It’s my one year dance anniversary! This is something that’s so so important to me. So many changes have happened in my life, but dance has been the only constant. I remember posting about dance in 2020 and the beginning of last year, and it’s safe to say I’ve changed a lot in and out of dance class.
I started going to dance classes around last summer in August 2022. I went to one drop in class a week, and was very loyal to the dance studio from August to the end of November of 2022. December got dicey with the holidays.
Dance literally changed my life.
I was in a really bad place mentally because of work, and it lifted me up like nothing has before. It felt like a shot of liquid gold for my mental health is what I used to say. The pure euphoria after each dance class was nothing like I’ve ever experienced, and it became my new obsession.
But let me just say, that I felt so awkward, stiff, and confused during those first few months of dance. Going to dance one hour a week was enough for my mental health, but it definitely didn’t do much in terms of dance growth. Retaining choreography, understanding timing, and feeling the music were all things that took a long time to develop.
At the time though, dance was purely for fun, and it was a way for me to release all the stress the work week brought. And for me that was more than enough.
If I can describe those first few months with dance, it felt like a honeymoon phase filled with a lot of mental hurdles. I had to get over my frustrations of not retaining choreography, my struggle with terrible timing, constant comparison with my peers and dance friends, and understanding that growth takes time and effort. Like I said, I didn’t realize it at the time, but one dance class a week was not going to show great leaps in technique.
Last year, all I wanted and needed dance for, was to get myself through the week. It felt like a healthy coping mechanism that I desperately needed. But as time passed, it became a large part of my identity, and contributed to who I am as a person.
An important development is that I met a really good friend through dance. She’s such a large part of my life now, that it’s crazy to think we didn’t even know each other before last summer. Dance also brings a sense of community that would be hard to come across as someone who works from home. I’m really introverted, but even if I don’t directly socialize with others, it feels great to be around on a regular basis. Dance became something more than a stress reliever, and it’s infiltrated a large part of my existence to an extent my closest loved ones aren’t even aware of. Only my dance friends really get it. Which in some sense, feels like a beautiful secret.
I think it’s the first time I can say I’m passionate about something- and it’s the best feeling in the world.
Now after a year of drop in classes, trying different studios, and being exposed to different people in the dance scene, my feelings towards dance has shifted. To be honest, up until last week, my only goal was to do amazing in dance class and kill it in the videos we record in class. That was all I wanted.
Until I realized that dance is a lot bigger than that. I explored dance a lot in the context of dance class. Who were my favorite instructors, why did I enjoy their dance styles, what type of dance I enjoy, the technicalities of dance, the type of music to dance to, foundational moves we should learn etc.
I realized all the lengthy discussions my friends and I had, they were usually in the context of dance class, but never of dance itself. Dance is much bigger than the constraints I’ve put onto it before. A one hour dance class structure is a wonderful and safe space to explore dance in…but I’m starting to realize there’s so much more to it that I can play with.
How do I feel with different music? How can I express myself with movement, and why do I feel this need to express with my body?
I don’t know, I think practicing choreography outside of the dance studio really started this process for me. It made me realize how much I was restricting myself from exploring different things by focusing on my dance videos at the end of class. Literally for the entire year I’ve done dance classes, I never practiced at home. There was no motivation or drive in me, because all I wanted to do was do amazing in a dance class.
So as my first year of dance has passed, and I’m now encroaching into my first few months of dancing in my 2nd year…my mind is opening to the world of dance.
Initially I wanted to take double the amount of dance classes I’ve been taking. I wanted to learn at lightening speed and pick up as many moves possible.
But now I’m realizing that as a beginner, while quantity is definitely still important, I should slow down and focus on quality. Sure I’m picking up some dance moves, but how am I executing those dance moves? I can still take a lot of dance classes, but I need to make sure I’m prioritizing quality and practice the moves I learn.
Overall, I’ve grown a lot through dance. I think I’m back in the phase where I’m realizing that every dance class I take, there’s something I can learn from it. It’s really humbling taking a class you think will be easy, and realizing you still have so much to learn. I took a foundational grooves class yesterday and it kicked my butt. The basic moves I thought I executed really well…turns out I’m missing some important components of the dance. It definitely was an eye-opener, and this is what led to this post.
So while I feel like I didn’t really grow during my first few months of dance, I’d like to thank my dance journey from last year. I learned a lot! And we have to start somewhere in order to build our knowledge of what we know and don’t know.
Things I learned & experienced during my first few months of dance:
- How a dance class is structured
- How to follow along with counts and timing
- Choreo retention
- Basic moves
- The importance of mentality and perspective while dancing (go to learn & absorb)
- Volunteering to dance for the class
- Making valuable relationships
- Feeling like I have a passion
Without those things I listed above, I would not be where I am today. And for the last 6 months of my 1st dance year, here’s what I learned:
- Better Timing
- Better Choreo retention
- Understanding that I lack appropriate weight shifts (this is so hard for me)
- Understanding that I need to push more (to go full out)
- Be more mindful of my arms and hands
- Transitions between combinations/moves are important
- Need more foundational grooves knowledge
- Texture is something I can start trying to play with
- I’m good with clear pictures but not great with grooves
- It’s probably a good idea to take a dance move/groove and practice it over and over (like all the instructors suggest lol)
There’s a lot more I’d love to work on, but the fact that I understand all of these things, can be attributed to the fact that I stepped into a dance class in the first place, and struggled my way into learning the basics. So now I understand that I have an understanding of basic dance, but now it’s my goal to really learn everything the right way with more quality.
Ugh, if you can’t tell from this post, I love dance. I really do.
And at times I wonder how long I’ll love dance to this intensity, and how long I can spend this much time and money over it. It’s lovely seeing so many dance friends that are older than me to show that I can carry this passion for a long time, and there are ways to integrate it into your daily life even as an adult.
God I love dance.
I can’t wait to see where I’ll be next year 🙂
= h i k a e = 