Miss Tenderfeet’s Dance Resolutions 2016
It is already one month into 2016 and I just finished writing down my dance resolutions for the year. I know, I know. It is almost too late to announce one’s resolutions. Most people have probably already forgotten about theirs by now.
The reason I am late is because I was going through a major upheaval in my life and did not have enough time to actually craft out my resolutions. Perfectionist that it am, I was obsessed with coming up with something excellent: relevant, achievable and urgent (read: have to be accomplished by the end of this year).
Anyway, after all the excuses and procrastination, I just sat down and wrote the first five things that came into my mind. And guess what? They were perfect.
Sometimes you have to force yourself to create something only to realise that it was inside you all along.
So, here are my five dance resolutions for 2016 (and a bonus one!). Hopefully I can keep them throughout 2016.
1. Start each morning with dance warm-ups and stretches.
Despite not being much of a morning person, I know that mornings are a crucial part of the day. Your mind is more open, your body more relaxed, so anything you do then will have a lasting impact. So, I would like to treat my mornings like the beginning of a dance class. I want to make sure that all the stretches and postures become second nature to my body.
2. Plan more frequent and effective practice sessions.
I am an amateur dancer, which means I do not have the time to spend long hours at a studio, perfecting each step and hand gesture. However, I do not want that to hold me back. The only way around this is to plan my practices beforehand to ensure that I use my time effectively, only focusing on my weaknesses first and then, if I have time, focusing on things that need less work.
3. Never deviate from the aramandi unless the step requires it.
As I have mentioned before, bharathnatyam is nothing without the aramandi. Lose it, and you are no longer be doing bharathnatyam, no matter how perfectly you do everything else. So this year, I plan to stay in aramandi unless otherwise stated.
4. Holding gaze at the right places.
I struggle with holding my gaze in everyday life, not just dance. I blink too much, avoid eye contact and let my gaze linger when I am supposed to focus on one particular thing. This, unfortunately, affects dance as well, where the gaze is what connects the performer to the audience.
5. Go to class on time.
This is probably a no-brainer for most dancers, but I struggle with it quite often. The result: I arrive at class panting because I ran all the way from the train station. My mind and body are not relaxed. I miss the warm-ups and dive right into the steps, making it harder for my body to adapt to the right postures. The solution is simple: plan ahead and leave early. I just need to resolve to do it for every single dance class.
*BONUS RESOLUTION: Learn how to do the splits.
It has been a lifelong dream of mine to do the splits. Unfortunately, bharathnatyam does not focus too much on this particular aspect of dance. But it will still be a cool trick to learn. I just have to figure out how and when to do it!
So these are my dance resolutions for 2016. What are yours?
