What to Look for When Joining Online Dance Classes
Dance training at home allows you to practice dance with more privacy, freedom and have a wide selection of quality classes. Are you looking for online dance companies near me for your learning dance? If yes, here are a few tips to make your online dance class be more effective.
1) Conduct research on the instructors – Various platforms like Instagram and Zoom have made dances practices easily accessible to all those who wish to learn dance. However, these platforms have also become a barrier for many new instructors. In case you find an instructor, who announces an online dance class, check out their teaching experience. Take your time and do a thorough search on the instructor’s social media profiles and their posts.
2) Understand between live and recorded classes – Live dance classes are better to learn than watching recorded sessions. With live class, you get a chance to receive immediate feedback, communicate with other dancers, watch the moves of others and correct yours. However, recorded classes have their advantages like:
a. Schedule your dance class for those who are busy
b. You can control the class’s pace which is ideal for beginners and slow learners
c. You can re-play and practice again by watching the classes again and again
So, if you are looking to make dance your profession then go for live dance classes, and beginners to just learn dance, go for recorded classes.
3) Be consistent – If you aim to become a dancer, then you need to be consistent with your classes. So, when a live class is scheduled, you should commit to it and attend it. Ensure that you keep track of your calendar, set a reminder, and attend it.
4) Have a dedicated space at home for dance class and practice – For online dance classes, set up an ideal and convenient space at home. For dance space check the following:
a. Set up mirrors in the room to see how you are dancing
b. Move any furniture to the side to avoid disturbance while dancing
c. Check what is comfortable to dance with, whether socks, shoes, or bare feet.
d. Test on various footwear for various dance movements
5) Warm-up and cool down – Many dance classes demand physical exercise, so it is necessary to warm up before dance and cool down after dance. Most of the live dance classes skip these two activities due to time limitations. Also, recorded classes do not cover these but only the class material. Hence, you need to give your body the required warm-up and cool down. Set a reminder 10 mins before the class so that you do not miss your warm-up. After each class, always make it a point for stretching.
6) Stay motivated – Always stay motivated by seeing great dancers dance and catch up on their steps. Try to enroll a friend, if they are interested, in the dance class. Having a dance buddy will make you feel more accountable along with spending quality time with your friend. Also, you can give feedback to each other that will help to improve your dance.
7) Make use of technology – One common mistake that dancers make during online class is to consider the same as offline class. In dance class, instructors show the steps, you practice as shown to you, and then the class is over. However, in this technology era, make use of technology in your learning. This is how you can use:
a. You can record the live session, review them later and practice it when you have time
b. You can pause recorded class if you want to see some steps again and again
c. Repeat and learn steps
8) Request feedback – Learning dance involves a lot of practice till it comes out well. Hence, depending on feedback from experts, you can check on any step that is not perfect. You can request feedback from your instructor during the live classes, or else you can record your steps and ask any dancers you know for their feedback. You can also take it on social media platforms for critique by tagging your instructors as well.