I have met several people who told me that they feel a lot of stress when learning new choreography and that they are not good at it. They usually compare themselves with others, more experienced dancers.
I know something about both sides. I love to be a student and learn new skills and I also enjoy giving dance classes. I know what the challenges are for me when learning new choreography. I have learned that when picking up new choreography the best thing I can do is not to judge myself in the beginning when I haven't embodied the movements yet. I have learned to give myself time with practice and stay committed, not giving up.
We are all gifted in different kind of ways. Learning new choreography for some people is not as challenging as for others. The best thing is to learn about our own learning process and respect us in it. What works for me does not have to work for others and vice versa. Tony Tzar at one of his classes recommended us to follow our own flow when learning choreography. It is okay to be behind others with the steps when learning a choreography. I think it is a great practice of staying present and practice self-awareness, self-acceptance and kindness to ourselves. I have learned from Teresa Espinosa that feelings of frustration we might experience when learning new choreography we can use as a fuel, power in the choreography. From my experience it works pretty well. I have also learned that when I stayed committed and I overcame feelings that I want to give up, in a while I achieved a point where it all clicked and started to work. When I am approaching the choreography, the choreography is approaching me and in one moment we meet and it starts to work.
These are couple tips I have learned on my way when learning new choreography. Let it be helpful in your own learning process.
Love always and in all ways,
Jindriska
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