What to do when you don't feel tired in class!

I have never been the most technical dancer. I like expression. Communicating and getting a flow. technique helps avoid injury fluidity and increase in movement and flexibility to play with. to dance either way takes effort, precision and energy. so why when you feel you're fiving it your all are you not tired?

On Tuesdays I have my postmodern technique class. Four weeks in I finally had an epiphany. I was sweating within 15 minutes- something I had not previously done from a phrase. We have three main phrases we have been working on that I call: "the floor one", "the technique one" and "the quirky one". Immediately I fell in love with "the floor one", feeling how it suited my body's natural way of moving. Throughout the past weeks, I have worked to develop the fluidity and clarity through repetition and imagery. I have thought about extending my legs whilst rolling through the floor- to reach to every side of the studio. Working on my facings, and where my body parts lie and how to move from one to another in the most energy consumptive route.

"The technique one" on the other hand I never connected with. in my heads I know subconsciously I create a block going "I can't learn this because I don't know the formal name or understand the next natural move. Last Tuesday we went over it again, and as soon as it was mentioned my heart dropped. I couldn't remember it. This far in.

Or so I thought...

Focusing on technique as movement the same as my expressionate material helped keep it locked in my brain and built up my confidence to perform and express myself through the phrase. Suddenly I knew the material so I could work on refining and re-aligning myself.

---- note to self-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Do NOT compare yourself to others. It will only hinder you. they may have a natural flare or more experience, but you have the same in another aspect that they are reaching to attain.

p.s. there were some beautiful attitude turns and transitions out of a bridge.

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My feet had to do a double beat in coupe (back then front). This was something I flicked around paying more attention to the contrasted strong dynamic I was striving to express. Now I knew the phrase in my body I felt I had more time to place my foot and could achieve the strength behind that. I found the time in time. I could now work on extending parts of my body and getting deeper into my plies and lunges. this was more tiring that my previous go with it and throw your body into it (which I can now empathise with all my lecturers watching me) which fit into the chorus atmosphere of a calm and controlled professional environment.

--------------------------------------------------- Do not restrict the effort in a technique phrase from fear of giving too much. It is easier to strip back than to find energy from nowhere. Give it everything you have (even if you fling yourself around like I do) and work on controlling and more importantly directing that energy into your limbs, torso and movement. ----------------------------------------------------------------------

Finding this moment over a task I feared did not happen overnight. It has taken me years to understand my weaknesses, how to improve and I still do not know every time I'm slipping into bad technique or awareness mid-movement. NO DANCER IS PERFECT.

In the class, I went into plies and forgot to move out of them to allow room for my upper body, I forgot to fully extend each movement, to pay attention to my focus. I forgot to keep my hands alive and not look like dead meat at the end of my arms, and to film the routine so I can accrual analyse myself. WE ARE CRITICAL ON OURSELVES, WORSE THAN ANYONE ELSE. regardless of my "MISTAKES" I LOVED class and learning more about my body in space. All of this I'm sure I looked far off "perfect technique" but I felt improvement and growth.

My point of this informal blog is to express that nothing in dance is easy. If it feels it there is room to push more- if you watched yourself back in that moment you would see. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO BE PERFECT BUT WE LIKE TO GET AS CLOSE AS WE CAN!!!!!! When I am feeling an easy moment, I give myself a part of the body to focus on, such as my arm, and work on its strength and positioning, knowing its pathways. Try every part of your body- go as high and as low as you can and I promise something you once found easy you will now be sweating in.