For some people, picking up dance moves, learning choreography and copying what a dance teacher shows is simple. But for others, it simply doesn’t seem to come together.
There are lots of reasons why you might find this in yourself but there are ways to spot why this might happen and a few tips on how to pick up choreography faster regardless.
Why Choreography is Tricky
There are lots of reasons that you might find it hard to pick up choreography, many of which are simple to do with how your brain works.
One example is something like auditory processing deficits. This is a range of situations where people have trouble with anything from auditory memory, sequencing or even understanding sounds or words against a background of noise. All of these can make it harder to listen to instructions and put them into action.
Great Teachers Make It Easy
Learning any kind of dance is a multisensory process. It means you have to visualise the movement you are going to make at any point and then have your body comply with that visualisation to perform.
So, the process is something like this:
1. Ideation – thinking about what you want to do
2. Motor planning – sorting out in your brain how your body needs to move to do what you are thinking about
3. Execution – getting your body to carry out the plan and make the movements
But if you are struggling with choreography then it may be that somewhere in this process, your brain is struggling. This doesn’t mean you can’t learn dance, but it does mean you need to put a few steps into the process to help your brain understand what you want from it. Great dance teachers like those at Jade Harrison School of Dance will help you learn and master this process.
Pick Up Choreography Quickly
One of the simplest things you can do to pick up choreography faster is to make use of something we almost all have – a smartphone with video facilities! Grab your phone and record your teacher giving the instructions. Then you can watch it back while practising and get the hang of what you really need to do.
Alternatively, if you work better with written instructions, you could record the teacher telling you what to do then write up your own notes from it. Use these to recreate the steps and you have a better chance of retaining the information.
Don’t be afraid to ask to see things again. Most teachers will ask if anyone needs another repetition to get the hang of something – be the one that says ‘yes’ and gives yourself the extra chance to learn. If someone in the class picks things up quickly, don’t be afraid to ask them to show you again after class if you still find it isn’t working.
Finally, work those brain cells! Try other types of dancing and other activities that require you to get instructions and carry them out. This will help your brain to learn what you are asking of it and can improve your ability to pick up choreography and other activities quicker.
Understand your Brain
There’s nothing wrong with not being able to process instructions quickly and easily – all our brains work a little differently. But understanding your brain and how to best get it to take information and act on it will help you with choreography and many other aspects of life as well.
For great teaching, exciting choreography and enjoyable lessons, join a class at Jade Harrison School of Dance!