A dance journal is a helpful tool for either the beginner or the advanced dancer. It is a good habit to develop a practice of reflecting on your dance improvement. Dance journals can also be a good reference for yourself. I’m going to tell you a little bit about how to keep an effective dance journal, and then you will be able to form a practice that works for you.
A Reference of Your Past
Last week I was cleaning my bookshelf and I found my first dance journal. As I read through my notes, I recognized the value of this book. I’ve always known that a dance journal is a good way for you to concentrate on your progress, but I hadn’t really realized how valuable it was to look back at my progress. The dance journal isn’t just about looking forward, it can also be about looking back. It really helped me to realize how much better I had gotten. I have a hard time remembering what I was working on years ago, but in my journal I could read along with the notes of corrections I needed to concentrate on during class. It made me feel pretty successful to know that I did continue to take those corrections to heart. Many of them I no longer think about, but only because I spent so much time thinking about them that they became second nature over time.
A Tool for Progress
A dance journal can be most effective because it gives you a chance to reflect on your dancing. When you are given a correction in class, or make a realization, that shouldn’t just be forgotten at the end of that class. You should bring those ideas with you to the next class, and to all of your future dancing. Reflecting on your dancer makes you a conscious learner. To learn quickly, you should always have an idea of something you want to be working on. Don’t just go through the motions. You should be aware of what you want to get better at.
Taking a moment to reflect in your journal after a class, rehearsal, or performance will help you to realize what you want to work on. What continually becomes something you want to work on? What do you have the hardest time improving on? What works well for you? It is amazing how much you can affect your own progress with a little bit of reflection. Make it a habit in your dance journal.
How to Keep an Effective Dance Journal
One of the biggest parts of keeping a dance journal is writing it down. This may seem really obvious, but it requires a little bit of forethought. Get a journal that you feel comfortable writing in. It doesn’t have to be anything special, but make sure it is something you can keep in your dance bag. You’ll want to have access to it after class. Make sure you have a pen as well.
It will be helpful to keep track of the date for each entry, as well as what class level it was, where it was if you take classes in different locations, and who the teacher was. You would think you could remember all of this, but after some time you probably won’t. It can also be helpful to look back and notice any patterns. Is there one teacher who was most helpful with certain areas of your dance? Do you make the same mistakes in different classes? Recognizing patterns in your progress is helpful in being a conscious dancer.
As you get started with your journal, there are a few pieces of information you should consider keeping track of. Most obviously, keep track of any corrections your teacher gives you. These are important because your teacher recognizes what is most important for you to work on. But you should also keep track of corrections that your teacher gives to your classmates. Your teachers can’t give all the corrections to you, so you will benefit from paying attention to corrections made to others, or to the class at large.
Be sure to write down any realizations that you make when you are dancing. These could be a-ha moments from watching others in class or making a slight change. I usually find my a-ha moments are more of a feeling while I’m dancing. For example, while practicing double tour en l’airs, I once noticed that they were much better if I just imagined all of my force in my core instead of my legs or shoulders. These sort of feelings and realizations are hard to remember. Your journal can help remind you of what works best for you. I’m pretty sure that you will notice patterns here as well.
Feel free to keep track of any combinations or choreography that you enjoyed or struggled with. This is very helpful especially when rehearsing for performance. You could take up rehearsal time having to re-remember the choreography, or you could spend a few minutes before rehearsal reviewing your notes. It is especially helpful for people like me, who are a bit slower at learning choreography. Keeping track of combinations you enjoy is also a good idea.
These ideas will get you started, but ultimately your dance journal will become your own. You’ll figure out what works for you. Mainly you want to keep in mind that having a dance journal will help you to progress, and keeping the right information will help you to reflect.
Feel free to leave any comments about what works for you when you and your dance journal.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
huh…i never thought of a dance journal until now. Thanks for the tip!
I will try it out and let you know my experience. Good tip -Thanks