This blog deals with techniques that can be used by students of partner dance (Swing, Latin, Ballroom etc.) to improve their speed of learning. It's all about being a better student, and learning faster.
For the past couple of months I have been seeing an Alexander to help improve my mobility for general benefit and to improve my dance. This post is about the benefits I had on doing this so that you can decide if it is something for you.
The Alexander Technique
The Alexander technique is a system that helps you move more efficiently so that you can perform your tasks (whatever they be) more efficiently. It was developed by Frederick Matthias Alexander who was a stage actor who had troubles keeping his voice throughout a play despite all doctors at the time telling him he was in sound health. After watching himself in the mirror as he practiced acting he noticed oddities in his posture. By focusing on his posture he found his issues was resolved. He later saw others with the same issue and noticed that by focusing upon posture and self awareness that anyone could improve their efficiency and their overall well-being.
He developed a system that could be used by what he called 'teachers' to impart better habits of movement upon his 'students'. I am unsure why he did not call them patients, but it might be because it is about teaching people better habits.
The typical session involves you taking various positions, standing or sitting or laying down, while the teacher will place hands on you to encourage the relaxation of certain muscle groups. They will also ask you to conduct certain movement as they guide your body. There will also be some imaging techniques, which are very familiar to most dancers. Finally, in my case at least, you get some exercises to do at home.
The best thing about the technique for most is that the method is very easy on you. You spend much or your time laying down so you get the benefits with little effort.
Benefits
As a dancer I like to think I am fairly aware of my body and movement. I have been working on that to improve my dance for some time now. However, I still found more awareness from these sessions. Especially with parts of my body my teachers of the past have mentioned. Especially letting my shoulders drop. Since doing these sessions I have:
Felt less pain when in general - we all have aches and pains at times
Been able to adjusts what I do to limit the onset of fatigue and strain - most notably when walking while on holiday in Tasmania, which is where Frederick Matthias Alexander was born, so that was poetic
Felt more grounded in my feet - I have some pronation, which now feels reduced
Felt less aches when dancing
Felt more control over my posture when dancing
Recommendations
I would recommend this to anyone - it worked for me so it should work for you. Even if you do not get benefit from it, you at least know you have worked out that you're in good shape. However, you will probably have some issues that can be resolved. For dance I would especially recommend it if you have any of the following issues:
Contracted shoulders
Hunched posture
Poor hip movement
You fall into steps at times
You ever feel pain from dancing for longer periods
Stiffness in your back
Poor head position
Where to find a practitioner
In these days of the internet it is very easy to type Alexander technique and you local area into a search engine and find someone near you. I found one a block away.
More information
This is a pretty good article on how to be a better dancer from the perspective of an Alexander teacher - The Biggest Mistake Dancers Make. It shows both what Alexander teachers know and gives advice on how to dance better.
At a recent dance studio social/comp night, I was talking to a group of fellow dancers about the way people learn (and sometimes do not learn) dance. This resulted in a number of the common mistakes that people can make when learning dance being identified. Let’s go over these now to see if you might be making some of these mistakes and what can be done about it if you are.
Thinking it’s all about the figures
Much teaching of dance focuses upon teaching a figure. Thus, is it no surprise if you think to be a better dance, you must know more figures and harder figures. If you have trouble dancing and you decide to get a DVD of dance figures (or go to a dance workshop to learn more figures or something like that), then first check that the issue you have is indeed no knowing enough figures. Sometimes that is an issue – especially for leads. However, it is only sometimes!
Forgetting attributes
Often the issue is not what we know about dance, but the way we dance. We know what we are meant to do, but it just doesn’t happen. You might be told to dance on the beat, but that does not mean you will. You might be told to move smoothly, but that does not mean you can. You might be told to relax, but being told to relax can be stressful for many.
In cases like this, you need to think about not the dance, but about YOU.
These are just examples, but they are the type of questions you can ask yourself. Try to work out what it is about you that stops you from dancing as well as you could. Think about coming up with a list of things you think might hold you back. Then think about what you can do for each of these listed items.
Not trying a different mind set
One thing that often holds people back is the way they approach learning. If you are used to learning a certain way, one that might have worked well in other contexts, then it might not be ideal for learning some aspects of dance (yet you keep using it). Some examples:
You might be good at remembering lots of facts for exams, but that will not help you learn to lead and follow different people.
You might have focused on understanding basic principles and then applying them in different cases, but that will not help you respond quickly when dancing socially on a crowded floor and you need to be intuitive.
You might have used methods of remembering a series of events, but you can’t go through your mnemonic technique at your owns pace when dancing a routine to music.
If you are having troubles learning some aspect of dance, then take the time to consider your learning approach. It might be that using a different approach will yield improved results.
Thinking it stops
Dance is not like riding a bike. Things can fall out of your head (and your body memory). Do not make the mistake of thinking that once you have learned a step or passed a certain level, that you will always have those skills and figures in your head. Instead, if you notice you lose something, then work on getting it back.
Don’t get annoyed by this. The fact that dance needs this effort is what makes it so good for your brain. Each time you are relearning, think about how you will not be mentally slow as you age.
Thinking you should learn from good dancers as opposed to good teachers
Just because someone dances well does not mean they know how to teach. In fact, if someone dances really well, then they probably do not understand what you are going through, and they are not able to help you. Don’t look only for a good dancer; try to find a good teacher.
Note also, that there is no such thing as a good teacher. There is only such thing as a good student teacher relationship. You might need to change teachers simply to get the match. And sometimes what you needed at an earlier stage of learning is not what you need now. Do not be afraid to change teachers if you need it or to even engage another for special needs at the same time.
Not really knowing what you are learning for
Do you know why you are learning to dance? Sometimes people are just there and do not really know why they are dancing. Without that focus/motivation, it’s hard to learn to dance well.
On top of that, if you know what you are dancing (for social dancing, sport, exhibition, to meet people of the opposite sex, to take on a challenge etc.), then you can better tailor your learning strategy to you needs.
Think about why you are learning dance, then use that for motivation and aligning your learning efforts with what you need to learn.
Many of us have worries that we do not dance well. This is despite the fact that logically we know we can dance. We have gone to dance classes, we have practiced and we have received feedback on our progression. But still, we have this self-doubt.
This makes it hard to enjoy dance. If we always doubt our abilities no matter how well we can actually dance, then we will never enjoy dance as much we could or should. And this is what makes self-doubt so insidious. When we should be dancing and enjoying ourselves, we are actually worried that we’re not dancing well, and upsetting the person we are dancing with or that others think less of us. Not only that, but it can also make us think about giving up or not putting as much effort in as we would really like.
Clearly, none of this is ideal. Therefore, overcoming self-doubt will let us enjoy dance more and put more effort into improving our ability.
There are two methods that you can use to overcome self-doubt in dance. One is a bit strange and the other will seem a little familiar. I have found the first one to be easier, but it needs and open mind. The second takes time, but it makes a little more sense.
Tapping
Tapping is based on acupressure points. Point that cause us to take on a more positive attitude toward anything we choose. From experience this works incredibly well.
The middle ribs on the side – just above where the elbow touches you sides when your arms are down
The top of your head
Now take one of your greatest concerns about dance. Say not looking good, losing time or forgetting a step. Imagine it happening and notice how you feel.
Now in your head repeat this concern. Say something like ‘I will dance terribly because I will lose timing’ or ‘I just know I’ll do something wrong when dancing tonight’.
While repeating this statement spend around 5 – 10 seconds tapping each of the parts of your body listed above.
Once you have gone through the list, stop and think about your dancing again. You should notice that you feel better about it now.
Next, come up with a more positive statement. Say something like ‘I have been getting better at dancing and my timing since I have started. As long as I work at it I know I will get better’ or ‘Given my level, I am dancing well and everyone will know that’
Now repeat this statement while tapping each of your body parts on the above list for 5-10 seconds at a time.
Once that is done stop again and see how you feel. You will be feeling much better now.
Anytime you’re feeling stressed or in self-doubt about dance, go through the tapping procedure again.
If you want to find out more about tapping, then check out the link to the right and sign up to the email list. Margaret is excellent and really wants to help you.
Removing the fear of choking
Self-doubt can get right into our heads and make us choke when we need to perform at our best. There has been a lot of research into why we choke. The book shown to the right summarises a lot of this research. The author Sian Beilock has done a good job of explaining what we can do to reduce choking and in the process remove a lot of self-doubt.
If you take a look at it, then you will likely find something that you can use.
However, there are two techniques that are simple, make sense and have been tested to see that they work.
Get used to it.
The more you do something the less doubt you have about it. How many tive have you have had a doubt about your ability to walk?
If you think you can push through it, then this is a method worth trying. It will be difficult, but it will work. The other advantage is that it makes your practice as well so you get a double benefit. Before you take this path you need to be clear of one thing – you are going to intentionally put yourself in uncomfortable situations so that you can become stronger and no longer worry about them. Being clear about this in your head will help you apply yourself more and take the edge off the fear.
Once you have committed to this approach all you need do is find as many situations where you will need to dance. Ideally, situations that trigger your self-doubt. This could simply be group classes somewhere else, small comp’s within your dance school or social events. If you feel too stressed then just remember, that the purpose is to get over the stress.
Exorcise the concerns and enhance the positives
Have you ever noticed that when you talk about something that is troubling you that it no longer seems like such a big deal?
Often when we start to worry about something is gets locked up in our brain and we just keep focusing on it. It hangs around and ties us up in knots inside, and then fills us with self-doubt. However, if we get it out, then we feel a lot better.
Once of the easiest ways to get it out is to write it down. Writing it down sends a signal to the brain that the information has been stored, and no longer needs to be worried about. This then means it will no longer be the focus of our brain.
Side note – telling people about plans to exercise, lose weight, start a business etc. can be detrimental. By talking about it, the brain thinks the job is done and focus is lost. If you do talk about it, then make a promise or a prediction that compels you to follow through.
Once you have exorcised the doubt, it’s a good time to build confidence. Start to think about the things you can do. You have been practicing for a while so you have improved in numerous ways. We need to be reminded of this at times. With some conscious effort we can make our brain focus on the positives, and really reduce that self-doubt.
I regularly go to group classes that are run before many social events. It lets me get insights from other dancers, learn new figures and styles, dance with more partners (ideal for practice) and introduces me to new styles.
However, it has also revealed something else to me. The frequency with which women are simply disappointed with the quality of men they dance with.
I like to think that they confide in me because they don’t think I am not that bad. However, it is possible that they talk of others as a way to give me a message. In either case, it got me thinking that I should get to the bottom of this, and know what issues women have.
I then spent the next couple of months watching group classes more than focusing on my own dance. Probably not the smartest thing for me to do for my own dance, but it turned out to be informative. And confirmed that I probably did disappoint a few women while getting to the bottom of this.
In short, many men don’t try, but still seem to think that they are pretty good.
I noticed the following with men:
They focus on the right foot placement
They ignore character as their feet move from one place to the next
They are scared to try different embraces or use the one recommended
They focus so much on their own feet they forget to show their partner a good time
These were not common to all men and only a few would have all of these undesirable characteristics. However, there are a few things men can do to overcome these issues:
Make sure you are at the level you should be at for a group lesson
Realise that you do it harder at the start – you need to find foot work easy to pick up to do a group class – maybe you need a lot more privates of low level group classes before attending the group classes you want to go to. Do not think you can do the same number of lessons as women and be able to go to the same classes. You might need to attend classes at 3 times the rate to keep up.
Put some effort in. It’s not just foot placement. Do you want to dance well – putting your whole body and character into it – or do you just want to walk through it? This might be a rhetorical question, but it does have a right answer.
I can’t claim to be the best dancer around, but I have found that if you ensure your dance ability is equal to the lesson, focus on your partners and work on really dancing, then you can get a lot more out of these lessons and be more confident that you are not ruining it for others.
Final note: I have assumed men are leading. If you are a lady who leads, then the above is equally valid to you. Although my experience would suggest you probably need not worry about it; women seem to take leading more seriously.
I have been writing about how to be a better partner dancer for some years now. In that time I have:
done a lot of research into how to dance better,
tried a lot of techniques to see if they improve dance ability,
had friends try techniques to see if they improve dance ability,
spoken to many women about the things they find difficult, and
spoken to a lot of men about what they like in dance partners.
From all of this, I have found essence of what makes for the best women dancers*.
And I am going to share this with you now.
In short, you need to be a graceful dancer. You need to not only dance well, obviously, but you need to be a lady that has poise and affability on the dance floor.
It’s more than simply knowing figures.
The best female dancers:
have an affability that makes it easy to ask them to dance and connect with
can feel emotion in the music
notice how others express the feelings in the music
move with grace in response to leads that they can feel
When you have these qualities, you become that woman that you have seen on the dance floor who looks at home there. You glide along the floor and turn expressing the character of the music and catch everyone’s eye as you have the kind of experience that we all want from dance. Think about those women you see dancing like that – it can be you.
If you want to be one of the best women dancers, then you need to master the following:
Physicality – for good feminine movement
Musicality – not just dancing in time with the music, but WITH the music
Learning dance – so you know that you are dancing as you should
Sensing – so you can pick up on all aspects of dance to follow and express yourself
Affability – so your partner connects, and creates that unique dance experience
You probably already have some these, but there is likely to be something you feel you lack or have perhaps never thought about.
Imagine if you had all of them, and you were like those other dancers you see and envy. You CAN master these 5 attributes of the best female dancers. And I will show you how so that dance can be what you want it to be.
If you do want me to tell you how to master these attributes, and you should, then you can read more via a report that I have written on this topic. Fill out the form below, and I will send you the report now.
*I know that it need not be a woman following. This is just the context that this article is written in. Much of what is written here is valid for leads in general. By all means, if you are a man, then you can still learn about following from the report.
Most of us have encountered another dancer always seems to dance better than us - not matter what we do. We sometimes look for reasons to explain away their better dance so that we do not need to confront the frustration this can bring. However, many of these reasons we produce are myths. If you confront each myth to find the truth, and use this truth to improve the way you learn dance, then you will become the one that others make myths about.
Here are the 8 myths that people hold about those other dancers who dance better and how to confront them to be a better dancer.
1 They are naturals
Depending upon which country you live in you might or might not follow cricket. If you do, then you will likely know of a man by the name of Shane Warne. He is known for resurrecting spin bowling and delivering the Ball of the Century. He is for this reason considered a remarkable athlete and some would say a natural. However, he is also known for Warne’s rule:
There is no such thing as a natural.
He is certainly not the only person to posit this notion. However, it is noteworthy that one so talented and considered a natural would say this.
The notion of there being no such thing as a natural is also supported by the researcher into expert performance: Anders Ericsson. Ericsson found that all world class experts in their chosen field had completed a period considerable practice to become as good as they were. This was the case for Shane Warne and for those people you think are naturals.
If you know someone who dances better than you and it seems that they have done the same amount of practice as you, then one (or maybe more) of three things has probably happened:
They engaged in a hobby or pastime prior to starting dance and developed skills that carried over to dance
They actually practice more than they let on – many people do this to create an air of mystique
They practice in a more focused (deliberate) manner than you
The fact is that the people who dance well are either now or were once engaging in deliberate practice to develop the numerous attributes that make for a good dancer.
If you want to dance as well as them, then review how much deliberate practice you put in and how focused that practice is.
2 They have a dancer’s body
I have used this one a few times myself. I know men with trim builds who can more easily wrap theirs and their partner’s limbs around their torso. They can also move a little faster because of their leanness. It is true that some people will have a physique that gives them an edge, but it’s not a huge edge so don’t go thinking that this is the reason for someone dancing that much better than you.
And there is a lot more to dance than body shape.
I know I have said this before, but John Lindo is a perfect example of how much more there can be to dance.
Nevertheless, depending upon the dance style, you will likely find that a bit of deliberate practice to improve strength, flexibility and endurance will help.
3 They were born in the right culture, which gives them some je ne se
This one is heard a lot. It is especially espoused by people from the respective culture. I personally find it odd that someone would rather try to exclude others from enjoying their culture than try to promote their culture to others and take pride in how it is loved and mastered by so many. But I think this gets back to people needing to find other ways of feeling good about themselves.
But getting back to the point – it is not that they just have some je ne se because of their culture. It is simply that they:
grew up with the respective music so they can express it more in their dance and
they get the attitude to goes with the dance so they can also express the style easily as well.
The solution to this is once again a lot like practice.
You would be well served first by listening more to the kind of music you dance to. Second, think about the attitude and try expressing that. I only know a few teachers who actively encourage this so if you work on it, then you will quickly improve.
Learning to express attitude can take a while, and is more like acting. However, acting is a component of dance, and is worth trying.
4 They pay for more dance lessons
There is certainly an advantage to having more lessons. However, if you know how to practice properly in your own time, then you will make much more out of a smaller number of dance lessons. In my experience, people who pay for more lessons often grow complacent in their practice, and the benefit of the extra lessons is lost.
Remember that much of learning is actually processing what you have learned in your lesson, and not just doing the lesson. Thus, doing more lessons are often just a substitute for practice. Twice as many lessons will not make you improve your dance twice as fast.
Doing the following will make up for any difference that comes from someone else taking more dance lessons than you:
Focus on processing what was covered in a lesson by going over it regularly (at least once a day with physical practice) and before going to sleep each night in bed to drive it all to the unconscious mind for greatest benefit.
Record video footage of the key things (figures, techniques, routines and such) taught in each lesson.
Dance socially – this will really test you. When the other person has learned elsewhere, the leads and follows are different. Which means you need to lead/follow properly instead of relying on the other person knowing what they are meant to do. This will really force you to know and learn the figures.
Book practice times with other students – it’s free, they might know what you don’t know. And vice versa. You can go over routines with them, and, like social dancing, but not as extreme, you will improve your ability by dancing with another. There are many places that you can practice too.
5 They don’t work, and have more time to practice
It is certainly the case that more practice will help, but quality will always win out over quantity. Practice can cause fatigue if done too long in the wrong context. Focus on the quality of your own practice and make it deliberate.
Questions:
Do you take notes at the end of each lesson to remind you what to work on until the next lesson?
Do you take notes when practicing so that you have focused questions at your next lesson?
If you can answer ‘yes’ to both of these, then you’re going to find that practice quantity counts for less. This is because the quality of your practice will now be so much greater.
6 They are the teacher’s favorite
Teachers do have their favorites. However, apart from when it’s because of sexual attraction, it is a result of solid learning habits and a focus on improvement by the student. If you take your learning seriously, then you will likely be the favorite.
And even if you’re not the favorite, your learning is your responsibility. Utilize your teacher to become a better dancer, and their lack of motivation teaching you when compared to other students will become meaningless.
7 They have a better teacher
There is such thing as a bad teacher, there is also such thing as a bad student. However, there is no such thing as a good teacher or a good student; only a good student teacher relationship. The key is to match the learning style of the student to the teaching style of the teacher.
You have a few options here if you think someone has a better teacher/student relationship:
Change teacher – obvious really.
Manage your lessons – by focusing the attention of your teacher on the things you need and extracting the information you need in a form that works for you, it will matter less how your teacher naturally teaches.
Adjust your learning – it’s like the opposite of option 2. I would be careful about trying this. If you adopt learning methods that don’t suit you, then it’s hard to conceive how you will dance better. However, you might find that your teacher is actually on to a better method if you give it a go. So be cautious, but try it.
8 They are more confident
Probably because they practice properly or because they can fake it.
Once you are up and dancing, much of what worries you disappears, and it's all down to practice. Practicing under stress can also negate the effects of nerves when performing. Therefore, confidence (or lack of it) is not a reason to not dance well.
Nevertheless, it is more enjoyable to dance when feeling confident. This is one of the best methods I have tried to boost confidence in dance.
There are many different attributes from dancer to dancer. Some like to dance for fun, some like to dance for competition, some will dance with anyone, some are shy, some will only go group lessons and some will only do private lessons. All these attributes vary regardless of how good the dancer is. However, there is an attribute that is common to all the good dancers and the opposite is common to all the poor dancers.
Make sure you have this right attribute and one way or another (no promises on how fast) you will be one of the better dancers.
For the past few years, as you will know if you are a regular reader, I have been researching methods that can be used to make you a better student of dance, and thus a better dancer. To do this, I have also paid attention to those dancers who improve quickly and those who have not improved considerably no matter how long they have been dancing for. I would talk to people about the amount of practice they engaged in, how often they had classes, if they danced socially, if they took lessons elsewhere. The idea was to look for what was common to the better dancers, then codify it and share it with you – after testing it myself.
While I got a few good pointers from people there was very little that was consistent.
The only thing that was consistent was none of the following:
Lesson per week
Practice time between lessons
Confidence
Happiness
Sociability
Intelligence
Fitness
Age
Some of these things helped, but they were not consistent amongst all good dancers. The only thing that was consistent was an attitude toward improvement.
Good dancers want to be good dancers and take some action to be better.
Poor dancers on the other hand were inclined to:
Talk themselves down and identify as a poor dancer
Stick to slower dances that were less challenging
Not invest in proper dance wear (especially shoes)
Listen to others talk about how they improved, but not show any intention of trying it
Assume their talent was dictated by genes
Shy away from confronting their weaknesses
If you tend to do any of the above, then there is a good chance that you will be one of those people who remain at the level of dance that they basically started at.
On the other hand, if you decide that you will confront each obstacle that is between you and being a better dancer, then you will be one of those better dancers.
If you need to work on this better attitude then try the following:
If you have trouble with faster dancers, then don’t say ‘I need to focus on the slow dances’. Instead say ‘I need to work on my speed.’
Buy proper dance wear so that you feel like a dancer. If you show up to lessons or competitions in regular clothes, then you are sending a message to yourself that you do not take improvement seriously. No need to go overboard here, just enough to make you feel like you take it seriously.
When you are at a social dance event don’t decide to not dance with others because you are not good enough. Decide to dance with others to make your dance better.
Don’t avoid a competition because you feel you are not ready for it. Set the date and work towards it.
The common theme to the above is that you take a more positive attitude toward improvement and you identify yourself as someone who is becoming a better dancer. This is just a few ideas, but it should now help you reflect upon things you do that reinforce a complacent attitude toward improvement and how you can change these things to develop a better attitude.
The good news out of this is that it is in your control. If you want to know more about how you can take control and be better at dance, then take a look at the text to the right. If you want to know more about simply being better at anything, then check out the book via the link below.
There’s a lot of them around, people who have been dancing for more than half their lives, probably been dancing for more than 80% of their lives. They started dancing around 10 or so and they are around 50 now. These are people who have danced many dances, seen different scenes and fashions in dance come and go, and now have picked up on the essence of it.
I don’t just mean people who have danced for a long time and done basically the same thing.
I mean people who have been in the thick of it; they have been teachers, judges, studio owners, competitors. And they have probably done it in a number of styles and been so captivated by dance that they read up on it too.
If you ever get a chance to talk to one of these people, then ask them some questions like these (along with ‘and why?’) and then just sit back and listen:
Which dance do you think is the hardest?
Do you think all judges dance the same?
Do you think dance sport is the best type of dance?
Do you think people dance better now than in the past?
Where do you think the best dancers come from?
If you can do this as part of a normal conversation then this dancer will simply let their ideas flow. They will start telling you things that they would not think to tell you if they really had to stop think about it. They will probably get animated too and start demonstrating things – most dancers (especially experienced ones) can’t help but move when thinking about dance.
As long as you’re relaxed and just going with the flow and you are engaged, then you will automatically pick up the important points. They will say something like the ‘The hardest thing about dance X is that you need to…’, and you will then have the insight that you needed. There would have been something abnout a certain dance going on in the back of your mind. And once it hears talking about that dance, that part of your mind will pull that piece of information in. All of a sudden you will understand something that has untill now been troubling you, and that part of your dance will then make sense. You will see it everywhere and you will understand dance at new and deeper level.
I can’t say it will be the aspect of dance that is troubling you the most or the one that you are thinking about. I can say, based on experience, that as long as the conversation is simply flowing, then you will get something that you need – whether you knew you needed it or not.
We all have. Unless we already are a dance teacher. If you're serious about getting better at dance and you want some techniques that you just can't find elsewhere so that you have a real edge, then take a look here.
Sometimes it's not the dance teacher that we care about, but the high level student that we wish to emulate. In fact, no matter who it is, we all have that feeling at some time.
Before I answer this question though, you need to appreciate something. Most dance instructors have been dancing for years and they dance around 8+ hours a day. That's a lot of practice.
In fact, if you want to become really excellent at something, then you're looking at around 10 years practice.
Note that this is for excellence, not a good solid ability that many of us would be happy with. However, it reminds me of a story I heard from a dance instructor about the number of people who drop out of dance after only a few weeks because they don't feel that they dance as well as the people they see on TV.
So you do need to practice, but you still want to make this practice as effective as possible to improve as quickly as possible.
So let's look at that now.
there is a book by a guy called Geoff Colvin called 'Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else'. You can see more about it on my resources webpage here. However, I will give you the basics here and apply it to dance.
Be specific
First step is to ensure that your practice is focused on improving something. Simply dancing a lot is not enough, in fact, it might just reinforce your bad habits. So pick an aspect of your dance hip movement, posture or ankle locks etc. Focus on whatever it is that you want/need to work on.
Get feedback
We can't be as objective as we need to be and it is also hard to see what we look like. Mirrors often come to mind: that's why dance studios have them, right? However, as good as they are, mirrors don't give the best view and you need to compromise posture to use them.
The camera never lies; as they say. And I have found it to be excellent for objective feedback. What I thought must have looked awesome was slack and lazy. So get a video camera and record yourself doing whatever it is that you need to work on. Then watch it. Look for what's actually happening (try to work out what it is that you're making you body do and what it should be doing). Even better if you have a video of someone who does it the way you like. Pay attention to the differences. You will soon realize that they way things feel is not the way they look, especially if you're new to dance of this movement.
Repeat
Make sure that you can do this again and again and again. You need to program your body. If you had troubles 99 times but it worked on the 100th, then you need to keep going. Otherwise, you've got most of your experience doing it wrong! You need to drill it the right way.
Focus
You need to really concentrate on what you're doing. That way, your conscious and unconscious will know that this is important to you and must be mastered. The time you spend on this is up to you, but you will fatigue after an hour so break then.
Don't expect too much pleasure
Dancing is fun, especially when you're good at it and happy with how you do it. However, this practice might not be. You're working on something that will give you the results that you like; not doing something that you like. Try think about how you're getting better. That's a good motivator.
However, simply by dancing you will improve each of them.
Well you will at least improve the first three.
Physicality is a bit different. There are lots of activates that need physical ability, but practicing those activities will not develop that physical ability enough. That’s why basketball players and football players go to the gym and run. The extra cardio-fitness and strength can really only be developed through dedicated exercises. To get the same effect from playing the respect sport, the athlete would need to play that sport for more than 24 hours a day: a basic impossibility.
The same is true of dance.
In fact you do not even need to dance all day to get good at it. You can listen to music to improve musicality while in the car, you can improve your learning as you go over figures in your head before falling asleep and you can boost your confidence by simply deciding not care what happens.
The body however needs exercise and there is no substitute for dedicated exercises.
I know of a few dancers who have great musicality, can recall all figures and routines, and can dance happily in front of a large group. But, they just can’t move with grace or control or into the positions needed.
They have been dancing for years and nothing has changed in this regard.
Everything else will get better as you dance more, but if you want your body to move well, then you need to work on it specifically. This is why physicality is probably the most important key to good dancers. It is only the dedicated people who work on it.
If you want to work on physicality, then join a gym, take yoga classes, or take up some physically demanding pass time. You can also do the exercises in my e-book. When I tried them, I saw a noticeable improvement in about 2 weeks. Working on your physicality is seriously worth the effort.
