Focus On Moments In The Choreo

We had a guest instructor last month who hosted a Bollyhop workshop. This was the first time we had a workshop of this style and it was a blast. I could immediately tell that he’s had teaching experience. Not every great dancer is a great teacher but he definitely had skills in both.

As he was teaching, he said something that stuck out. He said “Focus on the moments in the choreo.” What did he mean by that? He meant that we were rushing through the routine but not truly executing. We’re trying to go to the next step but not fully present. We’re trying to get it right every time but not enjoying the choreo.

I see this in students all the time and also in myself. We’re trying to hit every step and get to the end so we can say we learned in but we weren’t really present for any step at all. South asian dance styles (Bollywood dance, bhangra, classical etc.) are so fun to do and watch that we don’t do it justice when we simply do it to do it.

Focusing on moments in the choreo means to learn a step and express that step fully - having fun with it.  Even if we’re late to the next one, so what? Dance is meant to be danced. Enjoy it, express it and be fully immersed in it.  There’s a difference between learning a few moves and dancing.