Moving on

Session 4, Day 5

When we’re learning more complicated and longer phrases, what can we do to get past the mental blocks? Often, I see in class, that we know the choreography but when it comes time to do the phrase as a group or with the music, everything goes out the window. Being able to consistently perform a dance is a skill developed and practiced over time. But I think at the heart of this challenge is the balance between the mind and the body. Knowing the difference between the times when your mind is an asset to remembering, an when your thoughts aren’t serving you much, is key. The latter, usually happens when we judge ourselves or get fixated on a “mistake”. Just remember, that your body is going to feel different day to day, minute to minute, so you’re working with different variables every time you move. For now, just keep in mind that the dance will never feel perfect. And even if it does feel perfect one time, I guarantee, it will feel differently the next time. So when you’re learning choreography, an essential skill is how to recover from a “mistake” - how quickly can you clear thejavascript:void(0) slate, get past any judgment about your performance, and stay present in the dance?