One of the main things I noticed dancers feel uncomfortable with is freestyle. Marketing and labeling plays a factor in this department. I have taught hip-hop dance classes at Broadway Dance Center since 1999 and to this day I can see nervousness on dancers faces when I bring up freestyle in class. I want to help dancers unlock their true power so I’m going to give some tips and advice on learning how to freestyle and to get better at free styling overall. A lot of dancers feel they “can’t” freestyle which is 100 percent false; Everyone can freestyle. Sometimes dancers confuse “tricks” with freestyle so they may think if they don’t have any “cool” tricks to pull out or flava, their unable to freestyle. I want to make it clear that tricks are not needed at all. Of course it may be a goal to get to that level but to fault yourself for not having any tricks in the beginning helps no one, especially if your not practicing tricks.
For the record, these are my personal tips. This does not mean it’s the only way that works but my methods have worked 100 percent of the time if followed correctly.
*Time to pick
Make a selection of a song you naturally love dancing to. Pick the song that you can put on repeat 100 times and never get tired of it . If you love the song it’s easier to train.
*Pick it apart
Listen to all the layers of the music. What did the producer create with this track. Dissect it. It’s key to know all the layers to be able to use them the way you want. The music leads. Dancing with the music and learning the music will greatly enhance your skills.
*Pick the lock
What I mean is open your mind. The styles that came before us today came from people willing to explore and create their own way .
With that said, try anything your body wants to do. Your body will automatically start to make its own sequence of moves. This is when your mind steps in to help catch what you like and get familiar with those moves . If you want, film yourself each time you freestyle and start to re learn the moves you liked and try them in different ways . Once you have mastered them, store them like a recipe. It’s yours.
*Pick Up the Pace
Consistency is the KEY . I cannot stress this enough . Without consistency this will not work correctly. It’s up to you how many hours you would like to put into creating your style. To be honest its a never ending process because there is always more to add or learn to ones style. It’s an amazing gift once your dedicated to it . I like to look at it as a power you have but you have to work to unlock it like any super hero.
At the end of the day it’s about the work you have to dedicate but I hope this helps place a base for you to grow from. Try these steps consistently over a length of 30 days and you will for sure see a difference in your movement and your mind . Film yourself freestyling day 1 with the song you choose. Each day you freestyle write down how long you worked on it . At the end of 30 days you can look back and see how many hours you put into it . Film yourself free-styling and compare your day 1 to day 30. If you would like more results try to increase the amount of time you put in for the 30 days .
Let’s get to work. The results will leave you very happy.
Written by AntBoogie
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Love the idea of putting freestyle into a daily practice. Going to try implementing this into my routine during this off time. Can't wait to see the comparison of day 1 video to day 30
Such a simple yet in-depth way to approach free-style dance. I agree