how to connect these different moments with fluidity and originality.
3 Mental specificity means two things to me. Don’t be a sellout i.e. don’t teach hip hop just because it’s popular without learning the culture; and, build a working vocabulary of what quantizes a dance style and makes it identifiable. Fusion styles are so common nowadays. I would argue before combining styles you must understand the components or “primary colors.”
These last few requirements for good dancing are a little more malleable and easier to tackle IMO.
Choreo retention (5 – 7 min at a time cap), dynamism (can dance at a cool 5% or a headbanging 100% in the same number), a love for the art eclipsing the fear of looking bad (using nerves for good), and taking criticism often (a mentor or a peer who you respect).
As with any specialty, every field has its quirks. I often joke that of all the arts, I like dance more than music because dance keeps me out of trouble.
In the sterile banality of the psych ward, I would always borrow the hospital radio walkie and dance to myself in the corner of the hall.
I think being a dancer requires a kind of weirdness. Bodies need to move for survival… but perhaps not like that.
Even if the technique is not there. People can sense when you are dancing with your whole heart.
Be earnest. Get excited about the new things you discover and compartmentalize them into your body. Your bedroom is the lab and once there really are eyes on you, you can share your brilliance just like you practiced.