3 Tips to Make Picking up Dance Combinations a Breeze
The ability to learn combinations quickly and accurately as a ballet dancer is one of the most important tools you can have in your arsenal.
You can be a brilliant dancer, but if you struggle to pick up the combination in an audition or in front of a guest choreographer who doesn’t already know your strengths, you won’t have the opportunity to show what you can do and you’ll likely be passed over for the job or role.
I have seen this happen to too many amazing dancers, and I would hate to see that happen to you! Here are three of my best tips to help you pick up combinations in a snap!
Make up a song in your head
You know how you struggle to remember all the dates for your upcoming history exam, but you can instantly recall the lyrics to any song on the Top 40 chart? Our brains are just wired to remember rhythm and song. Instead of fighting it, use it to your advantage!
I’ll often make up a little song to sing in my head during combinations (I find this especially useful for faster combinations like battement degagé and petit allegro). Repeating this little ditty over in my head while I’m dancing not only helps me remember what comes next more easily - it makes it more fun!
Break it up into sections
What’s the best way to eat an elephant? One bite at a time.
If you try to swallow an entire combination all in one piece, it can be incredibly overwhelming for your brain. Locate checkmarks throughout the combination to break it up into manageable chunks.
It’s sort of like reading a book. If you were to sit down and try to read the entire thing at once, that would be staggering. But you know you can commit to reading one chapter. You just keep reading one chapter at a time until you’ve completed the whole book! By looking at the choreography as a collection of chapters instead of one long book, you’ll realize it’s achievable! Even if you lose your way for a count or two, you have another guide post coming up to help you restart and get back on track.
Learn from a variety of teachers in many different styles of dance
It’s easy to fall into a comfortable rhythm with our dance classes. We feel safe with certain teachers because we know what to expect in their classes - whether it’s a set warm-up or specific nuances, there’s a consistency we can count on. While it does feel warm and cozy to step into a class that you are innately familiar with, it can also lead to complacency.
Have you ever been driving somewhere that you’ve been a million times (like dance class) and arrived to have absolutely no recollection of the drive? That’s what it’s like in our comfort zone dance classes. We know it so well we hardly have to think anymore - our brain and body just know what to do.
I have teachers that I know so well I can anticipate the next step in their combination before they even demonstrate it. If a substitute walks into the room one day when I’m expecting this particular class - I’m thrown. My brain and body are not prepared to wake up to a new style of dancing and I feel sluggish the whole class.
But guess what? This is the exact scenario that occurs when you attend an audition. You have a brand new teacher, music, space, classmates, everything! It’s a lot of change all at once. So while I understand the urge to stay with what’s comfortable - if you want to get better at activating your frontal lobe and picking up new combinations quickly, you have to frequently put yourself in challenging situations.
And there you have it! Three quick tips you can start applying immediately to help you pick up dance combinations more quickly.
Most importantly, remember that like anything else in ballet, this is a skill that takes time to cultivate. It will only delay the process if you spiral into negative self-talk every time you make a mistake. Mistakes happen and how you deal with them says so much more about you as a dancer than the ability to be perfect every time. So if something goes wrong, don’t sweat it…make a mental note for next time and just keep going!
Meet the Author
Caitlin Sloan is a Dance Educator and Career Mentor based in Madison, WI.
Caitlin received her Bachelor of Arts in Dance from Grand Valley State University and Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management from the University of Missouri.
She danced professionally for nine years with companies including Ballet Tucson and Missouri Contemporary Ballet (now Mareck Dance). Caitlin has taught at schools all over the Midwest, most notably serving as Director of The School of Missouri Contemporary Ballet and Youth Company Director for Central Indiana Dance Ensemble. She is currently on faculty at the School of Madison Ballet.
Caitlin founded The Brainy Ballerina® in 2019, a virtual resource providing support and guidance for aspiring ballet dancers. Follow @thebrainyballerina on Instagram for your daily dose of dance career guidance and inspiration.
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