Dance challenges have really taken off in recent years. First, it was flash mobs and now TikTok dance challenges have exploded in popularity. And even professional dance choreographers have got in on the action. Youtube, Facebook, Instagram – they are literally everywhere and that’s amazing!
Check out this video of Sara Lopez (the “Queen of Kizomba”) performing a dance challenge at the Mexican Salsa Gala. She took 41 women and put them through six hours of intense training in a dance routine, and this is the incredible result! You could swear these women had been practicing this routine for weeks.
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You might not have Sara Lopez instructing you but that doesn’t mean you can’t learn dance choreography quickly if you want to. Here are some tips:
1) Chunk the choreography
The best way to learn a long sequence is to split it into smaller chunks (everyone does this with their phone numbers!) and the same idea works for dancing. Don’t try to learn the whole routine in one go, but learn each chunk in turn and then you can put it all together later.
2) Take a broad brush
Details are important, sure. But taking a broad-brush approach first so that you get the full template of the choreography down and then come back in later to fill in the finer details. Don’t try to hit every bit right from the start, take it easy.
3) Use a mirror
It can be embarrassing to watch yourself dance but there’s a good reason why all dance studios have those big mirrors. You will never know if you’re doing the moves just right unless you can see yourself (check out our guide to dance equipment for your home and studio if you want to buy a dance mirror).
4) Start slow then up the tempo
Doing the routine at a slower speed and then gradually making it faster is the best way to make sure that you can hit every move. In fact many dancers agree that practicing the combos slow is a lot harder than doing them fast, but it’s definitely worth it as the quality of your movements will improve tenfold after you return back to the normal tempo.
5) Look away
You will need to watch the instructor when you are first learning the routine, but to truly embed it in your memory, you will need to look away and do it on your own. This is something that many beginner dancers struggle with, but don’t worry about it too much, because practice makes perfect. Just keep dancing and look away more and more.
If you liked this article, feel free to share it with your friends! As online learning becomes more popular, we’ve added a new section for online dance classes. Online classes are a fun and easy way to learn dance from the comfort of your home. You can take lessons from world-class teachers, practice at your own pace, and it’s super affordable too! Online dance classes are just great if you want to get moving and learn new dance styles, check it out.
