So you've done a block or two. Now what?
So you’ve successfully done a block or two, and you’re starting to feel good about your dancing. You have a few moves under your belt that you’re confident in, and you’re looking towards what’s next for you on your dancing journey.
So where to from here?
It’s always a good habit to stop every now and again and take at yourself and your dancing journey. Asking yourself questions like ‘what’s next in store for me?’, ‘what can I improve?’ and ‘how can I challenge myself further?’ are excellent self-awareness and self-development tools in any application, dancing included. If you’re already doing that - fantastic - you’re on the right track!
However, dancing is often more about feeling than knowing - so knowing for sure when you’re ready to progress your dancing is a tricky one.
To be clear - there is not ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to swing dancing, but there are a couple of common guides to help you on your way.
Practice outside of the lesson
A swing class or workshop is a wonderful bubble where we learn how to move and express ourselves to a particular style of music. It’s a glorious hour that is so different from other sorts or social and physical activities.
It can be tempting to leave what you learn there, in that room, only revisiting it only once or maybe twice a week when you go to class. However, as we can all relate to, we tend to forget things we don’t practice regularly, and that slows us down in terms of advancing as a dancer. Practice. Practice. Practice.
Even simple things like practising your triple step while you wash the dishes does wonders for your muscle memory and the speed at which you can pick up new routines or dance moves. You will find your facilitators do just that!
If only knowing when you were ready to move on were so easy!
Put yourself on the social dance floor
One of the best ways to progress and develop as a swing dancer is to take what you’ve learned in classes and try it out on the social dance floor. Lindy Hop, Blues, Collegiate Shag, Balboa - swing dance is first and foremost a ‘social’ dance. It was made to be danced to live music, surrounded by people in a crowded bar or dance hall.
If you want to fast track your progression - go dance to live music! Yes it’s scary the first time you do it, but you’ll soon be kicking yourself you didn’t start social dancing sooner! Sugarfoot Stomp Members will be there to support you! After all, your Facilitators are Members + Dancers- just like you!
Talk to your Facilitators
If you want advice on how to get better your Facilitators are there to help you, and they’ve watched your grow as a dancer, so who better to seek advice from than them?
Remember, dancing is a journey and we’re all at different stages of it, going at different paces. At Sugarfoot Stomp we want everyone to get the maximum fulfilment and joy out of their dancing, do matter how far along their journey they may be.