overview
Maldon’s November Dance Practice
I decided to record my dance practice this month, partly for my own benefit so I can look back, but also to share how I practice and how I’m trying to develop that practice.
Some of it will be learning steps, choreographing, learning to work with a metronome, or just plain dancing to tunes and albums. Whatever comes up in my practice this month!
Some of it may be of interest to you, and you might find something helpful for your own dancing. Mostly, I want to share the process. It’s not all perfect. There’s experimenting, trying things out, getting stuck, playing, and creating. That’s all part of the practice.
journal
- 11/9 – Pt & warmup, Cavan step – hop, masters polka 1, kitty lie over, zoom with Sandy Slivia, Donál Muphy rock out with my dad – Happy Hour Album and Tailored – 6 and half hours
- 11/10 – Cavan step varations, masters polka 1, kitty lie over (skipped Set dancing), listened to Kitty Lie Over Album and listened to metronome, accordion lesson – 4 hours
- 11/11 – Pt, Studied the Cavan set rather than danced as my body needed rest, masters polka 1, kitty lie over, –
Kitty Lie Over Album
Kitty Lie Over Album
Kitty Lie Over is such an amazing album. I’ve listened to it hundreds, if not thousands, of times.
I’m working on developing my own dance practice and making it more internal—creating material for myself to perform, practice, enjoy, and play with, alongside the material I create for teaching.
I’ve decided to work my way through each tune on this album, creating steps, little chunks of dancing, and hopefully complete, mapped-out sequences that follow the tunes.
Sticking with a mapped-out step is a weakness in my dancing, and something I want to work on. I’d like to practice a sequence enough that I can dance it comfortably up to speed, then bring my natural inclination to improvise into and around it.
I also want to bring in vocabulary and steps I don’t always use, giving them enough time and attention that they become more natural in my dancing and start showing up more often in my improvisations.
And I get to spend more time dancing to music I love.
