3 tips to faster learning in ballroom dancing while avoid plateaus
Have you ever felt that you hit a plateau in your dancing? Maybe you have lost focus and feel your enthusiasm for dancing slipping. Maybe you are super excited and can’t imagine EVER losing your love of dance, and you simply want to learn as much as possible as fast as possible. I want all of these thing for you too!
My name is Brian Barakauskas and a ballroom dancer with over 20 years experience I’ve felt the same thing at many points along my journey thorough ballroom dancing. As a teacher its become my mission to teach the lessons that have helped me the most. I sincerely want you to enjoy dancing EVEN MORE THAN I HAVE! Here are my 3 favorite tips to faster learning and avoiding plateaus.
#1. Set a goal for your dancing
This may seem simple but I can’t tell you how many people simply don’t have clear goals. Pick the next thing you want to achieve and write it on a sticky note. I’m serious! Write your goal down RIGHT NOW! Stick that note on your desk by your bed or even on your bathroom mirror. Your goal could be learning the bronze syllabus for Waltz, Foxtrot and Tango. I could be doing a ballroom dance competition. Whatever your goal is write it down!
Another pitfall I see in goal setting is TOO MANY GOALS! If this is you, you might want to read this article on too many goals at once. Trust me, you can’t be good at every all at once. Faster learning in ballroom dancing does not mean do everything at once. Please sort through your goals. Pick the one dance goal that is most important to you right now, and write it down. All those other goals running thorough your mind…don’t worry we will get to those in a second.
#2 Set a time limit for achieving your dance goal
Do you ever wonder why people flock to stores on Black Friday? Its because that’s THE ONLY DAY that you can get those special deals. (honestly the prices are lower in July but I digress) Honestly its a mental trick that retailers play on us to get us to shop. The psychology works. Thats why you NEED TO HAVE A DATE on your goals! Write down the date on your goals. “I want to learn bronze waltz, foxtrot and tango by the fall.” or “I want to dance at the “Ohio Star Ball” this November!”
#3 Find a teacher, mentor or coach
This is one that has been a HUGE TIME SAVER for me personally in dancing but also in my dance studio business as well as in my other hobbies. I even wrote a blog on it. Investing in a ballroom dance coach will do wonders for your progress. Its not only taking dance lessons that will be helpful but dance coaches are EXPERTS AT THE BALLROOM DANCE LEARNING PROCESS! Let me say this again, they are experts at the process for learning ballroom dancing. They are expert goal setters. They have the knowledge to asses you personally and help you set goals that are right for you!
Now let me say this….
As a dance teacher its SHOCKING to me to see how many student don’t take the advice of the coach they are paying. We all want to think we are special or different and our egos sometimes won’t let us submit and listen. (trust me I know. I have a big ego lol) But provided you have a good relationship with your teacher, then trust them! Keep in mind that you won’t always agree. You’ll have to trust them! The title of this blog post was faster learning in Ballroom Dancing while avoiding plateaus. Your teacher is your greatest resource in this process.
Oh and what happens when you get to your ‘pot of gold’ at the end of the rainbow and achieve your goal?
Go back though the process and set another one! Perhaps you can reach a little higher next time. After all its about the journey, not the destination!
All the best in dance,
Dance Louisville
PS I know I suck at editing but writing is a learning process for me. One step at a time. LOL
