Blog Post
Happy Wednesday IHD family & welcome to a new month at IHD. You’ve all been working so hard all year, learning new skills, memorizing choreography and dedicating yourself to your training. Now that you’ve had a few months of training it’s time to look over what you’ve learned so far and pay attention to the small details that can take your dancing to the next level. Here are some things you can add to your practice to add that extra something.
Fingers and toes
While we’re working on the power in our legs for leaps or the whip of our head for turns it’s easy to forget the smaller parts of our bodies like fingers and toes. Go through the skills or choreography you are working on paying special attention to your hands and feet. When are your hands in a classical ballet position, or fingers together or spread apart in a jazz hand? Are you stepping with your heels or your toes first? When are your feet pointed or flexed? You’ll be surprised how solidifying these details really clean a skill or dance up.
Eyeline
Another detail to pay more attention to while dancing is your eye line. Eyeline or where you are looking can help your dancing look more confident, help you connect with your audience and help you get your story across. Eyeline can also help you jump higher, turn more efficiently and keep formation with the other dancers in your group. Take some time to pay attention to where your eyes are when you are dancing and if you’re unsure always ask your teacher or choreographer for guidance.
The in Between
Dancers love to turn or leap and show off their most impressive skills but what really makes a dance something special in the in between moments. Don’t neglect the moments of your dance or classes where you are just walking or even standing still. Pay attention to the beginning and ending of a dance or exercise as they set the tone and finish off what you are working on. Seamless formation changes, clean transitions in and out of skill and engaged and purposeful in between moments can really change the look of an exercise or dance.
Storytelling & Connection
A not so small, often overlooked but extremely important detail to ensure your paying attention to is storytelling and connection. In choreography, making sure you know what story you are trying to tell and portraying it to your audience and teammate undoubtedly takes dancing to a new level. Connecting with your teammates on stage not only aids in telling your story but also makes it more enjoyable and enriching for everyone on stage. It’s also important to use storytelling in technique class. What are you saying with your face and body language? Are you saying you are a strong, engaged, enthusiastic student or something else entirely? Pay attention to what you are “saying” in dance.
These details may seem small but they make a very large difference in the look and feel of your dancing. These are things you can explore by yourself or ask your teachers for more guidance on. Focusing on these smaller details can also keep you engaged and interested in your training. Have fun experimenting with these ideas!
