Dance Better Now

How to learn ballroom dancing with fewest dance lessons possible

Are you currently learning ballroom dancing or Latin dancing and wanting to improve faster? Are you perhaps thinking about dance lessons and want to know how to choose the best dance studio or dance school so you get the best value for money?

If you want to learn to dance as fast as possible, then read on. I have been there and done that, and I know how to get the most from your dance lessons.

If you want to master ballroom dance or Latin dance, then there are 4 things you should do:

1. Decide if you want to do private of group dance classes
2. Choosing a dance studio
3. Evaluate your teacher during your dance lessons
4. Use focused practice to improve your ballroom dancing outside of the dance school

Group versus private

Many people have preferences and will tell you different things about which dance lesson is best when it comes to group and private. Often what you hear from others tells you more about their personal on dance classes than it does about what’s good for you. The best thing to do is understand what each offers so you can find the best match for you.

Social interaction

Group dance classes offer a chance to meet and dance with many people, and are ideal for social people who like to interact with many people. Private dance lessons on the other hand are one on one, and are ideal for people who like to deal with one person at a time and know who they will be working with.

Learning style

When you are in a private dance class, you are basically being told what you need to do. This can be better for people who like to be told exactly what they need to do. When you learn ballroom dancing in a group dance lesson, you will need to work out some stuff yourself. This is good for people who like a chance to try themselves first and ask questions when they need to.

Focus

Group lessons are usually more interested in social dance along with lead and following. Privates are usually more focused on technique and gradings. You need to think about why you want to learn ballroom dancing and what you want from the dance school you choose.

Cost

Dance studios that focus on private ballroom lessons will usually charge 3-5 times more per hour than what dance schools using group lessons will charge. Most dance studios and dance schools do both; they just normally have a preference. As a general rule, you will learn 3-5 times faster in a private lesson so you will probably have to pay the same to get to a certain level no matter which avenue you take. It’s more about your preferences.

Once you have a feel for what kinds of classes you want, it is time to choose a dance studio.

Choosing a dance school

It is most likely that after reading the previous section you have a preference for one type of dance lesson, but will still on occasion want to take the other type. Therefore, you want to find a dance studio that does both. Fortunately, most do. However, dance studios do usually have a preference so restrict your search to dance schools that lean toward your preferences.

That being said, there are some other attributes that you can look for:

1. Do they offer a chance to apply what they teach? You’re learning for a reason so look for a school that will help you get into the competitions you want or that runs some kind of social event you can dance at or runs exhibitions that you can perform in. Once again you need to know what you’re interested in: social dance, dance sport, putting on shows, some mix of the 3.
2. Where do they get their certification? Some dance studios self-certify, that might be OK with you, some are members of independent dance organisation that certify. You need to work out which works for you. I know some who effectively self-certify, but staff spend time travelling to the cultural heartland of the dances they teach to stay abreast of the latest methods and styles. Once you know what you’re interested in, you know what to ask of a potential dance school.
3. What’s the demographic of the dance studio? If you are going to be dancing with others, then you want to know that they are people you are comfortable dancing with. This might depend upon age, religious beliefs, degree of social progression, formality and so on. I know some people who loved their dance classes, but not some of the people they danced with. They then left dance and never returned. Make sure you choose a dance studio that works for you.

Once you have a dance school, you need to evaluate your teacher.

Want a free e-book on how to dance better? Sign up with one of the forms below

How to maximise the time between classes for better dance

Do you ever feel that you are just spinning your wheels between classes? You have worked out what the issue is, but you are worried:

1. You are not able to practice properly without a partner
2. You might practice incorrectly, due to not knowing enough, and develop bad habits

The effect is that the motivation and nascent insights you gain in one lesson cannot be taken advantage of. Because of this, you need to repeat aspects in the next lesson. It’s like 2 steps forward with 1 step back.

The solution is to halt the lesson about 5-10 minutes before the scheduled end.

You know what it is that you need to work on: Maybe timing, maybe foot placement, maybe balance, maybe remembering to place your hand somewhere. However, what you need is simpler exercises that you can drill confidently. Exercises that will help develop the attribute that you need to solve the challenges you face at that time.

Just before the lesson ends talk to your teacher about what you can do between classes to help the issue. Ensure that you make the following clear:

1. You do not know what it is you are working on well enough to practice that
2. You need something you can do alone
3. You need something simple enough so that you will not get it wrong
4. It needs to be something that will help you overcome the immediate challenge you have

This seems a serious task; however, I have found that most teachers are capable of drawing on their experience to come up with something. Not only that, but they seem to enjoy the challenge: more engaging than the typical passive student.

You might need practice asking for the right kind of exercises and your teacher might need practice too; don’t be disheartened if you don’t get perfect exercises first time you try this. Keep at it, and it will eventually become a standard learning technique you use to become a better dancer.

Dance step tutorials: Why the best way to teach dance is the wrong way

 Have you been dancing for a while and found that you’re still learning, have issues or maybe even feel that you have more issues with your dancing than you used to? You might even be searching the internet for dance step tutorials so that you can find something that you’re missing, and then master your dance. Well you’re certainly not alone. Many of us are trying to find something that will make us feel that we are improving faster or at a rate that fits with our expectations of ourselves. We do this because sometimes we’re unlearning what we thought was good dancing. We also do it because dance has started to become a challenge when once it was more fun, and we want that fun back

Why does dance progress in such an odd way?

 The reason for these issues is that dancing is actually taught wrong. At the beginning you’re taught basic steps with little attention to proper styling of subtle requirements. Or you might focus on easier danmces such as mernegue, which often gives a quick sense of achievement.

 When this happens you have a lower standard to reach. You go along happily picking these new steps thinking all is fine. However, it is not. You dance teacher is actually allowing you to develop a lot of bad habits. Because they do not control what you do, you will start moving your body in whatever way feels good, comfortable or normal to you. The chances of this movement being the same as what is expected at a higher level are very low. 

This means that you will spend some time (maybe years) training your body to dance a way it’s not meant to. That’s how you end up with bad habits that need to be unlearnt, that’s how you end up finding dance less fun and more challenging and that’s why you end up searching the internet for dance step tutorials and hoping you’ll find that secret to dancing better.

So what is the most effective way to learn dance?

 The question of the best way to learn is not unique to dance. It is actually something that has been considered in many other areas. Let’s consider three different areas: martial arts, engineering and public speaking. That’s a pretty diverse group of activities.

 Many of us remember the ‘wax on, wax off’ of the first karate kid movie.  Poor Ralph Macchio had to do that for hours (plus many other chores) before he could get into any ‘real’ training.

 What about engineering? Would you feel safe if an engineer’s first lesson was desiging a bridge that you were about to drive over? Probably not. You’d want them to have learnt how to calculate stress in the bridge and ensure that the stress will not be greater than the bridge material can handle. That’s why engineers need to complete a degree first.

 So now what about public speaking? Have you seen The King’s Speech? King Georg VI of Britain needs to overcome a speech problem so that he can speak in public. A lot of his training has little to do with public speaking before he actually tries it.

 The common theme you have seen here is that it is more efficient to take time building the attributes that allow us to do something as opposed to simply doing that something. The same is true of dance (pretty much anything really). We should start by developing our musicality, our body’s dexterity and grace, and our ability to feel another body so that we may lead and follow.

 However, we know that dance isn’t taught like that. This is why you now probably have problems and why you are looking for dance step tutorials on the internet. You’re dealing with all this baggage that comes from being taught how to dance the wrong way.

 Why do we learn like this? That’s a very good question and the easiest way to answer it is to think back to when you started to dance. It was fun wasn’t it? It was also social – unlike martial arts, engineering and public speaking. And it was important that you could do something worthwhile at the start, otherwise why would you go to class. It really is vital to have some small wins at the start. We learn dance this way so that we enjoy it. It is the wrong way to learn, but it is the best way.

What should you do?

 Now that you know you are learning the wrong way, but it is the best way, you need to take action. The fact that you have come to this page is a good sign – it shows that you have already realised this and you’ve decided to be proactive. They best thing to do now is look at building attributes. Focus on the following as you see fit:

• Increasing musicality – there are a lot of resources that focus on musicality specifically, and you can find them with an internet search
• Improving body movement – there are a lot of resources to help with this too, and they can also be found with an internet search
• Accepting that you will need to unlearn dance habits (which might look like a drop in dance ability) and learn new (and better) dance habits

The 8 myths you incorrectly believe about better dancers

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:

1. They engaged in a hobby or pastime prior to starting dance and developed skills that carried over to dance
2. They actually practice more than they let on – many people do this to create an air of mystique
3. 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:

1. grew up with the respective music so they can express it more in their dance and
2. 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.

Of course, it’s also wise to ensure that you are a pleasant person to dance with.

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:

1. Change teacher – obvious really.
2. 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.
3. 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.

 

 

What’s common to all the good dancers?

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.

How to pick the best dance school

Are you sure that you are at the best dance school?

If I think back I can recall a number of times when people talked about how their school was the best or how they moved from one to the other for a higher standard.

In the past I have said that my focus has been mostly on the student and the teacher. I don’t really think that there is such thing as a bad teacher or student. Instead, I think that there are good and bad teacher-student combinations. Or perhaps more accurately, there are good and bad student-teacher relationships.

I still think that this is the majority of what makes for a good learning experience. However, you can’t ignore the influence of the school.

This was driven home to me a few days back when I was at a dance event held by another dance studio. I noticed that the routines of students going for their medals were more complicated than those that were done at my school. However, I also noticed that there seemed to be less connection between the two people dancing.

Upon reflection, this made sense.

My school does have competitions, it adheres to the standards of the respective national body and I know that they have a collection of publication from the Imperial Society of the Teachers of Dance. However, they do encourage socialisation amongst the students and there is a sense of dance as a social activity. The other school was run by a highly regarded dance sport dancer and had a number students who were also in dance sport.

So which school is best?

One of my friends who started at the same school as me migrated to the other one I have mentioned here. I am still happy with mine. He does dance sport and I prefer social dancing.

That is likely your answer there.

The best dance school is the one that suits you and what you want out of dance.

This is actually similar to the issue with choosing “the best” university. In most parts of the world, universities have a ranking system to let you know which is best. However, at least I have been told, the Germans do it a bit differently. Instead of trying to make a list of universities in order of standard, they provide a profile that covers things such as teacher student ratio, faculty profile, research outputs and so on. A student then chooses one that aligns with the qualification they want and what they want from that qualification.

You can do the same when it comes to choosing a dance school/studio. You likely have one now, but if you ever need to choose another one or if you think you are in the wrong place, then think about what you want from dance at that time and how each school would align with that.

I know students who have left dancing simply because they had chosen the wrong school and didn’t look for another that might be more suited to them. Enjoy dance as much as you can - choose a school that is best for you. think about the type of dance you're interested in and the type of enviornment you might like, then choose the dance school.

The men dance teachers do not like teaching

I have spoken about this before. However, I was talking with a female dance teacher a few nights back at a social event, and became apparent that this issue is ongoing. So here is a list of things that female dance teachers don’t like.

• Expecting them to teach you social skills – they’re not counsellors, life coaches or therapists; they’re dance teachers.
• Showing up sweaty or unwashed – this requires no expatiation.
• Not trying and then complaining – try to imagine how much that would annoy you.
• Talking about your failed love life – they like a bit of gossip, but go easy.
• Expressing your desire to kill everyone – you might have a bad day now and then, but, once again, go easy.
• Treating your dance lessons as your chance to be close to a woman – they’re not paid for that; they’re dance teachers.
• Buying them a gift – unless it's something like Christamas and you buy presents for most people you know, then it's just awkward.
• Being asked out – unless you’re really hot (if you have none of the above problems, then you might be)

 

How to seduce your dance teacher

How music brings dance to life

Background

About a week before writing this a dance teacher posted on the LinkedIn arm of Dance Better Now (The “Dance Teaching, Coaching and Training” group) about a student of hers that she was having some minor problems with.

The student was technically very good, but he didn’t have much life to his dance.

His teacher described him as a technician. He focused on the minute details of each step and figure, but didn’t really seem to get out of ‘practice mode’. This was despite dancing for years, competing in dance sport, doing exhibitions and taking multiple lessons a week.

The teacher wanted to know what to do to make him let go and dance.

Music and expression

I suggested in reply to her post that she try asking the student to do the following:

• listen to the music that was playing,
• identify the instruments,
•  think about the feelings that each was expressing,
• think about how that could be expressed physically and then,
• move that way when dancing

In a later reply the teacher said that she tried this, but with a twist. She asked the student to pick some music. Then they danced to that. This music was simple, quiet and introspective. Much like the student she felt. This made it more difficult for him to move to it – there was not much to express.

This was interesting – by choosing the music that matched his feeling, he did not necessarily have something to dance to.

The teacher then put on something up beat.

It took some time, but towards the end of the lesson the student finally let go. He started to dance in a way that expressed the music as opposed to just being in time. He seemed to feel the music and then made his partner (his teacher) feel it too in the way that he danced.

The teacher reported that the student seemed pleased with himself, that he danced better and that this was to be a new and regular part of her teaching.

The lesson for you

You might not always be dancing as well as you could because you are not feeling the music.

To turn a series of timed movements into dance, you need to feel the music and then share this feeling.

This is easier said than done – the student in the above example spent a number of hours working on this.

We do not force our feelings upon the music, we let the music’s feelings effect our feelings. Note how when the student used music that suited his feelings he was stuck; it did not suit the dance.

When dancing, let the music guide you and you will dance whatever dance you are dancing better.

Musical appreciation and expression

As important as this is in social dance, it is not taught as much as it could be.

If you want to learn more about really listening to music and then capturing its emotions and using those, then you need to think more like a musician. One of the best books on how to think like a musician is The Inner Game of Music by Barry Green and Timothy Gallwey.

 I have read it and found it very useful for this aspect of dance.

The Key to dancing better in 2014

Was dance a part of your New Year’s resolutions?

I know that some people are critical of them, but I think that they are good because they reveal what is important to us. However, there is one critique of New Year resolutions that I agree with. That’s the notion that too many resolutions are a problem.

Time and time again, I have read about:

•  how humans can’t keep a track of too many things at once
• how will power is limited, and is split when you have more tasks
• how any resolution needs a lot attention to see results
• how goals need to be specific

This can mean that if you want to get better at dance, then you might be taking on more than you realise. Is it movement that you want to be better; timing, musicality, leading and following; or a bit of everything? Pretty soon you can see that getting better at dance takes a bit of work.

There is one way to make this simple. You can of course say I will simply do as my teacher says and allocate 15 minutes each day to working on what my dance teacher tells me. This is an excellent approach. It’s simple to stick to and it will give you results. The only issue is making sure that you have a dance teacher who can see what limitations you have and can formulate practice tasks for you.

If you have such a teacher, then never let them go!

Many dance teachers can see what your limits are, but they might not be able to work out what you should do about it. Also, they might not be accustomed to setting homework. I am sure not too many of their students ask for it. Some I know just take up dancing to take a break from everything else.

This could mean that you will need to take on some responsibility.

You might need to find out what your weak at from your teacher and then work out what you can do about it. That might mean on the first day your 15 minutes is dedicated to finding exercises to improve something. The others will then be following those exercises. It might be the first two days if you can’t find exercises. Worst case scenario is that you need to work out your weaknesses and then find out what to do about it.

The less direction you get from your teacher, the less direction you have and the more initiative and will power you need.

If you do need to take a lot of initiative, then you will want to have dance alone as a New Year’s resolution. Because it will become a large task, you will not be able to afford the distraction of something else – like being nicer to the in-laws.

So before you set betting better at dance as a resolution this year, stop and think about how you can do this. If it’s possible to simply commit time to practice, then it’s a pretty easy task. Otherwise, break it down into smaller tasks and avoid distractions.

Can group classes kill your dance ability?

As I mentioned in the last post, I was recently at a dance recital. In that recital there were a number of routines performed by large groups where each member of the group did exactly the same thing.

In these performances, I noticed a number of people looking at others to ensure that they themselves were on time and doing the right figures. This got me thinking: is it always good to have a visual cue when learning to dance?

Once again, as I also mentioned I did in the last post, I posed this question on a LinkedIn group of dance teachers and coaches. The response was pretty unanimous – many students will rely upon others if they can and follow them. This prevents students from properly learning routines. That’s bad enough; however, it can also prevent students from learning how a figure should feel. One teacher in the conversation said that she would sometimes teach students without mirrors so that the students were less able to follow others or rely on visual cues. Instead, they would learn to trust and develop their memory and pay attention to how their bodies feel.

So what does this mean for you? It means that while it might be uncomfortable, you should isolate yourself from others and from mirrors when learning a routine or even how to do a figure. This will help build your memory and your ability to feel when a figure is done right. You need not do this all the time, but every once in a while will probably help. This could be a good tool for teachers – especially those training a group for a performance.

As an example - I had a friend who did not realise how much she was relying on mirrors and other dancers until she went to a medal night. Only then did she realise that she was always looking in the mirror and using visual cues from others to be able to complete the routine. Not a good place to be.