Dance Studios - Learning the Foundations

March 29, 2007 by sachinskg

Dance studios, as the name suggests, are places where enthusiasts can dance their hearts away. Primarily, though, they are places where people learn to dance.

Dancing is by nature a free form of movement to music but, in terms of teaching, there is a definite science to the learning process, with theory and practical concepts to be mastered.

Standard courses taught in dance studios comprise three learning phases – steps, music and combining the two. This gives you the basic skills to becoming a competent dancer.

§ Steps – the first thing you are taught in dance studios is how to move, the correct steps to make and the theories behind these bodily movements. You learn each step at a time and gradually build them into sequences.

§ Music – once you have a basic grounding in steps and movement, you must learn about the beat and rhythm of music. You will learn about different kinds of music and will be trained to develop your musical ear so that you can go on to the next phase.

§ Movement to music – with these two skills highly toned, you will then learn how to time your steps and movements to different types of music. If you have followed instructions to the letter, you would be able to perform body movements to any kind of music that is played to you.

The three steps may sound obvious to a non-dancer, but it is essential for beginners to master these basics, which are the foundations upon which the more complicated and sophisticated dance routines will be taught at a later stage. Dance studios are the best places to learn these foundation courses.

When starting out, look for dance studios that teach in small groups. This enables your teacher to pay more attention to individual needs at this important stage of the dance learning process.

Dancing is rarely an individual experience. Part of the thrill is being able to perform in front of an audience. Dance studios train you to help you fulfill such ambitions.

As your skills improve, you and other students will be able to give live performance. You may start with small shows for family members and friends and eventually graduate to big-hall curtain calls before hundreds of people.

The smaller recitals will provide you with a good taste of your ability to perform before a crowd and, in essence, tell you if you are really ready to be a dancer.

Remember, though, that there is a lot of pressure. Competition is fierce with the wealth of talent available in your country, and around the world.

So, choose your dance studio wisely. If they are able to teach you an extensive range of dance styles, routines and cultures, you then have a better chance of succeeding as a professional.

You should be able switch styles and emotional mind frames at an instant. Indeed, to be a professional dancer is to make many sacrifices.

Even so, you can still dance for the pure enjoyment of it all, and if that is the case, dance studios are great places to start.

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