Dance Practice Log – December 09, 2024

When: Monday, December 09, 2024 6:30pm until 8:00pm
Where: Morden home living room

Summary

Yesterday I trained for about 1.5 hours. Up until last couple training sessions, I felt so much resistance, so much procrastination. And every time I get myself to to practice — not force — I feel emotionally better, lifted with higher spirits, and I can see the work paying off. I feel it. I see it.

What did I do

  • Conditioning
    • Jump roping (3 minutes)
    • 2 rounds of single leg squats, lunge jumps (my enemy), squats, holding dance positions
  • 1 round of 9 exercises with ankle weights
    • Compass on time
    • Compass double time
    • Compass with a swing
    • Jump from side to side
    • Rapid fire forward and backwards
    • Side to side arm stretches (used to make me nauseous but not anymore)
  • 6 rounds of pas de bourrée rhythm training with ankle weights
    • On time, double time, “standard”, 1/16th
  • 6 rounds of cross step rhythm training without ankle weights
    • On time, double time, “standard”, 1/16th
  • Musicality exercise – Used Garage band (no. 16)
  • Freestyle round – started cramping so I stopped after about 3 minute round

What was the main focus?

  • Musicality and transitions
  • Updated dance training program – added moves such as roger rabbit, jack in the box, side walk, drunk walk, compass, swirl, heel toe, dodger
  • Drilling rhythmic pattern (Mavinga)
  • Main intention continues to be holding the position just a fraction of a second longer, particularly on rhythm 3 before transitioning to 1/16th notes

Wins

  • Throughout freestyle round, I incorporated (recency bias) the kick, bend, into roger rabbit transition (from Miriam)
  • Setup with the repetition – this is something that I came up for myself; well, I arrived at this move on my own and do not doubt that others in the world have come up with the same move
  • Threw in the shuffle transition I picked up from Miriam from class last Saturday – kick out right, step left leg back behind right, finish the shuffle kick out. I find this transition really beautiful and I’m adding my own flavor, my own sauce to it

Areas of Improvements

  • Right arm stiff during swirl (and more generally, in all movements)
  • Adding textures
  • Incorporating pauses and quarter time with intention
  • I’m thinking of doing something like Bas Ruten, creating .mp3 files of me just telling myself the exercises with music baked into it

Full training and practice video