The Key To Effective Zouk Practice

 · dance
The Key To Effective Zouk Practice

What seems to be stopping people from practicing is “boredom”. They’ve tried practicing but gave up quickly because they got “bored”.

This is true and I would also give up if I had no idea whether it will improve my dancing or not and would prefer doing something more productive with my time.

The reason for “boredom” is because you’ve been doing it all WRONG! (hoi to do: use the quote format for this paragraph on website)

When we know something is fun and it gives us a self satisfaction feeling, we all make time for it even if we are ’too busy’ or don’t have time.

This blog follows on from my previous short blog ‘What To Practice in Zouk Solo’ and now I will show you the method I found to be effective for practicing Zouk and making it fun!

Start By Changing Your Attitude

  1. Practice isn’t a chore, don’t treat it as that because the moment you do, it will become a chore.
  2. When practicing with others, it isn’t their job to entertain you or make it fun for you. It is your responsibility, so YOU make it fun for YOU!
  3. Do not be afraid to experiment and play around with what you’ve been taught or trying to learn.
  4. It’s okay to fail 1000+ times because failing is how your body and mind work, by learning the changes in each failed attempt in getting closer until it feels right.
  5. My perspective of practice is a means of self-discovery and perceive dance, not as a skillset but a philosophy and way of life.

Make It FUN

The below illustration ‘Make it FUN’ gives you an overview of how I inject variants into the ‘Solo Dance Practice Pyramid’ to make it interesting and FUN. I could practice this all day long, if time permits!

Make it FUN - Solo Dance Practice Pyramid

  • What I tend to do is break everything down into its simplest components or forms and just dance using these while mixing them up to make it interesting. I do this at every practice session for months without ever getting bored.
  • Remember - dancing isn’t mechanical, and if you’ve been practicing like this, it’s the likely reason why you do get bored. At the same time, you have drilled into your body to dance very mechanically, emotionally dead and actually become one of those boring dancers. No no, we’re trying to make you not boring! :)
  • My practices are always done with music on while experimenting with the speeds & musicalities, shapes, directions, heights, rotations, and inducing different types of emotional energies into very simple techniques, concepts and basic movements. (Need some Zoukable music? Click here!)
  • Here is a list of emotional energies you could try and explore in your practice:
    • Suffering and weeping.
    • Low spirits, anxiety, grief, dejection, despair.
    • Joy, high spirits, love, tender feelings, devotion.
    • Reflection, meditation, ill-temper, sulkiness, determination.
    • Hatred and anger.
    • Disdain, contempt, disgust, guilt, pride, helplessness, patience, affirmation and negation.
    • Surprise, astonishment, fear, horror.
    • Self-attention, shame, shyness, modesty, blushing.
    • The emotions list above is taken from the chapter-headings in Darwin’s book ‘The expressions of the emotions in man and animals’. -- there are many emotions you may want to practice (alone), but not actually use on the dance floor so you don’t freak someone out! lol
  • Count the beats as you listen and move to the music (strongest beat is 1 - looonnng movement). 1…5…1…5…1…5…1…etc.
  • Do all the above points with and without mirrors; learn to actively feel where your axis is, posture, body part positions and any tensions (shoulders down, relax!).
  • Here’s some video examples for inspirations how fun it is:-

So now you know the key to eliminating “boredom” and making practices fun are to add emotional energies (important) into your dance. It really is worth practicing this skill that will allow you to draw it out from within and then infuse it into your dance (regardless if it’s solo or partner dancing).

Give this a try and soon you’ll find new life in your dances, that practicing is super fun and your progression rate increases. Win-win-win!

This method does require great self-discipline, patience and frustration over long extensive periods of time, but you will find it offers much better results in both the mid and long run. If you can do this, then you have another key ingredient that makes a great dancer!

Solo Dance Alternatives

Alternatively, learning other solo dances are highly beneficial and would follow in the line with what was explained in this blog. Here are some good ones you should try:

  • Afro House
  • Stilettos
  • Street Dance
  • Breakdancing
  • Contemporary
  • Ballet

For this Zouk community, we are giving a lot of our time and effort to help promote a safer and well informed dance scene. One of our main goals is to help you become better dancers by writing and sharing our learning experiences.

If you believe and would like to support a safer & well educated dance scene, then please share our blogs to help provide additional guidance to those new in the Zouk community.

This would make ensure they are set with the right mindframe for a lifetime journey in dance.

Together, we can build a better and stronger Zouk scene than ever before! Please share this love! :)

Many thanks,

Hoi from DZ

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