I love to see students perform. For many, performing in front of over 100 people is unlike anything they have ever done before and they finish their routine feeling electric!
Performers walk off stage arm in arm with their teacher with crowd still applauding, the MC singing their praise and teachers and fellow performers flocking over to hug, kiss and congratulate them on a job well done. For the rest of the night they are beaming. Others they dance with compliment them on their routine and give them a high five or a pat on the back.
Often they have brought a group of friends and family along to see what they have been doing all these months that has been taking up so much of their time! Guests are blown away and performers often hear things like ‘I never knew you could dance like that!’ or ‘I am so proud of you!’ It’s certainly a special night.
Once the lights go out and the band packs up, the teachers clean away the table decorations and the costumes are hung back on the racks life goes back to normal. This is where something unexpected can happen… a massive downer!
That’s right. It is not unusual for performers to wake up feeling a little flat the next day and a little bit down in the dumps. All of that work they have put in over the last 6 months has come to a head, the show is over and it’s back to normal life.
They may have even more of a downer if they head back to dance class and find that their social dancing is not what it used to be…
So how can we avoid this? It is important to remember that whilst there are lots of benefits to gain from performing such as…
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Improved self confidence
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Improved technique and styling in that particular dance style
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Ticking something off your bucket list
…the most important thing is that a routine is there to improve your dancing. If you do a cha cha routine you should feel 100% more comfortable and confident dancing the cha cha.
Why is this sometimes not the case?
It’s easy to get swept up in the moment. You have a deadline looming whilst preparing for the ball and the most important thing to you at that time is to get the routine right! Of course. But it is important to follow 4 important tips below to ensure you come out the other side with your social dancing still intact.
1.Warm ups and cool downs
We must be disciplined in sticking to a regime of warm ups and cool downs EVERY lesson that are not in the style we are focusing on for our routine. There are 25 private lessons allocated to each solo routine as a minimum. Just by dancing 1 warm up and 1 cool down each lesson you are having an extra 50 freestyle dances with your teacher and your dancing will feel all the better for it!
2. Attend group classes for practise
Attending group classes during this time is even more important than normal as this is the best way to maintain your social dancing and to continue working through QuickSteps’ syllabus. If you normally attend 1 group class a week you should now be aiming to attend at least 2 once you start your routine.
3. Extra lessons
Extra lessons can also be booked from time to time with your teacher simply to freestyle through all of your dances. Imagine this to be a ‘Mini Dance Party’.
4. Dance Parties are a must!
Attending Dance Parties is a must. Remember you are not just preparing to perform the routine, which is only 3 minutes of the entire Summer or Winter Ball. The rest of the night is social dancing so why not prepare by becoming being a Dance Party regular!
As long as you stick to these 4 rules you will come out the other side having enjoyed your routine, feeling confident and being able to dance up a storm.
Enjoy your routine and break a leg!
