Tips for newbie - how to get past freedance "move freeze"
- Thread starter scooby
- Start date
Alcohol doesn't hinder hand tossing part, just the hand catching part
hahaha!
Scoobs,
I can totally relate to being in this same "place." I too entered the world of salsa without any prior dancing experience and stumbled and fumbled my way through the beginning stages. Without knowing specifics, my instinct tells me that this is about your level of anxiety rather than your ability to learn. You probably do need to work on your technique, but almost everyone does to one degree or another.
IMHO, the first thing I would advise is to listen to salsa music as much as you can. It's one thing to hear it; it becomes something different when you can "feel" it.
Practice just dancing by yourself in time with the basic step. It doesn't have to be the exact basic pattern, just the rhythm--sometimes it even helps just to step in place. Your body movement becomes more unified with the music and this is one of the most important building blocks in your salsa journey. If you can dance with the music, lots of fancy patterns become less important. (Don't compare yourself to other dancers and feel like you have to do all the same things.)
I'm not sure what opportunities the salsa scene in your area offers, but when you go to class, ask your classmates to practice with you after class if the instructor offers this and/or get phone numbers or e-mail addresses so you can invite them to join you when you go out dancing. When you are dancing with people you know, ask them to let you know when your lead is not clear so you can ask your instructor when you are in class.
Often, when there is a salsa social one of the local instructors will offer a newcomer lesson, usually 30-60 min. Go to this! Even if you feel like you already know what is being taught. This broadens your network, introducing you to more dance partners.
It also will show you who some of the new dancers are. They are experiencing some of the same feelings you are so they can empathize and you can share funny stories and embarrassing moments. They won't expect you to do lots of fancy patterns, and when you mess up you'll have a friend to laugh with.
I think if you'll build your base with dancers that are near your ability your level of anxiety will be much lower, and this will help you to be able to recall some of the simple movements that you already know but just can't seem to recall on the spot, under pressure.
And then two or three times a night venture outside of your comfort zone to ask someone who is a level or two above your ability to dance so you can feel what it is like on that "next level." Say something like, "I'm new to dancing and still learning but I was watching you and thought it would be fun to dance with you." You will most likely get someone who is understanding who will probably dance with you again in the future. If they aren't understanding, you don't want to be dancing with them anyway.
Chances are that you will have some embarrassing moments--expect that you will and be ready to laugh at yourself. Over the course of time, you will build up a network of dancers who are better than you are to help you improve.
As you dance more and more, you build a network of more and more people to dance with, some at your level, some better. And eventually, there will be completely new people who are totally nervous and will look up to you and you'll be one of those people a level above the newbie who will feel much more at ease.
Once you become much more at ease I think everything will flow more smoothly.
hahaha, awesome post!
I think you've noticed something v important here. Many people seem to measure a dancer's ability by what he/she can handle in a class situation. The real test of your ability as a leader is what you can lead in a social dancing situation - with followers who aren't repeating their own part over and over so that they know exactly what to expect.
I would second the advice of going to multiple levels of classes. The more advanced classes will boost your ego that you can get through the fancy material in class. The more basic classes will really drill your fundamentals and leading skills (which really need drilling at this stage in your learning), and will give you some nice simple material to use as "fallback" stuff.
In my opinion, (and I would apply this logic to all sorts of things - like Dance, musical instruments, sport etc), an expert is someone who has a thorough mastery of the basics of their field, and can demonstrate them exceptionally well. It's not to be measured in terms of the most complex thing you can do.