I take weekly privates in preparation of a pro-am competition. I don't have a regular partner; they are as hard to come by as a Jessica Simpson brain cell. How does one actually practice for the competition? I can somewhat practice by myself at home, but that's not really practical. I go to occasional social dances, but for the most part, I get asked to dance by people who are doing waltz steps to the merengue (this is not an exaggeration). And the other problem with practicing at social dances, you can't really "strike a pose" (shape, style, etc.) so to speak, without looking really out of place (and having everyone else calling you a show-off). I can't afford to do 3 weekly privates to "practice"
My best pieces of advice are to do some cross-training activities, like Pilates and ballet, and to also go into the studio and practice on your own as much as possible. Even if you're doing Standard there are a LOT of things you can work on by yourself. Ask your teacher to give you 'homework' -- specific exercises and drills that you can practice on your own. I used to practice on my own about seven hours a week; I would take two private lessons with my teacher, and also two group blallet classes and two Pilates session per week. It made a huge positive impact on my dancing. Well, until I burnt out, but that's another story :-)
You might feel very silly at first practicing by yourself in public, but you will get used to it and in some ways that will help you mentally when you compete.
Quote: My best pieces of advice are to do some cross-training activities, like Pilates and ballet, and to also go into the studio and practice on your own as much as possible. Even if you're doing Standard there are a LOT of things you can work on by yourself. Ask your teacher to give you 'homework' -- specific exercises and drills that you can practice on your own. I used to practice on my own about seven hours a week; I would take two private lessons with my teacher, and also two group blallet classes and two Pilates session per week. It made a huge positive impact on my dancing. Well, until I burnt out, but that's another story :-)
You might feel very silly at first practicing by yourself in public, but you will get used to it and in some ways that will help you mentally when you compete.
And Samurai want you practicing by yourself in front of a wall with mirror.
Is the issue finding space? Most studios will let you practice for a small hourly fee, and if you take lessons there you can often practice for free.
I practice regularly by myself even though I have a regular partner. To be honest, its nice to have one session a week where I can just focus on doing my part right by myself.
My issue really isn't space so much as finding it easier to practice with someone. I can definitely use some studio space from time to time. It's just that, if I'm doing smooth, my head is generally in a position where I can't see if my feet and body are doing the right thing. I'm sure there are some things I can practice by myself, though, and I will try. I do take notes after my class so I can work on the the specific things my instructor points out that I need to work on.
I am definitely going to start with Pilates soon. My instructor tells me time and again how it helps him. Ballet...would probably kill me! And I used to do it when I was young; now I'm so inflexible!
I was contemplating videotaping my lessons, but I'm almost afraid to watch!
I agree that practicing by yourself can be very valuable. It is very good for you to learn to dance your part without the assistance of your partner. This will improve your balance and movement. Many dancers depend upon their partner to assist their movement. Our coach says that each person must learn to dance their own part and that when we dance together we should still concentrate on dancing our own parts.
In any case, if you take it slow and be very precise in your movements, practicing by yourself will be time well spent.
I'm one of the lucky ones with a steady partner (dancing standard and smooth), but even as such our smooth coach has us do 'solo rounds' - especially before large comps. We do a full competition round (1:45 min - 2 min of each of the four smooth dances) side-by-side, so we both learn & know our respective parts well - you can do this by yourself. Then we dance together - you can use your privates to do that.
If you want to concentrate on different parts of your dancing, do a round and focus on your feet, then one focusing on arms etc etc. Eventually you should put all the aspects together though :-)
On top of all that, we try to do regular cardio training as well (25-45 minutes of running/elliptical training/ stairmaster/biking)and some weights to keep in good shape - when you're doing multiple rounds of a multi-dance event, you need every bit of stamina you can get...
Quote: ... Then we dance together - you can use your privates to do that. ... Good luck!!!!
No kidding!
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I heard several years ago that Pino and partner would practice solo exclusively the week prior to comps. Is that true? I don't know however it is an interesting idea
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Quote: Then we dance together - you can use your privates to do that.
