HOW TO MEMORIZE DANCE STEPS EASILY?

"Dance is a performance art form consisting of purposefully selected sequences of human movement."

Dancing mainly focuses on the movement that we are executing or doing in order to deliver a good performance and right message to the audiences. It consists of different steps and make it as a one whole routine that fits through the song. As a dancer, it is very impossible for me to not encounter a lot of various dance routines and memorize it at the same time.  When I say, at the same time, it is an on-the-spot memorization and needs to be performed afterwards. This will only prove that dancing can be hard sometimes if you are not passionate and dedicated enough to do it.

One of the things I have already experienced is being allotted a time by our own instructor to do my own steps regarding the song given or do a self study according on different covers of that song and perform it in an hour or the day after. Dancing is also like singing but they only differ on how a person executes it. On those days, I admit I always make mistakes and I easily forgot what I have learned and it really sucks big time. It is very frustrating because my instructor has a big trust on my skill to do that work, but sometimes I ended up such a failure. With a messy presentation, several "can I start again?", pressure and stress, I learned the technique on how to memorize dance steps easily and that's the reason why I am here and sharing these tips for you. I will help you to not experience having a very hard time learning a dance routine and to not get mistakes in an actual performance, because getting embarrassed in front of your audience is really a bad feeling.

How to memorize dance steps easily?

1. Know the concept of the song you are about to dance to.

This is simply knowing the song you will be using in your performance. Dancers need to know what they will about to dance in order for them to understand and get the vibe of it. As they learn to understand the song, they will also learn how to own it as if that is made for them and they will now know how to act on it through movements or steps. For example, you are given a sexy kind of song, then you will need to dance it in a sexy way according on what the song wants to show on its listeners.

2. Learn the steps one-by-one, detail-by-detail and part-by-part.

When I say one-by-one,  you need to learn the steps in a step-by-step way. You don't need to rush things in order to finish a routine very quickly. It is still important to be careful in memorizing so that you won't be able to get back from the start if you accidentally made mistakes because of having that mindset.

When I say detail-by-detail, you need to learn how to memorize steps in a very specific way. From the small movement of the fingers to the big movement of the body, because every step or movement represents symbolism and it is important in delivering a right message.

When I say part-by-part, you need to learn every part of the song. From the first verse, bridge, chorus, last verse and so on so forth. In that way, you will be able to identify which step you are now working on. It will simply help you with your progress on your practices.

3. Repetition is the key.

As you learn and memorize the steps, you also need to repeat it every time you learn a new one. So that you will not forget it but instead it will add more into your mind. You need to develop your muscle memory in dancing, that's why I recommend you to take repetitions in between memorizations.

4. Polish the steps one more time.

After repeating, you may now try to check again the steps if you did it in a right way. By means of polishing, you will be able to clean your steps, especially in timing, leveling of arms, legs, and body, facial expressions, directions and many more. In this way, you will be able to save time and effort that you need on your upcoming performance.

5. Conduct a rehearsal with someone to critique your movements.

Practice makes it all perfect. Just like repetition, practicing your performance from the start to the end will help your body get used to it. Also, if you want to know what others are thinking about it, you can seek for a constructive criticism from your instructors or fellow dancers, because they know what you need to do or not, since they are experienced like you.

So that's all for my tips about memorizing a certain dance step easily. I hope you learned something important that you will really use while you are practicing and rehearsing on your performance. Remember that these tips are open for all kinds of dances, it will only just differ on your approach to these tips. Also, you can have a great performance if you have the element of patience, determination and passion in dancing. These tips will turn out useless if you don't love dancing and keep on taking it for granted. If you want to be successful, earn for it because dancers are not born, they are being taught. Stay fit and healthy everyone! Dance more and have fun! Thank you very much!

Galan, Jullia B.

BSE-English 2-1