throwing the brick at dance
If you’ve ever taken classes with us, you know we love drills. Clave/rhythm drills, balance drills, body movements drills etc. If it’s a skill needed to effectively lead a partner or interpret music, we’ll be doing it!
We’ve taken a peek into more than our share of Latin dance classes and for some odd reason, drills that target a specific area of importance, such as rhythm, are often overlooked if not completely forgotten about.
If you have ever played any sport, you know that drills are done before anything else. You might throw bricks in football, strike pads in Thai boxing, or work the barre in ballet.
Even million dollar athletes utilize the same drills that high school students use to improve their performance and keep their fundamentals solid.
Athletes with seven figure salaries don’t waste their time doing these archaic drills for no good reason. Strong fundamentals = strong dancer. If you have a weak sense of Clave or partner connection, how on earth are you going dance with a partner and interpret music that is based on Clave? You may go through the motions, but do you really understand how the heartbeat works?
No matter how many turns, spins, or patterns you practice, they will not replace simple, focused drills that allow you to put 100% of your effort into improving one single area.
Catching a brick is a lot less fun than catching a football. And your hands better work correctly, or it’s going to hurt bad.
There is no better teacher than the drill. And no better dancer, than one with fundamentals solid enough to catch a brick.
Related posts:
- beating your personal brick wall
- the illusion of stillness
- But I couldn’t find a partner who could dance X style..
- why do so many dance teachers suck?
