Dance Better Now

Is dance like riding a bike?

Many people assume that dance is like riding a bike. Once they get to a certain level of dance they assume will be able to take leave of dance for an extended period. When they return to dance they then also assume it will be with enough skill to practically pick up where they left off (or maybe a little behind). Is this really the case?

If it were the case, then it would be assumed that much of dance can be automated and that little mental effort is required to dance. However, it has been shown that dance is one of the best ways to prevent dementia. The reason for this is that dance works many parts of the brain at the same time. This includes the parts of the brain that are not associated with automated processes – like the parts of the brain that you sue when riding a bike. If dance uses those parts of the brain that are not the automatic parts, then you need to keep up your practice. This was an observation made by James Joseph in his book “Every Man’s Survival Guide to Ballroom Dancing: Ace Your Wedding Dance and Keep Cool on a Cruise, at a Formal, and in Dance Classes” who put people who have had lessons a few years back into the category of people who can’t dance.

 

It would certainly seem that dance is not that much like a riding a bike.

For leads, figures can be forgotten. Follows are a little more fortunate if they focus on following such that they need not remember figures. However, the more subtle the figure the greater the chance that you will not recall all the figures you know.

You possibly will maintain your rhythm, and be able to step in time - for me this is kind of the case (I never had timing so I seem to lose that first). You might also recall how to learn dance so that you could get back into it faster. However, learning is one of those things that you lose if you do not use it. Therefore, if you stop dancing for a while, then you will likely find that you forget most of what you know. I have found that event focusing on one style (say swing) at the expanse of another (say street Latin) can result on the latter dance becoming poorer. Thus, I would have to say that you can;t hope that doing one dance will maintain your ability in another dance.

This is not such an issue; it simply means that you should keep dancing.

You need not keep taking lessons to maintain your dance. Once you get to a reasonably level (after about a year or so) you can simply dance socially on a regular basis (especially if you dance socially while learning) to maintain your skills. In fact, you will probably find that you will be able to simply watch others dance, reverse engineer their figures and then master them. That will definitely maintain your dance ability.

Don’t feel you need to keep taking lesson, but make sure you keep dancing. You can always go back to the lessons as you need to though.

The alphabet of dance - How to write reminders in dance

The post is going to start off with something that will seem odd, but stick with me here. It will be worth it.

Consider the following: how hard would it be to recall the statement below and rewrite it upon request?

Every good boy deserves fruit

Anyone who has learned to read sheet music will know where this is from. It is a mnemonic to help you recall the notes for the lines (E, G, B, D, F). The fact that is a mnemonic is important; it is much easier to remember than a series of disconnected letter.

The sentence is like a single thing to recall and thus easier to remembers than the letters at the start of each letter.

Now imagine how hard it would be to recall the series of letters – someone who knows the letters of the alphabet, but not yet how to spell. It would be near impossible.

Imagine now someone who doesn’t know the letters of the alphabet and had to recall each basic shape as a series of lines and circle segments. If the prior task was near impossible, then this would require a near photographic memory.

However, you would be able to reproduce the sentence by simply recalling the single phrase and then reproducing it using the knowledge of the alphabet and spelling that you have gained over the years.

So imagine how easy it would be to recall a dance routine if each figure was like a letter to you. Each line of a routine would be as complicated as a word or a phrase. The whole routine would be a short story. This is what experienced dancers do – especially the ones who can quickly learn a routine. They do not learn each foot placement – they learn letters (the figures). They also work on good penmanship – (the proper posture and top-line and such for each figure). That’s like simply writing in a manner that looks good.

I am not sure how good your hand writing is, but I am pretty sure that you can write a sentence.

How did you get to that stage? Remember how hard you were worked as a child? That was just hard drilling so that the letters of the alphabet were known to you – it might be hard to recall E, G, B, D, F, but you can probably recite the alphabet. If you wanted nice hand writing, then you could have practiced that too – you just needed to put the effort in and you would know that each letter you write would look good.

This principle can be applied to dance. If you have not done so, then try the following:

1. Learn each figure (of each style you do) and its name – to the point where if someone says it, then you can recall how it looks and how it feels (you could do it). This step will take a while.
2. Take a line of a routine that you are learning and remember each figure in it and in order.
3. Give that figure a name that helps you recall that line
4. Now do the same for each line of the routine
5. Now link the names (in the order of the routine) into a story
6. The story is just one thing to remember – it then allows you to recall each word – and each word then lets you recall the figure of each line

This might seem odd at first, but this is how many successful dancers quickly learn new and many routines. They are not recalling one incredibly long figure like many of us do when learning a routine. They are linking together a series of letters into words and then a phrase/story.

So put the effort now into having a total recall of each figure – like learning the alphabet. It won’t be easy, but it will make things much easier in the future – just like learning the alphabet.

How to lose that serious face when dancing, and have one that matches

A question from a reader:

Hi Clint

 Hope you are well. Its me again with a query I have.

Was just re-reading the idea of the Self 1 and Self 2. For me, I am a very analytical person (accountant haha) so for me, I need to know the routine 101% first along with the the footwork. Self 1 is definitely operating here and if I screw up I get a bit frustrated (esp with the Paso, given it’s such a fast dance for instance). How do I apply Self 2 so I don't "worry" about doing a mistake in terms of my footwork. I have medals in a couple of weeks’ time and I just want to dance naturally and not have that "thinking face" on whilst I go through it. Does this make sense?

Cheers

M

 

My answer:

This is not an uncommon issue. We want so hard to do well that we cannot trust our instinctual side. Even though that’s where we really need our dance to be and we know it too.

For those who can’t recall, the notion of Self 1 and Self 2 come from Tim Gallwey who made these notions famous along with the idea of the inner game when he wrote about tennis. The idea is that our conscious self is Self 1. It is analytical and ideal for when we need to reason. Self 2 is the part of us that just does things naturally – it’s the doing part. Think about those times when you made a mistake because you were concentrating so hard – that’s Self 1 taking too much control.

The key to letting Self 2 take over in a routine is to distract Self 1. Self 1 can really only do one thing at a time. If you distract it from a task, then Self 2 needs to take over. You can think about any thing while walking – it’s so natural that Self 2 does it.

So what are some ways of distracting Self 1?

One easy way is to simply talk. If you have an amenable dance partner, then talk to them about anything so that Self 1 is distracted. If you do this during practice, then you get better at handing control over to Self 2.

This is not ideal for a competition or exhibition.

Another technique is to give each figure a name (not the standard one) and then link the names into a story that uses those names. This will also help you remember the routine – it’s not something you can do quickly (we don’t all have the story telling ability of Stephen King), but it will likely mean you will never forget the routine. If you can also make the story fit the mood of the dance and music, then as you recall the story while doing the routine, then you will be more likely to have a congruent facial expression.

 

This is just an example set of 2. You can come up with others. The key is to keep your conscious mind (Self 1) distracted so that you rely on your automatic Self 2, which is better at this kind of stuff, to take over.

The Rusty Tin Man of Dance

Have you ever gone to dance something that you knew you knew some time ago, but then found that you no longer did know?

It happened to me the other night, but that was certainly not the first time it had happened.

However, it occurred to me that even though I felt like a rusty tin man as I danced, it was probably good for me. This only occurred to me because at this time I was at a salsa night that started with a lesson on Forró. I had not danced Forró before and I was also a little rusty with my Salsa so you would think that it was challenging night.

However, it occurred to me that there was a benefit that was common to the two cases.

Learning the new dance and trying to recall the old dance really got the brain working. This is one of the greatest benefits of social dance. It makes you think in a way that is incredibly effective at exercising the brain to help decrease the chances al Alzheimer’s.

I have mentioned this before, but take a look at this to see how effective social dancing is at fighting Alzheimer’s.

The act of learning new steps is an important part of social dance. Relearning seems just as challenging as learning. So if you ever go to a dance event and find that you have forgotten how to dance a certain style, then it’s just a chance the practice learning again. This will make you better at learning other dances and other figures and it’s good for the brain.

So what’s the moral or this post?

Don’t be afraid to learn a new style at the risk of forgetting one you know. If you need to relearn the one you forget, then it is a chance to improve your dance learning ability. This will help you in all aspect of being a dance student. It will also be good for you brain.

Dancing can indeed be a lifelong learning task. No matter how good you get at one, there will be another one you can learn. By the time you get to the end, you can start all over again like a rusty tin man, which, as it turns out, is good for you!

Can you get good musicality advice from competitive dancers?

Think about the musicality advice that you typically get from your dance teacher. Is it about timing alone or does it expand to picking up in the character of the music and expressing that character?

Good musicality will go well beyond simply being in time. You do of course need to be in time. However, if you want to have really good musicality then you should:

• sense the emotion of the music and express it
• pre-empt the music and dance figures that suit it
• Play with the music (arrive a touch below maybe or dance between the beats depending upon the stye of dance)

However, you have likely never been told to do this nor how to do it. Nevertheless, It is well worth working on your musicality; it adds the final element to social dance that really brings it to life.If you want to know more about how you can work in this, then take a look at the relative section of part two of Dance Better Now.

However, a question remains: why is it so rarely taught?

It likely gets back to dancesport. In dancesport, the processes is to develop a routine and then dance that routine in time to whatever music is played as precicely as possible and with visual appeal. While a routine could be tuned to the music that plays, dancers drill the routine for precise movements. Thus, the dancer's muscle memory of the routine will likely override any musicality the dancer has.

This is not to say that all competitive dance kills musicality. Jack and Jill comp’s, which I think make probably the best contribution to social dance from the swing dance community, not only demand good musicality, but they even promote lyricism at times. For that, you really need to understand the song you are dancing too.

Nevertheless, the dance comp’s that many of us think or are like those in movies such as ‘Shall we Dance?’ These competitions focus more on execution of figures and timing as opposed to musical interpretation and expression on the fly. Thus, you might not get as much help in this area as you might like if your studio is influenced by this approach to dance.

If you do feel that you’re missing it and want a little more, then try going to some schools or dance events that are more focused on the social side of couples dancing. Keep your ears open for musicality workshops too. I have noticed these more at dance festivals.

Just something to think about

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.

Who learns figures?

I have recently taken a new direction with my partner dance development. I have gone from learning routines to learning to freestyle. In this post I will tell you what I have noticed and experienced so far.

Historically, I was really only learning routines and doing medals/gradings in my one on one lessons. I was doing a few group classes in styles I liked. I was also dancing socially on occasion. However, most of my efforts went into learning routines for the next medal.

I did enjoy this while I did it. However, when it came time to start learning a new routine a while back, my heart was not in it. I really could not stand the thought of simply learning another routine and not really learning the figures. If you asked me to do a routine then I could. But - if you asked me to do the following:

1. choose a dance (waltz, rumba, lindy hop etc.),
2. dance that style freestyle for a set period,
3. in that period do each of the figures that I should know from that dance and
4. do it all without actually doing the routine,

then I probably would have failed.

I think this is more an issue for male dancers who need to recall the figures and then pull them out as needed. I have spoken to many women who say that their instructors never teach them the routine. Instead, the instructors simply teach them all the figures and how to follow them. That way when it comes time for the medal/grading, she will follow properly, and get a good grade. Women have told me that even if they can’t recall the figure, once it is led it comes to them. Their bodies remember – so all good for women pretty much.

For men though, it’s a bit different. Men need to recall the figure, know when they can put it into the dance and then lead it. Simply learning a routine does not help much with this. That’s the issue I wanted to deal with and that’s why I decided to change the nature of my lessons.

So my one on one classes now have focused on recalling the figures, how they can be brought together, how they should feel (not just for me, but what o should feel from the follow) and putting them together in combination for better floor craft. The changes in my experience and what I have been learning have been very significant!

The most significant thing I have noticed is that I am now learning many subtleties in the follow that I can use to understand where the woman actually is – both where she is on the dance floor relative to me and the position of her body. I am now getting better at using this to better time my leads. This will obviously make me a much better lead, and I can already feel my awareness of how to properly move my partner on the dance floor improving. But it also makes the act of dancing much more stimulating and enjoyable.

The next most significant thing I have noticed is how lazy I have become. Learning a routine really makes you focus. It’s a clear goal, and this helps you focus more between classes. In class I am now saying things like ‘I have forgotten what we did, can we do it again?’ more frequently than I used to. It’s probably not as bad as it sounds; I usually recall it pretty quickly. I do however know that I need to find a better way of learning under this new approach.

In summary - I am really happy with learning what feels like “true” leading, but I do need to find a way to make the learning more effective.

Still, the question you might be asking is: what does this mean for me, Clint?

I would certainly recommend trying this approach to learning dance if you have not before. It’s pretty clear for me that this will help men much more than it will women so maybe the women have stopped reading by now. However, if you are a man, then at some time you really should try this.

But before you get too excited, I do think it helps to have a good number of figures under your belt beforehand. Even if you can’t recall them, they will come back to you. I have noticed many things coming back to me. If I had not done the medals, then I would not have been trying to learn figures (instead of recalling them) and focusing on these subtleties – probably not easy. Therefore, I think learning routines is good at the start. It gives you that focus you need to learn fast, but routines also provide good examples of how to put figures together. I would say that once you have done two levels, you’re probably in a good place to try this. However, I reckon you could do it after your first medal/grading.

I should make another observation. I think this is as new for many teachers as it is for students – female teachers with male students mostly. Expect to learn how to learn this. I have been given “homework” while doing this, but I do think that the nature of these out of class tasks can be refined. Expect to play around with any “homework” you get to work out how best to practice and learn. That’s what I am doing now, and I will report back on any insights that come to me as I do.

To wrap this all up I would say that if you have progressed a bit and would like to know how to freestyle more, then focus on lessons that only deal with learning figures and how to use them while dancing socially. However, expect that it might take a while to work out how to develop in this area quickly. If you have tried anything like this and have some insights to share, then please do so below.

Memory in dance – learning routines fast

If you’re like me, then one of the challenges you have is remembering routines in social dance. I have been trying a technique to learn dance routines faster and I was pretty happy with how it worked for me so I am ready to share it.

However, before we get into details – we need to talk about chess.

If you have read much of my other stuff on dance, then you will know that I mainly focus on looking into areas outside of dance to find techniques that can help develop attributes ideal for social dance. One of these attributes is memory. So who has really good memory? Obviously memory champs do. However, so do chess players. Experiments demonstrate that master chess players can be shown a chess board with pieces as the might be in a game for only 5 seconds and then reproduce the board lay out exactly from memory. That’s up to 32 items each placed correctly within in 1 of 64 places after only 5 seconds to commit the items and their location to memory! That, to me at least, seems very impressive. However, the story takes an interesting turn when you learn about another experiment. If the chess pieces are placed randomly (not in a configuration that would be possible within a normal game), then the chess masters are no better than you or me (I assume you’re not a chess master as well as a social dancer) at remembering the positions of each chess piece.

Why was this?

The chess masters did not remember the locations. Instead, the remembered the strategy or the game of play. Once they knew the strategy that was evident in the game, they could infer with the limitations that come from the rules of the game where each piece would need to be. This means less memory is actually needed for a good memory. Instead, you need good understanding and reasoning for good memory.

How does this work for dance?

Dance is not random either. The foot placement and the positioning of the body are both limited by what went before and what needs to come next. They also need to fit with the music and the nature of the dance.  You can use all of these with a smaller number of positions to be able to infer a routine and ‘Remember’ it. This however, is a skill that needs to be developed. I have found that if I focus on a few key points within a section on a routine (say 4 or 5, which is around the limit of short term memory and the reason why phone numbers come on sets of 4 digits) and how you get from one to the other, then I will recall the routine and remember it much faster.

I have spoken to a few other more experienced dancers too and they have said that they have found they can recall routines faster in a similar way. No one told them to do it that way; they just ended up doing it. It probably became natural as they became more familiar with the different steps that could be used. As one fellow dancer said while we were talking about it in a group ‘you go from learning letters (foot placements) to words (steps) to sentences (routines).’

You might have already realised that you do the same thing with other areas that you have a lot of experience in: sports plays, answers to exam questions, reciting stories, directions when driving to work, operating a complex piece of machinery etc.

There’s no reason why you can’t do this for dance either. Next time you need to learn a routine, try expanding the perspective you use when how you recall it. Instead of thinking about each foot placement, think of the key points in the routine and how you get from one to the other. You might still need to remember some specifics of each step, but that’s now a part of a different memory task, and this limits the memory reserves you need to put into learning the routine.

This all seems good, but I have found some issues. Even though I have recalled the routine quickly, I have not always been able to get the timing right. Also, it does not mean that I have the technique right. Learning the technique quickly might make your teacher think that everything else is ok too. You might have read the section in part 1 of my e-book on the ‘Halo effect’ and how teachers can forget how hard some things can be to learn. You might also recall from my previous writing that my biggest challenge is musicality.  Indeed, when I used this memory method, I found my musicality became the major limiter to my progression. I knew the routine, but I needed to really drill it with the music to do it in time.

If you have any other memory techniques that you think help, then please share them in the comments section below. It’s good to share ideas so that we can all look for ways to improve.

One last thing - If you would like to read more about the memory experiments on chess players or about performing better in general, then I can recommend the book below. I have used it to improve my dance ability and to improve the way I teach (engineering; not dance).

 

                                     

For full disclosure - if you do buy this book via the link, then I will get a comission.

Hypnosis for better dance

A few weeks prior to writing this post I tried hypnosis for my dance.I am now going to share with you what happened so that you see if it will help you.

I had two issues that I wanted to deal with. One was my motivation to practice outside of class: I was very good at finding other things to do, which might be simply nothing. The other was my lack of focus when dancing under pressure (such as competition); I would often think about things other than dancing, things like the judges, people watching or about why the chose the particular music for the competition. These were all about my attitude toward dance so I figured that the were ideal for hypnosis.

If you have read parts 1 and 2 of my e-book Dance Better Now, then you have read about other techniques to help with your attitude. Hypnosis is like these, but because someone else is planting the the desired ideas in your mind, you do not need to put effort into focusing on maintaining these ideas. This can make it both easier and more effective.

This is certainly what I found.

The next day after my hypnosis session I found that not only was I more motivated to practice dance, but I was also happier to practice. I could feel the link between my practice and my goals with dance (whatever they were at that time - maybe improved foot placement or musicality or balance with a certain step or just feeling comfortable with a routine). This made practice much more enjoyable, easier to put effort into, and much more effective.

What I also noticed when I was dancing in general was a greater focus on my dancing, and less on what was around me. After talking to the hypnotist before the session, he noted that the issue was simply that I didn't focus on my dance. Thus, the idea he suggested was that I focus on my dance. This is more positive and more useful than focusing on not being distracted in competitions or gradings. And I did notice this especially when dancing in a comp'. I felt more relaxed and focused, I enjoyed it more and I won despite the extra competition that I had this time (I still prefer to win by default though).

So I would have to say that hypnosis was really helpful for my dance. And it was quick and easy to do too. I would therefore recommend it to you too. However, you can't expect miracles - if you just don't have the flexibility or fitness for dance, then you probably just need to exercise, and maybe hypnosis can help with the motivation to this.

If you do want to try hypnosis, then how do you go about finding the a good hypnotist for your dance? I asked my hypnotist just that, and this is what he told me:

1. Referrals -The best way to find a hypnotist to work with is by a referral.  If you have family member or friend who has used hypnotherapy before and were happy with their hypnotherapist, then ask them to refer you.
2. Credentials - Some institutions give hypnotherapy certifications after a three-day seminar, while some give only after a 750-hour one-year training course.  Typically, the more extensive their training the better a hypnotherapist the person will be.
3. Talk to the hypnotherapist prior to the session - A good hypnotherapist will be more than happy to speak with you before you even book a session.  Call one up and speak to him or her.  Get a feel for the person.  Do you connect with this person?  Does this person sound like he or she cares about you and what it is you want to improve?  How do you feel intuitively?  Does the person sound like he/she can help you? Does he/she see you as someone they can help or just a dollar sign?
4. Been where you are - If you want to see a hypnotherapist to improve your dancing, it might be a good idea to see a hypnotherapist who has also been in the same ‘shoes’ (pun intended) as yourself, hence a fellow dancer.

He also suggested that you avoid the hypnotist who:

1. Guarantees certain results or the number of sessions it will take.  The results and number of sessions vary depending on the issue and the person.
2. Doesn’t provide you a recording of the session.  Most good hypnotherapists will record the sessions for you and email it to you so you can listen later on and reinforce the suggestions.
3. Talks about specific details or names of other clients.  This is a huge no-no and a violation of client confidentiality.

I can vouch for the need to find someone who understand dance and who gives a recording. I use my recording each time I need a "recharge". I also found that talking to someone who understand dance really helps communicate your needs effectively, which makes for a better experience.

My hypnotherapist, Dustin, has recently made a hypnotherapy product to help with better dance (he is a dancer too). I have tried that along with my specific personal recording from the session with him. I certainly found my specific one was much more useful, but general products are really good too, and I can recommend them. If you would like to try out hypnotherapy to improve your dance, then click here to view more details for a really good example. 

Just for disclosure - if you buy something from this link, then I will probably get a commission. In either case, if you feel that you have some beliefs (maybe about how good you think you can be) or an attitude (maybe you just don't really see the value in practicing) that limit your dance ability, then I can really recommend hypnosis no matter where you go.

Routine versus freestyle in couples dancing

What are you taught mostly when you learn dance? Do you learn routines or do you only learn freestyle? In either case have you ever worried that you’re not learning enough or one or wondered which is the best to learn? Chances are you have not given it too much thought, but it’s worth being aware of the relationship between the two so that you can better manage your progression as a student of partner dancing.

In this blog I will go over the nature of freestyle and routine and talk about how you can use them both most effectively.

Differences between the sexes

There are a few areas where what men need to deal with is a bit different from what women need to deal with. Finding that balance between the use of freestyle and routine is one of them.

If you’re a woman, then chances are you’re learning everything in a freestyle manner. Even if you’re learning a routine your instructor might tell you to focus more on simply following, and to forget about the routine. This will help improve your ability to follow whomever you’re dancing with so that you can basically do any routine. The paradox for women is that by learning freestyle only they are better able to dance any routine. If you feel that you are expected to remember routines too much instead of following, then you might want to talk to your instructor about what and how you’re learning.

Men on the other hand need to learn routine. This is especially so when going for medals or gradings and such. However, when you dance socially you will need to avoid other dancers (depending upon the nature of the dance the level of other dancers), you will need to dance at a level equal to or lower than that of your partner, and you might just want to do something different for the pleasure of it and the enjoyment of your partner (who might have been put through that routine a number of times before). This means that as a man you need to manage these two aspects of your dance learning.

The problem with routine

The biggest problem with routine is that you can find that it is all you can do. You’re robbed of your ability to freestyle, and you suffer from all the problems that come form that: not knowing what to do when there’s an obstacle, only knowing how to perform a step when it follows another certain step, getting bored with dance, or feeling that you’re just not really a good dancer.

The advantage with routine

There are some advantages though. A well designed routine will show you how one step can lead into another. It will ensure that you quickly learn a larger number of steps and it provides an easy way to know that you’ve covered each of the key steps for some level. Finally, it can be useful to be able to draw on a routine so that you can put a number of steps together in a manner that feels very natural to you and your partner.

Dealing with the problems and keeping the advantages

Clearly there are a few reasons for learning a routine. So you should never give up on learning them. However, you still need to ensure that you can freestyle. There are three things that you can do to improve this:

1. Obviously, you should make sure that you get a chance to do so. You might already do this if you go to a school that runs a lot of social functions that you attend or of you just happen to go to a lot of social dancing.
2. When you are dancing freestyle, think ahead. Plan a mini routine in your head of say three steps and then execute them. Depending upon your level, this might be quite tricky, but with practice you will get better at it. You can always pull sections form the routines that you know too. Simply doing them in a different order can be enough to break the bad effects of routine.
3. Reflect on how your freestyle goes. If you try something and it didn’t work, then ask yourself why it didn’t work. I often find that it is because I did not think clearly about how I should get into the mini routine in my head – sometimes I realise that I never thought about how I would get out of it. And then at other times I realise that I did not think properly about how each step leads into the other. The routines you know can also be used to provide a good point of comparison. As you contemplate your own routine, you will find that your understanding of dance, and how/why the routines work, increases greatly.