Mixing up Your Practice

Do you ever get in a bit of a rut with your practice? Maybe you're bored, maybe you feel like you're not improving - or worse - you feel like you've gotten worse! It happens to all of us. But what do we do?

I heard a quote once that said, 'To change all aspects of the spin, you must change only one thing'. There was a photo of a spiral and you could imagine if just one thing interrupted the perfect cylindrical waves, the entire pattern would be changed.  Like a pebble dropped into a puddle changes the entire surface of water, one ripple at a time.

So what one thing can you change? Here are some ideas for spicing up your practice:

- New music
- New environment - try dancing outside and see if you aren't inspired!
- Watch performances of dancing online and on DVD's
- Go to a workshop, seminar or class
- If you usually have very structured practice times, let loose. Put on music and just have fun.
- Sometimes persistence pays off - if it is one specific move that is defeating you, do it over and over at different speeds until you conquer it. You will! It's only a matter of time!
- Make a goal for yourself - one hour of practice per day/perfect a certain move/ whatever it may be, and reward yourself at the end of the week when you have done it.
- Find someone you can teach some of what you know to. Sometimes explaining things to another helps you see them in a different light.
- Pretend you are your own teacher. What advice would you give yourself?
- Try dancing in a completely different costume than usual.
- Get a dance video - latin, ballroom, zumba, something you have never tried before.
- Write about it.
- Remember why you love this dance and all the things you have accomplished so far. Make LISTS!
- If the problem is boredom, maybe you need to be challenged. Ask your teacher for a private lesson where she can push you a bit harder and teach you more.

It's fine to be discouraged or have off days - or weeks -  but we don't want to stay there. We want to keep growing and improving! This takes action so brainstorm your own ideas or use something from my list that might help you. Above all - do something. Take action, and change the spin.

Nothing worth doing is ever easy. - Unknown

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. -Albert Einstein