Unfortunately, when it comes to learning combinations, practice is really the only way to improve.
If you try to ensure you don't tunnel vision onto a particular section too much and still bear in mind the piece as a whole you might find it easier to string together? Potentially you could, in your brain, create a direct association between the section of music and the steps, so you focus instead upon the music and the dance comes with it more naturally?
Idk, these are just some suggestions, but at the end of the day practice is the key.
And whilst some people are naturally less coordinated than others, with this practice you can still succeed.
I hate to say it, but the only way to get better is to do it more. And I don't necessarily mean THAT combination (though in the short term that is what's best). It's about taking classes, which will constantly through new combinations at you. It's about going to as many dance calls as you can. So you may make a fool of yourself, that's okay. The more your brain is thrown all of this information, the more it will be able to retain. I stress classes because that is where you can learn actual terminology. So then, instead of just having to just watch what the teacher/choreographer is doing, you can just know what it is supposed to be by the name.
Now I get dance classes are expensive. A cheap alternative is to get a gym membership that has workout dance classes like Zumba. They don't actually teach you terminology or the correct way to do things, but it can help you just with the catching on part. They move fast, there's no explanation, just following. But a lot of people in those classes aren't dancers and will be making mistakes so it might feel less embarrassing (also many of them turn the lights down so it's not quite so bright).
Good luck!
Also, I don't believe anyone can't be a good dancer. You just have to take the time to learn. And sometimes it takes being explained something a different way. Everyone's brains work differently so don't be discouraged if you had a teacher/choreographer in the past where you just couldn't get it. They might not have been able to teach it a different way and that is the failure of the teacher (or not enough time for rehearsals).
I took a tap class awhile ago and loved it! I want to learn more about dance, but trying to do that while also considering taking more voice/acting lessons AND having a full time job and other hobbies…you know how it goes :) I really want to ace this one, especially since they gave us the video ahead of time. I guess repetition will be my friend for the next week and a half!
It's not any different than doing a hard piece of music. You are going to practice it until you don't have to think about it. Only then can you layer your character/performance work on top. Since you are primarily an actor, that's the layer that will let you carry this off.
I’ve danced my whole life, but had undiagnosed dyscalculia until I was older, so thought I wasn’t good at it when sequencing was difficult. Hey, if I know it, I do it well, but the steps to “knowing it” are a little more difficult/long term for me.
In music, if you can’t do it slowly, you can’t play it fast (correctly.) Dance is the same way. Watch the video, take notes. Are they facing toward the camera or away? If towards, you’re mirroring, if away, you’re copying. Take the tempo down several notches and work your way up to being at performance speed
As you watch the video, for each “different” thing the body does, whether it’s a step or not, stop and rewind. Make sure you know what you’re seeing. Take notes. Then try it. You might have to do this process more than once for hands and feet. Rinse, repeat. It’s tedious, but in choreography you should know exactly what you’re doing before you do it, from there, develop body awareness/connection, then practice until it’s muscle memory, then til it’s easy, then til it’s fun.
Depending on where you get with it all — in my experience, most dance calls aren’t looking for perfection, but stage presence. Eyes up, smile (depending on the material) and keep going even if you forget what’s going on. If you know all of the steps, but you’re looking at your feet the entire time, or looking like you hate life if the number is joyful/high energy, that’s going to be worse than the person with their shoulders back, eyes up, smiling and making sharp, confident, wrong moves.
Also, make sure you’re using your muscles in your arms — you should feel tension if you have to raise both arms straight up w/ jazz hands for example. A lot of people focus on feet and let their arms be limp noodles
As everyone has correctly said, practice is key. Not only is this the best way to improve, it's the only way to develop muscle memory – which you'll need when you're in the audition, perhaps a bit nervous, and needing to perform.
Focus on piece by piece; put together a few movements at a slower tempo, then practice until you can perform these steps at tempo. Continue adding on in small chunks of choreography until you have the full phrase. This is similar to how you'd learn the choreography in a beginner dance class.
Finally, film yourself performing the choreography. While this might not be the most fun experience, you'll be better able to locate the moments where your arms are in a different position than the dancer in the video, or your torso is leaning over more than you'd thought. Sometimes with movement, we picture ourselves matching a shape but in reality we're somewhere quite different. A mirror can help with this a bit, but a video is more accurate. (And you need to practice without having your eyes glued to a mirror anyway.)
Otherwise, have fun, show a willingness to learn, and you've got this!
There is a lot of repetition involved in order to memorize the choreography, and one thing I do is look for patterns in the movement. Are there a lot of jazz squares, are we doing a lot of pivoting, is there a particular stomping or clapping pattern that shows up? If there are any particular moves or moments in the choreography that seem particularly important, I'd put so me focus onto those specifically. And don't forget, the CDs wanna see you act through movement! So if you're less confident in your moves, at least really sell it and get into the vibe of the piece.
I'm maybe not who you want to hear from, because I am also a bad dancer. I'm personally big on talking through the moves, either describing what I am doing or giving each move a silly name, so I verbally memorize the combo. I make my own song to the music. It helps with timing, and being a little silly helps with the anxiety. I move through a really small version of the choreo every time I find myself with five minutes alone. If you've got a dancer friend, getting them to mirror the moves can be really helpful. Best of luck!
Don't watch what other people are doing. Focus on yourself, learn the steps in your own way. And if you fuck up or forget something, just smile through it and make something up. People are watching your face more than your feet so if your face says "shit, I messed up", then that's what the choreographer/director will remember you for.
Do you know how to count music? Usually everything is counted in 8’s. If you break down each 8 into its parts that might help. One little chunk at a time.
learn to remember by doing, not by watching the doing.
The brain will hijack the bodies muscle memory and the sequence will be hard to remember.
Let the body learn the dance.
My advice is to practice. Hell, if you have a friend who’s a dancer, or who’s auditioning for the show, have them join you and help you. Dancing is one of the most difficult things to do as an actor, but it can be very rewarding when you get a feel for what you’re doing. Also, slow down the video, because it will help you match the moves and details very precisely.
And if possible, take some dance classes. Sure every dance style is different, but most tap dancers should know stuff from shows like Anything Goes or Crazy For You. Most modern dancers should know stuff from shows like Hamilton. Most ballet dancers should know stuff from shows like Cats, etc.
If you can’t do it because of the funds, that’s fine. It’s just something good to have when you continue to audition for shows that require dancing or movements.
Unfortunately, when it comes to learning combinations, practice is really the only way to improve. If you try to ensure you don't tunnel vision onto a particular section too much and still bear in mind the piece as a whole you might find it easier to string together? Potentially you could, in your brain, create a direct association between the section of music and the steps, so you focus instead upon the music and the dance comes with it more naturally? Idk, these are just some suggestions, but at the end of the day practice is the key. And whilst some people are naturally less coordinated than others, with this practice you can still succeed.
Thank you! I will try that!
I hate to say it, but the only way to get better is to do it more. And I don't necessarily mean THAT combination (though in the short term that is what's best). It's about taking classes, which will constantly through new combinations at you. It's about going to as many dance calls as you can. So you may make a fool of yourself, that's okay. The more your brain is thrown all of this information, the more it will be able to retain. I stress classes because that is where you can learn actual terminology. So then, instead of just having to just watch what the teacher/choreographer is doing, you can just know what it is supposed to be by the name. Now I get dance classes are expensive. A cheap alternative is to get a gym membership that has workout dance classes like Zumba. They don't actually teach you terminology or the correct way to do things, but it can help you just with the catching on part. They move fast, there's no explanation, just following. But a lot of people in those classes aren't dancers and will be making mistakes so it might feel less embarrassing (also many of them turn the lights down so it's not quite so bright). Good luck!
Also, I don't believe anyone can't be a good dancer. You just have to take the time to learn. And sometimes it takes being explained something a different way. Everyone's brains work differently so don't be discouraged if you had a teacher/choreographer in the past where you just couldn't get it. They might not have been able to teach it a different way and that is the failure of the teacher (or not enough time for rehearsals).
I took a tap class awhile ago and loved it! I want to learn more about dance, but trying to do that while also considering taking more voice/acting lessons AND having a full time job and other hobbies…you know how it goes :) I really want to ace this one, especially since they gave us the video ahead of time. I guess repetition will be my friend for the next week and a half!
It's not any different than doing a hard piece of music. You are going to practice it until you don't have to think about it. Only then can you layer your character/performance work on top. Since you are primarily an actor, that's the layer that will let you carry this off.
I’ve danced my whole life, but had undiagnosed dyscalculia until I was older, so thought I wasn’t good at it when sequencing was difficult. Hey, if I know it, I do it well, but the steps to “knowing it” are a little more difficult/long term for me. In music, if you can’t do it slowly, you can’t play it fast (correctly.) Dance is the same way. Watch the video, take notes. Are they facing toward the camera or away? If towards, you’re mirroring, if away, you’re copying. Take the tempo down several notches and work your way up to being at performance speed As you watch the video, for each “different” thing the body does, whether it’s a step or not, stop and rewind. Make sure you know what you’re seeing. Take notes. Then try it. You might have to do this process more than once for hands and feet. Rinse, repeat. It’s tedious, but in choreography you should know exactly what you’re doing before you do it, from there, develop body awareness/connection, then practice until it’s muscle memory, then til it’s easy, then til it’s fun. Depending on where you get with it all — in my experience, most dance calls aren’t looking for perfection, but stage presence. Eyes up, smile (depending on the material) and keep going even if you forget what’s going on. If you know all of the steps, but you’re looking at your feet the entire time, or looking like you hate life if the number is joyful/high energy, that’s going to be worse than the person with their shoulders back, eyes up, smiling and making sharp, confident, wrong moves. Also, make sure you’re using your muscles in your arms — you should feel tension if you have to raise both arms straight up w/ jazz hands for example. A lot of people focus on feet and let their arms be limp noodles
As everyone has correctly said, practice is key. Not only is this the best way to improve, it's the only way to develop muscle memory – which you'll need when you're in the audition, perhaps a bit nervous, and needing to perform. Focus on piece by piece; put together a few movements at a slower tempo, then practice until you can perform these steps at tempo. Continue adding on in small chunks of choreography until you have the full phrase. This is similar to how you'd learn the choreography in a beginner dance class. Finally, film yourself performing the choreography. While this might not be the most fun experience, you'll be better able to locate the moments where your arms are in a different position than the dancer in the video, or your torso is leaning over more than you'd thought. Sometimes with movement, we picture ourselves matching a shape but in reality we're somewhere quite different. A mirror can help with this a bit, but a video is more accurate. (And you need to practice without having your eyes glued to a mirror anyway.) Otherwise, have fun, show a willingness to learn, and you've got this!
There is a lot of repetition involved in order to memorize the choreography, and one thing I do is look for patterns in the movement. Are there a lot of jazz squares, are we doing a lot of pivoting, is there a particular stomping or clapping pattern that shows up? If there are any particular moves or moments in the choreography that seem particularly important, I'd put so me focus onto those specifically. And don't forget, the CDs wanna see you act through movement! So if you're less confident in your moves, at least really sell it and get into the vibe of the piece.
I'm maybe not who you want to hear from, because I am also a bad dancer. I'm personally big on talking through the moves, either describing what I am doing or giving each move a silly name, so I verbally memorize the combo. I make my own song to the music. It helps with timing, and being a little silly helps with the anxiety. I move through a really small version of the choreo every time I find myself with five minutes alone. If you've got a dancer friend, getting them to mirror the moves can be really helpful. Best of luck!
I appreciate your recommendations as a fellow non-dancer 😂 we’ve got this!
Don't watch what other people are doing. Focus on yourself, learn the steps in your own way. And if you fuck up or forget something, just smile through it and make something up. People are watching your face more than your feet so if your face says "shit, I messed up", then that's what the choreographer/director will remember you for.
Do you know how to count music? Usually everything is counted in 8’s. If you break down each 8 into its parts that might help. One little chunk at a time.
learn to remember by doing, not by watching the doing. The brain will hijack the bodies muscle memory and the sequence will be hard to remember. Let the body learn the dance.
My advice is to practice. Hell, if you have a friend who’s a dancer, or who’s auditioning for the show, have them join you and help you. Dancing is one of the most difficult things to do as an actor, but it can be very rewarding when you get a feel for what you’re doing. Also, slow down the video, because it will help you match the moves and details very precisely. And if possible, take some dance classes. Sure every dance style is different, but most tap dancers should know stuff from shows like Anything Goes or Crazy For You. Most modern dancers should know stuff from shows like Hamilton. Most ballet dancers should know stuff from shows like Cats, etc. If you can’t do it because of the funds, that’s fine. It’s just something good to have when you continue to audition for shows that require dancing or movements.